HER | Greet this new year with gusto: Exercise a plan and exorcise stress

Q: What is the best thing we can do

for our bodies in the coming year?

 

Sarah: "Just exercise. We are big proponents of exercise, if not daily, a good majority of the week. It has so many benefits for you, it keeps your mind healthy."

 

Sam: "I agree on the topic of exercise. People ask what is the best workout routine, and honestly the best workout routine is the one you can stick with. Whether it is aerobics, whether it is yoga, whether it is lifting weights or an app on your phone, go for it. Whatever works for you. I think sticking with it is rooted in healthy habits, that in and of itself is a challenge as much as anything, building habits to facilitate your exercising. Put the framework in place, shoes by the door, clothes set out, water. Use different cues to see what you can do to make it less of a decision and more of a habit."

Q: Any suggestions on lessening stress or getting more sleep?

 

Sam: "I think, a lot of times, it all becomes so connected. If we don't exercise, we don't sleep as well. I think sleep is huge. I know some phones have blue light filters and some people might consider having a set time of turning off screens."

 

Sarah: "Focusing wholly on one thing, that helps to de-stress, whether it's exercise or being fully entrenched in reading, whereas watching the phone and TV at the same time is not a good idea. Have some point in time where you are doing only one thing."

 

Q: Do you believe mind, body and spirit are

all connected or work

independently?

 

Sarah: "Yeah, they are all interconnected. You cannot separate them. When doing physical therapy on a shoulder, it isn't just the shoulder, but pain and how it affects us socially, mentally and physically. You think of one part of the body, but it is so much more. In NICU, I see a lot of having to deal with family cues in social settings, like babies need to sit up, but if they are delayed in that, how do they take that as a family. Teaching and parents learning what they can do helps so much for them to participate in their child's care."

 

Sam: "Yeah, in many ways, every therapist, regardless of setting, has some level of intrinsic recognition that is the case. We have also seen people who we help walk better and then, suddenly, their whole disposition changes. It changes their outlook and their thought process. A lot of those times, you don't get to that physical change if you don't have that mental buy-in to help facilitate the change. They closely interact, for sure."

 

Q: How were each of you called or led to your work?

 

Sarah: "I was a biology major at SAU (Southern Arkansas University) with a math minor and didn't know what I wanted to do. I babysat a girl who was going to PT (physical therapy). As long as you are interested in health and wellness, and like working with people, there are a lot of options."

 

Sam: "My grandfather had Multiple Systems Atrophy, which is a diagnosis for everything shutting down. But they don't know why and he got therapy at different times throughout that. I already had an understanding of therapy in sports and orthopedic, but it was cool to see a different side, to see how well a person can function. Can they get to a bathroom? It was seeing a different side of the therapy realm." n

 

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