Essex County Physical Therapist: Make Time For 'You' This Spring

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of Matthew Cifelli, the COO and Partner at Parabolic Performance and Rehabilitation, which has locations in Essex County. Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

For many of us who set out to conquer New Year’s resolutions and start fresh, that journey many not be going exactly as planned. Excuses are easy to come by and have piled up. Life and work just seem to always get in the way. Your plan to drop those few extra pounds or starting that new exercise routine may have seemed like a great at idea the time, but you quickly realized that the goals you set are just too far fetched.

Well here is a friendly reminder, spring time is right around the corner and there is no better time of year that can motivate you to make a fresh start. There is something to be said when the warm air starts blowing and the birds start chirping. Our spirits become instantly elevated with the ability to finally get outside and tackle new projects, so let’s start with getting rid of the excuses.

The most common excuse for avoiding exercise is not having the time to exercise. Time is a critical commodity that far too many of us never seem to have enough of. If the work piles up during the day we find ourselves taking more and more of our responsibilities home with us. The kid’s agenda’s become priority leaving even less time for you. You have to cook dinner, mow the lawn, fix your car, grocery shop, take your dog to the veterinarian and before you even have a second to think about yourself—the day is of over.

Was your goal back in January to neglect yourself everyday? That answer should be no, but the hard part is trying to figure out how to avoid self-neglect.

Here is a scenario. You’re 8x’s more likely to experience some form of illness or disease with an inactive lifestyle. When symptoms begin presenting themselves you’ll be forced to make an appointment with your doctor, drive to the appointment, wait to be seen, schedule additional appointments if further tests are warranted, and wait at the pharmacy for a prescription to be filled. This all takes A LOT of time, but for some crazy reason we find a way to adjust our schedules and fit all these appointments in. And we should because during vulnerable times our health becomes a priority. So why not stay ahead of all this and may a commitment to accommodate the prevention of illness through exercise?

This spring get outside and stop hiding behind your excuses. It will never be the perfect time to start a new exercise routine, but the reality is you do have the time; you just have to decide to use it.

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com