Start the New Year with Sports Health Northwest

As 2023 begins many of us spend time reflecting back on what we accomplished during the past year what personal and professional challenges we faced, and how we responded and overcame those challenges. As we look forward to the new year ahead, and think about new possibilities, we likely consider new opportunities to grow personally and professionally.  At Sports Health Northwest, we want to help you as you look forward to a new year. As you set goals to become healthier, stronger, alleviate your back pain, fix that knee pain, and strengthen your shoulders, we want to help you achieve those goals.

At Sports Health Northwest, we prioritize you and your needs and emphasize the uniqueness of your goals and your personal health. If you are looking to lose weight in 2023, get stronger, get healthier, try a new sport, and take better care of your body, come see us. We have, the experience, the expertise, and the resources to help you become a healthier version of yourself during the upcoming year. We want to help you achieve a better quality of life, a better enjoyment of life, and help you make 2023 your healthiest year. 

A patient recently told me her goal in 2023 is to lose 25 pounds and get stronger.  This may seem like a lot but as we counseled this patient, it’s really only 2 pounds per month and very attainable with the right combination of lifestyle changes including diet and exercise, and even temporary use of medication.  This doesn’t require drastic changes in diet or exercise, and can be achieved with patience and persistence, and medical support.  We have the necessary tools to help you set goals and monitor your progress. Additionally, we have the experience, training, and interest in helping you have success in achieving your health goals for 2023.  We realize the benefit of exercise as medicine as it helps to protect your joints from further damage, helps you have more energy, and feel stronger, and helps you on the path of weight loss and better fitness.

If you are struggling to achieve a higher level of health or activity, because of chronic pain from injuries, we want to help you. Whether it’s your back or an old shoulder injury, or limitations from a previous surgery that is keeping you from achieving your level of desired activity, call us for an appointment as we are happy to try to help provide guidance and support you on your path to, a better future, more, a more active future, and a less painful day. 

Not only is exercise good for your physical health, its beneficial for mental health.  A recent study published and the British journalist sports medicine, found that exercise was equivalent to medication in reducing depression symptoms in adults with non-severe depression. Studies also show the benefit of exercise on managing other mental health conditions, such as anxiety. As an added benefit to the physical health that comes from regular exercise, the mental health component of exercise is also very much improved through exercise-based activity.

As you look forward to 2023 and becoming a healthier version of yourself, utilizing exercise to improve your physical and mental health is a excellent way to achieve your goals for a new year.

Just about any type of exercise can benefit your physical and mental health. Walking, which is considered a low intensity form of exercise, has been shown to improve muscle tone, improve sleep, reduce the ageing risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and reduce the risk of falls and fractures. Also, walking and other forms of exercise can help to increase your body’s ability to manage pain by increasing your body’s natural endorphins. While additional vigorous exercise may result in additional health benefits, it’s important to recognize that any regular exercise activity translates to a healthier and happier day.  

            As you look forward to a new year, and set goals for being a healthier and happier version of yourself,  we want to support you along that path to success.  If you are in need of medical advice about diet and exercise, treatment for joint and muscle pain, body composition testing to monitor your progress, performance lab testing, and even medication review to look for opportunities to lose weight, we can help you. 

Author

David Westerdahl MD FAAFP RMSK Sports Medicine Physician and owner Sports Health Northwest, Inc.