This month we see the change of season. Winter turning to spring ~ frosty things begin to melt, days continue getting longer and we begin moving a little bit more! I have recently started hiking again (after my ankle rehab) and like all folks who start something new or level up on their exercise ~ I am noticing I need to spend some time conditioning for my hiking! I need to put a little spring in my step ;)

There are a few types of conditioning exercises you can use to put a spring in your step:

• Aerobic endurance training ~ so you can exercise at moderate/high intensity for extended periods of time without tiring.

• Agility drills ~ so you can rapidly change directions with speed and accuracy.

• Plyometric training ~ so you can build muscle power.

Aerobic/Endurance training is simply done by either continuing your regular activity for longer periods of time or by varying the type of aerobic exercise you are doing.

Agility Drills address several important skills such as speed, balance, power, coordination and reaction time. Agility exercises include things like shuttle runs, agility ladder, dot drills, cone drills, cariocas, and more. Maybe you think these are just for elite athletes, but they can easily be scaled for those who may not consider themselves active. Agility drills are an important component of an exercise routine because agility allows you to respond quickly and accurately to their environment to prevent injury.

Plyometric Training is a specific type of training that begins with an eccentric contraction (lowering into a squat), followed immediately by an explosive concentric contraction (jumping). Plyometrics address the anaerobic capacity of your muscles to make them stronger and quicker to respond. Box Jumps (really any kind of jumping!), push ups with clap, burpees, bounding jumps (any direction), are just a few of the exercises that fall into the plyometric category. Plyometrics prevent injury by increasing your strength of muscles, tendons, bones, neuromuscular signals and more.

Before beginning these types of conditioning exercises you must understand that there are 3 phases to learning plyometrics.

1. Stability Component ~ this is the most important to avoid injury while doing plyometrics and where most people get into trouble with trainers, classes and videos.

2. Explosive Component ~ add the jump. Once you have control (proper form and stability in the movement).

3. Intensity Component ~ adding height, direction, intervals etc. to up your game.

Keep in mind that you need to have a certain amount of mobility, flexibility, strength and coordination in order to begin agility and plyometric drills. If you are looking to add to your fitness routine, return to sport after an injury or just try something new but are not sure how, give us a call ~ we are offering a free discovery visit to anyone interested in adding agility or plyometrics to their routine!

Stay tuned . . . I may be tempted to demonstrate some drills I use in the clinic during the month. Hoping you have a spring in your step every day!

In February we acknowledge Black History, Chinese New Year, Heart Health, Valentine's Day, and more. Let's start by talking about cardiovascular health.

Have you resumed your normal aerobic exercise since the holidays?

Have you started a new aerobic exercise?

Have you forgotten what aerobic exercise is? ("Yes!" ~ me)

Since having kids 22 years ago my cardio exercise has been spotty at best! I am not the “let’s go for a run” kinda gal. The only stationary cardio equipment I like is the elliptical. The things I love to do most require time and special equipment ~ hiking, dancing, kickboxing. Currently I am rehabbing an ankle injury and trying to get back to hiking ~ if you want to watch my progress you can find it on youtube!

When we talk about cardiovascular health from a physical therapist perspective we are considering

• Your resting heart rate (RHR)

• Your oxygen saturation (O2 Sat)

• Your heart and lung exercise capacity

• Your Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

There are Physical Therapists who are Board-Certified Clinical Specialists in Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy who do much more than the above.

The Stats of Heart Health:

1. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

2. One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.

3. About 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.

4. Heart disease costs the United States about $363 billion each year from 2016 to 2017. This includes the cost of healthcare services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death.

5. In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds.

6. Every year, about 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack.

7. About 1 in 5 heart attacks is silent—the damage is done, but the person is not aware of it.

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

The major symptoms of a heart attack are:

1. Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back.

2. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint. You may also break out into a cold sweat.

3. Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.

4. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders.

5. Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort, but shortness of breath also can happen before chest discomfort.

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm

Women also may have other symptoms, including:

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Fatigue

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/women.htm

To lower your chances of getting heart disease:

1. Know your blood pressure. Take steps to lower it if it is high.

2. Diabetes raises your risk of heart disease. Take steps to control your blood sugar.

3. Quit smoking. If you don’t smoke, don’t start.

4. Know your cholesterol and triglycerides. Take steps to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.

5. Maintain a healthy weight, through exercise and healthy food choices.

6. Limit how much alcohol you drink to one drink a day.

7. Manage stress levels by finding healthy ways to cope with stress.

8. Speak to your physician if you are feeling sad, down, depressed, not like yourself.

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm

If you are concerned about your heart health, start with a full physical at your physician's office. If your physician recommends specific therapies for you or you know you have a heart or lung condition that requires specialized care you can find a Physical Therapist who is Board Certified in Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy here! If not then head over to Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness for a FREE Discovery Visit to discover how we can help you have a healthy heart!

