5 New Year Resolutions You Can Keep More Than One Week!

2019 is almost here, and it’s the perfect time for assessing the year behind and looking forward to the changes we want to make in the new year to come. Health and fitness are obviously some of the top resolutions people make each year. According to Nielson’s online survey, here are the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions Americans made last year:

Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions
-Stay fit and healthy  37%
-Lose weight  32%
-Enjoy life to the fullest 28%
-Spend less, save more  25%
-Spend more time with family and friends  19%

Your goals are just as important to us here at Crystal Lake Physical Therapy, and tailoring your physical therapy to your personal needs is just one of the ways we help. If any of these resolutions are on your list for the new year, here are some ways you can reach them all.

Stay Fit and Healthy
The best way to stay fit and healthy is to start with a plan. Just like a good chef prepares his menu carefully, listing out all of the ingredients, a healthy lifestyle requires listing the components that will help you the most. If you’ve faced a recent injury, a plan is key to a healthy recovery. At Crystal Lake Physical Therapy we give you the tools to get back to health and doing the things you love most.  You can read some of our physical therapy tips to keep you healthy here.

Healthy Physical Therapy Tips

Lose Weight
Losing weight is the ever elusive goal for many of us. There are two major changes needed for effective weight loss: changing nutritional habits and an exercise plan. There are numerous diets and exercise routines out there, so it’s really about choosing something that feels comfortable and manageable for you–and sticking to it. Find an accountability partner. And don’t feel like you have to make huge and drastic changes to make a difference, either. Sometimes incremental change is longer lasting.  You can read more about the benefits of physical therapy for weight loss here.

Benefits For Weight Loss

Enjoy Life to the Fullest
We all want to make the most of life, but oftentimes we let things get in the way. Sometimes the things we most want to do won’t happen unless you plan them. So get specific with what enjoying life to the fullest actually means for you. Is it finally taking those dancing lessons? Traveling? Or is it planning out that garden in your yard? Regardless of what a full life looks like for you, a strong, healthy body will enable you to do it. If you’re living in chronic pain, it’s going to prevent you from truly enjoying life to the fullest.

Spend Less, Save More
Making a savings plan takes discipline, but incremental planning is just as effective with finances.  If you don’t already track and budget your expenses, start there. Give each dollar a job before you spend it. Planning a vacation for the summer? Break down a savings plan to know how much you need to put away each month until then. One big way to save money with healthcare costs is to take preventative measures with your health and fitness–and physical therapy can be one of those measures.

Spend More Time with Friends and Family
There are any number of things that can prevent us from spending more time with loved ones. Sometimes it’s work, long distances, or schedules just not matching up. See what you have on your plate that you can lighten up to make a little more room for friends and family in your life. Spending time and being social can be an integral part of self care. Living in pain is another obstacle that can prevent us from spending the time we want with those who mean the most to us. Find out what’s keeping you from making the time, and make plans to overcome those obstacles where you can.
Whatever your resolutions are for the new year, we’re here to cheer you on and support you. We love nothing more than to see our patients living life as their best selves.

This new year ahead also brings some new exciting changes for physical therapy as an industry! On August 16, 2018 our Governor Bruce Rauner signed new direct access legislature into law.  That means that you no longer need a prescription from a physician in the State of Illinois to see a physical therapist.  So there is no need to put off your New Year's resolutions! Get started today by contacting our clinic at (815)893-8480 or you can click below to schedule an evaluation.

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