As physiotherapist's, we strongly encourage our patients to prioritise staying active during the holiday season to maintain their overall well-being. Incorporating regular physical activity. This could be in the form of brisk walks, cycling, or even festive dance workouts.
All of which can help prevent stiffness and promote joint mobility. Engaging in activities with family and friends, like group sports or nature hikes, not only contributes to physical fitness but also fosters a sense of community and emotional well-being.
Staying active, it’s important to stay active over the Christmas period as the idea of ‘use it or lose it’ applies to all your activity levels. Any prolonged periods where you are inactive can result in a decrease in a cardio fitness, for example feeling a little more puffed when walking up a hill. Decreasing your activity for two to three weeks can further result in muscle mass loss as muscle requires load.
When participating in activities it is important to warm up, this can be done through some dynamic stretch’s, stationary bike or a brisk walk. This is important as nobody wants to pull a muscle during the backyard cricket game.
Its best to maintain regular exercise over the Christmas period, while making sure to stay hydrated as water provides many pathological benefits for the body. It’s likely that if you’re staying physically active that you may lose 1-2% of body weight in water which can cause a significant decrease in performance of any physical activity.
If you do feel any aches or pains over the Christmas period it’s because to reach out to the Sydney allied Health team and we can work together to prepare you for the start of 2024.