Not only do we consider your:

1. Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

2. Oxygen Saturation (O2 Sat)

3. Heart and lung exercise capacity

4. Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

But we also assess your:

1. Stress level

2. Food choices

3. Breathing techniques

4. Exercise routine ~ the content, the variety, the effectiveness

5. Any limitations you may be facing ~ physically, intellectually, psycho~social~emotionally, energetically and spiritually.

And we make sure that all of the above is working for you so you can meet your goals. If not, we create a plan to help you return to or improve your performance in the activities you love.

For a Free Discovery visit, or for answers to any questions you have, call 424-244-0575 or email drroxi@cairnptwellness.com. We look forward to helping you quickly and confidently return to the activities you love!

Stay tuned for more heart heath advice this month. Until then, Be Well!

Are you a resolution maker? I am not . . . actually I am, or I was, but my resolution this year is to not make any resolutions!

Why?

Because, while I make resolutions, I consistently do not resolve to act on them! I am tired of disappointing myself, berating myself and generally feeling like a failure . . . therefore resolve to not make any more New Year's resolutions!

Instead of making resolutions, I am making a plan of action! My plans yesterday were to:

1. Superficially clean and organize my home after the holidays (so I can think).

   1. Check ✅

2. Take a look at my Cairn business plans for January.

   1. Check ✅

3. Watch some football ~ it is Sunday after all ;)

   1. Check ✅

My plans for the next few weeks include:

1. Walking my dog 3-5 times a week.

2. Doing Yoga 3 times a week.

3. Returning to my regular cleaning routine.

4. Being consistent with my business plans.

5. Buying, preparing and eating foods that nourish me!

A Plan of Action for me is smaller than a resolution. They are bite size morsels that don’t carry a huge weight of disappointment if I don’t complete them. They can be delayed if needed when the unexpected happens. A Plan of Action, more importantly, coaxes my mind into an active state of engaging with myself and my surroundings rather than a resolution which I experience as passive. Finally they feel like “I can/want to do this” rather than “I should/have to do this”.

Here at Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness, our January Plan of Action centers around wellness. Wellness is defined in many ways:

• Merriam-Webster: the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal

• Wikipedia: a state beyond absence of illness but rather aims to optimize well-being.

• World Health Organization (WHO): a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (illness), the optimal state of health of individuals and groups, a positive approach to living.

• Global Wellness Institute: the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.

Wellness has many components:

1. Physical

2. Mental

3. Emotional

4. Spiritual

5. Intellectual

6. Environmental

7. Social/Cultural

8. Vocational/Occupational

9. Financial

10. Avocational/Creative

As Physical Therapists we are taught the Biopsychosocial Model of patient care,

which we use in relation to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. This model urges us to consider not just the physical body but intellectual, emotional, social, cultural and environmental components and how they interact.

Here at Cairn PT & Wellness we look at 5 distinct “body's” or components of wellness ~ a pentagon of wellness:

1. Physical Body ~ Our anatomy/physiology, movement, cellular processes, stability/mobility, physical function

2. Intellectual Body ~ our Central Nervous System, thoughts, knowledge, information processing, decision making,

3. Psycho/Emotional/Social Body ~ our emotions, feelings, relationships, identity, understanding, awareness,

4. Spiritual Body ~ soul, inner light, love, connection, meaning, unity, who we truly are, the Watcher/Knower

5. Energetic Body ~ our flow of fluid (Blood/Lymph, Cerebrospinal fluid, Breath), information, understanding, and unity between and among the other 4 bodies.

We address all of the elements in these five bodies to help active families suffering with nagging injuries, quickly and confidently return to the activities they love, even when nothing else has worked.

Have you made a resolution or wellness plan this year?

Are you ready to fix that shoulder, hip or ankle pain preventing you from doing what you love?

Are you unsure what exercise or activities are best for you on your journey towards wellness?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, Cairn PT & Wellness has many helpful options for you . . .

1. Call 424-244-0575 or email drroxi@cairnptwellness.com for a free wellness consultation (only 10 spots available this month)

2. Call 424-244-0575 for a phone consultation about your options and to get your questions answered

3. Grab a free report from our website specific to your pain.

4. Subscribe to our email newsletter or follow our blog

Stay tuned for more information in our blog, social media and emails! Wishing you Wellness this new year!

