Orthopedic Health of KC Newsletter January 2020
IN THIS ISSUE :
- Achieving your New Year’s Resolutions
- Improving Patient Convenience
How to achieve your New Year’s Fitness Goals and Avoid Injury
By Dr. Jon Hedgecock, M.D., Sports Medicine
It is the start of a new year and a new decade, and that means it is time to make New Year’s resolutions. A common resolution is to get back in shape and lose weight. Here are some tips to help you get started and decrease your risk of sustaining injury:
- Outline attainable goals. Like anything in life, you will be more successful if you set realistic, achievable goals. What do you want to achieve by starting an exercise program? For most, this is weight loss. For others, it is being able to keep up with their kids. Identify what your goals are and set realistic expectations to track your progress.
- Remember the importance of proper nutrition and hydration. Weight loss is a function of calories consumed vs. calories burned. Two ways to affect this is to decrease the number of calories taken in and increase the number of calories expended, through diet and exercise. Additionally, an adequate water intake is crucial, as it keeps you feeling full, leading to lower calorie intake, and flushing toxins from your body.
- Take it slow. When beginning an exercise routine, don’t try to pick up where you left off months or years ago. Start slowly with light weight and progress gradually, increasing what you do each week. Proper technique cannot be emphasized enough as this will decrease the risk of injury.
- Allow for a proper warmup and stretching before any workout. It is necessary to warm up the body before any workout to decrease the risk of muscle strains. It will also help to ensure you have the best workout possible.
- Avoid high intensity workout classes until you have established a baseline level of fitness. Jumping into classes before your body is ready is a setup for failure. High intensity workouts and improper technique can cause muscle strain or tear. Always listen to your body so you don’t overdo it!
- Once you have achieved your goals, set new ones. Don’t quit after your initial goals have been met. Reevaluate your fitness goals periodically and be consistent with your diet and exercise program to ensure that you continue to build on what you’ve accomplished.
Hopefully these tips will help you begin your journey toward fulfilling your New Year’s resolution in a safe and enjoyable fashion. We wish you the best of luck in pursuing your goals for the new year!
Let us Help When you Need it the most!
Last summer, Orthopedic Health of Kansas City opened its new building conveniently located across from North Kansas City Hospital. This allowed the practice to offer a second urgent walk-in clinic (in addition to the Independence location) and an MRI with extended hours (and less expense).
In the past few months, the NKC urgent walk-in clinic increased its hours to welcome patients on Saturdays from 8am – 12pm. We don’t want our patients to suffer through the weekend! Both locations are open from 8am – 8pm Monday through Friday.
Additionally, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the NKC location, the MRI is available until 8pm allowing patients to book outside of traditional working hours. Call our office or drop by to get the help you need when it’s most convenient for you.
Categories: Doctor, Monthly Newsletter, News