Being physically active plays a key role in overall good health. However, nearly 80-percent of Americans — young and old — aren’t active enough.
In celebration of National Physical Therapy Month, the American Physical Therapy Association hopes to bring awareness to the importance of being active.
“Physical activity can range from taking a walk to doing chores at home to strenuous exercise,” said Raj Tripathi of SMC Physical Therapy. “Start small and stick to a schedule. Take note of what you do, how long and when you do it. However, if you are labored or in pain, call a doctor immediately.”
Tripathi said physical activity is important for long-term health, reduces the severity and helps prevent several diseases.
“If we don’t try to be active, we don’t know what we can achieve or what our limitations are,” he said. “As soon as you begin to increase physical activity, you can see the health benefits. Being active can improve your quality of life.”
For those who have pain, balance, weakness, coordination, musculoskeletal, or neurological issues, physical therapy can help.
“Our clinicians train in a wide array of diagnosis and clinical presentations that can help you overcome whatever is keeping you from being more active,” Tripathi said. “Activity can also help identify underlying conditions by examining symptoms.”
Benefits of physical activity include:
- Memory and brain function improvement
- Weight management
- Lower blood pressure
- Improvement in heart health
- Better sleep quality
- Reduction in stress anxiety and depression
For more information about SMC Physical Therapy, call 856-339-6025.