Dr. Roxi

Visit us on the web at www.cairnptwellness.com

On FB @cairnptwellness

On Instagram @drroxiz

And on YouTube

I recently joined an amazing group of women who believe that we deserve to feel empowered throughout perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. I was a feature speaker on exercises to improve bone strength. You can checkout Menosplain here ~ my contribution will come in the next day or so!

Now let's take a closer look at why exercise is key to maintaining your bone health during our menopause transition . . .

As we transition through menopause our estrogen decreases. this creates all kinds of changes including a reduction in the performance of osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are cells that lay down new bone while osteoclasts are responsible for absorption of bone. This process is called remodeling and is a normal process that occurs in all mammals throughout life. The problem is when the activity of osteoclasts out performs osteoblasts then we get weakening of bone. There needs to be a balance, a flow to this process. If the bone weakens too much we become prone to fractures.

The good news is that we can have a positive impact on our bone health very simply with exercise. Research shows us that bone density improves with weight bearing and resistance training exercise. This is because of a really cool thing called Wolff's Law of bone remodeling which states that bone reacts to the stresses places upon it. if you use a muscle (which is attached to the bone via a tendon) the tendon pulls on the bone and this stimulates the osteoblasts to lay down more bone making your bone more dense and stronger. The reverse is also true ~ if you do not use your muscles the bones weaken.

So what is weight bearing exercise and resistance training exercise?

A weight bearing exercise is anything in which your body is working against gravity with your limb/s on the ground. For example ~ walking, running, elliptical are all aerobic or cardiovascular weight bearing exercise. Yoga, tai chi, calisthenics are all dynamic mobility weight bearing exercises.

Resistance training exercises use free weights, pulleys or bands to increase the resistance you are loading into your body ~ when gravity just isn't enough am I right?! Adding free weights or using weight machines while walking or squatting or doing pushups will increase the benefit you get from those exercises alone.

As a clinician and an exerciser I prefer to do yoga, tai chi or multi-planar resistance exercises because this is how we use our bodies in real life. We infrequently pick something up (bicep curl) without also turning or stepping sideways or diagonal to reach for that thing we are picking up. Our bodies are dynamic, multidimensional beings that want to move ~ strengthening one part while lengthening another all with balance and flow. Combine that with a great hike outdoors and I am in my bliss!

I hope you find this information helpful . . . as more things relating to menopause transition arise I will be sure to share. Don't forget to head to Menosplain ~ you can find them on Facebook and Instagram as well!

Until next time ~ Be Well!

Hey there ~ it’s Q&A day here at Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness. I’m Dr. Roxi and I wanted to answer a question I get ALL THE TIME from athletes!

“When can I play, when can I hike, when can I bike, when can I surf” . . . “A little pain is okay right?” or “It’s going to hurt a little right?”

My answer is “it depends” . . . to which we athletes respond “HEY, No Pain No Gain Right?”

Well, wrong actually . . . remember pain is your bodies ONE signal that tells you something is wrong here or you need to pay attention to this. Pain, related to an injury, is not okay. You should not play through it. You gain nothing from playing while in pain due to an injury other than more problems and longer setbacks.

But the true meaning of the sentiment No Pain, No Gain is this:

• You get out what you put in . . . if you work hard you get results.

• Be okay with the struggle because the reward will be worth it.

So let’s define what we mean by pain?

• If pain is your symptoms that made you stop playing in the first place?

  • listen to your body, it is not ready for the activity you are performing.

• If pain is the emotional/psychological “pain” of having to carve out time in your day to do your rehab exercises?

  • I am sorry to say: suck it up my friend or you will be back to the symptoms limiting your participation.

  • But I recommend working smarter not harder and struggling successfully.

    1. When you are working smarter you are preparing yourself to play after injury by doing your rehab activities, warming up properly, drinking enough water, eating the right foods, getting enough sleep, and listening to your body.

    2. When you’re struggling successfully you are doing the things you know you need to do even when you don’t want to or when they are challenging!

• Is it something else in your body feeling sore because you are not using the right muscles to perform the task?

  • In this case . . . it’s somewhere in between ~ rest, stretch, hydrate, get a massage and then celebrate because your body is performing as it should after injury. But be careful not to push it or you may end up with a different injury ;)

To Recap ~ Athletes, please do not play through injury pain! You gain nothing from it. If your pain is related to the struggle to work something new into your routine or from the new muscles you are using then kudos! You will be back at the activities you love in no time. If you have more questions about this topic send us a message or give us a ring! Until next time, Be Well!

Wanna watch the video? https://youtu.be/CMij45dMGV0

Hi and Welcome to Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness!

I’m Dr. Roxi Zilmer, Physical Therapist and Owner. I want to take a few minutes to explain who we help and help you decide if we might be a good fit for you.

We here at Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness help active families suffering with nagging injuries, quickly and confidently return to the activities they love, even when nothing else has worked! More specifically, we help to improve the way you move so you can return to the activities you love, regardless of whether you are injured, have been inactive, or have tried a variety of treatments without success. We also teach you how to help yourself should aches and pains crop up in the future and you can’t quite get to us immediately. We have been helping people just like you with tailored one on one care here in the Palos Verdes and Beach Cities area for years.

One of the main reasons we are here is to help people just like you who may be a little stuck right now ~ maybe you are not sure the best way to get back to your life, maybe you're short on time or feeling overwhelmed, maybe you have never tried physical therapy before or you have and didn’t find the specialized care you were hoping to receive. We are here to help you make the best decision for your health and wellness and to get you back to the activities you love.

Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness was born from a frustration I experienced treating patients in hospital and clinic settings. I never had enough time and resources to help my patients the way they deserved. Maybe you need more specialized one-on-one education, exercise training, or hands-on work. Maybe you need a quieter environment with fewer distractions, or a calming space to just devote time to yourself and your healing. Maybe you need someone to listen and understand you, validate your situation and work with you to create a treatment plan uniquely tailored to your problems and your personality. Whatever your needs, we will work with you to figure out and deliver to you exactly what you need.

If you are experiencing pain or if you have an injury ~ you are in the right place. If you are frustrated with repeated doctor visits, taking medication, or modifying your activities and are struggling to make a decision about what to do ~ you are in the right place. If you are overwhelmed by the thought of your pain or injury and frightened that you may never be yourself again. ~ you are in the right place. Pain is not normal no matter how many years you have been in your body.

Consider . . . What would it mean to you if you could hike with your dog again? Get on that bike and ride? Get back on the pitch, field, court with the confidence that you won’t get injured? Cook a meal without back pain? Settle into Warrior Pose without hip pain? Just imagine it . . .

To help you get there we have several options for you to choose from:

1. If you have a few questions and want to get a sense of how we work ~ speak to a Physical Therapist over the phone.

2. If you are really skeptical about physical therapy ~ apply for a discovery visit.

3. If you are ready now ~ click inquire about cost and availability below and we will be in touch soon!

We also have free tips reports to help you take the first steps. Our blog posts and videos on a variety of health and wellness topics are coming soon.

Once you become a patient with Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness you are part of our family. We are available to you by email, phone, or text and will keep in touch with you throughout the year to help you maintain your health and wellness.

I realize that you have many options for care and truly appreciate that you have taken the time to watch this video. We would love to hear from you and look forward to helping you quickly and confidently return to the activities you love! Thank you for visiting our website. Be Well!

You can find us here:

www.cairnptwellness.com

On Facebook

On Instagram

On YouTube

via email at drroxi@cairnptwellness.com and phone 424-244-0575

Oh and on LinkedIn!

Hello Friends, Family, and Former Patients of ZPT ~ it’s so nice to be seen by you! Thank you so much for allowing me to share what is new here!

It feels obvious to say Covid19 was really difficult for all of us ~ it still is frankly. I shut down the clinic for 8 months and have subsequently and heartbreakingly lost contact with all of you. During that time, as the focus of our lives shifted, ZPT did some shifting as well.

So today I would like to introduce to you Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness. We help active families suffering with nagging injuries, quickly and confidently return to the activities they love, even when nothing else has worked!

Some of you may know that I was very frustrated in traditional clinic settings ~ I never had enough time and resources to help my patients the way they deserved. Maybe you need more specialized one-on-one education, exercise training, or hands-on work. Maybe you need a quieter environment with fewer distractions, or a calming space to just devote time to yourself and your healing. Maybe you need someone to listen and understand you, validate your situation and work with you to create a treatment plan uniquely tailored to your problems and your personality. Whatever your needs, we will work with you to figure out and give to you exactly what you need.

My goal today is to reconnect with you! If you are struggling with aches and pains after returning to your regular activities since our area has opened up some ~ please reach out via phone or email. If you are suffering with aches and pains since working from home ~ please reach out via phone or email. If you want to prevent injury as you sit less and move more ~ please reach out via phone or email. If you are feeling great and want to receive our best tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a dose of determination to keep you in the best health! ~ ~ please reach out via phone or email.

I realize that you have many options for care and truly appreciate that you have taken the time to watch this video. We would love to hear from you and look forward to helping you quickly and confidently return to the activities you love! Be Well!

You can find us here:

www.cairnptwellness.com

On Facebook

On Instagram

On YouTube

via email at drroxi@cairnptwellness.com and phone 424-244-0575

Oh and on LinkedIn!