If you are looking for a good reason to treat yourself, you probably aren’t resting yourself enough. Putting off ‘me time’ can be detrimental to your overall health, and will contribute to you feeling overwhelmed, chaotic or run down.
You may feel that your life revolves around work or family, working yourself until there is nothing left in the tank.
This is why self care is extremely important, for your body and mind to be aligned.
Self care is the health care you provide for yourself. Defined loosely, self care is any activity that allows you to align your body with your mind, with the ultimate end goal of improving your mental and physical wellbeing.
Self care improves your personal relationships, your mental health and your physical wellbeing.
Avoiding self care and self betterment means risk of negative thinking, low self esteem, fatigue and self neglect. It will be difficult to develop and maintain relationships with family and friends as well as yourself.
Get active and stay active
Any physical activity is better than no physical activity at all. Taking the time for small breaks throughout the work day to walk around or stretch is essential; joints need movement to remain lubricated and can lower the risk of osteoarthritis later in life. It is recommended to participate in 150minutes of exercise per week at a minimum.
Listen to your body
Pain is your body’s way of telling you to slow down or stop yourself from continuing a particular activity. Pain is a signal to lower the workout or activity intensity and frequency, to not push through the pain. By doing so, it gives your body permission to recover and settle, as it can decrease risk of injuries.
Enough sleep or rest
It goes without saying that getting enough sleep is optimal for self betterment. Your body wants downtime, therefore planning rest periods and getting the required seven hours of sleep a night. If you are pushing your body too hard one day or stay up too late, you risk being unable to be active and productive the next day.
Breathe, relax and a little stress is okay
Breathing exercises are a great way for self betterment. Diaphragmatic breathing assists with reducing stress, as it helps to control the nervous system and encourages the body to relax.
Life can be hard at times, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. The first step you need to take is the want to see a change in your day-to-day life. If something is not right, fix it immediately.
The most important takeaway from this is to be kind to yourself and not punish yourself if you forget or don’t have time to relax. Try to make time for yourself and learn that a break from work is not the worst thing.
At Progressive Sports and Spinal Physiotherapy Penrith, we are able to assess, treat, educate and manage all musculoskeletal injuries. We focus on hands-on treatment, exercise prescription and self management techniques tailored to your specific needs. We utilise evidence based treatments to maximise your outcomes.
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Elin, is an alumni of St. Edward’s University and holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, furthered her academic journey by attaining a Doctor of Physiotherapy from Macquarie University in 2022.
Her passion for sports, particularly football (soccer), is evident in both her academic pursuits and personal endeavors. Specialising in the comprehensive well-being of athletes, Elin focuses on restoring them to peak performance while actively preventing future injuries.
Elin’s professional expertise is centered on musculoskeletal rehabilitation, with a specific emphasis on addressing and preventing knee injuries. Her approach integrates expert treatment with a commitment to educating and empowering patients, fostering their active involvement in enhancing their health and overall quality of life.
As an active participant in NPL football with SD Raiders, Elin brings firsthand experience and a profound understanding of the sport’s demands. Beyond the field, she extends her influence by contributing sports coverage over the weekends.
Christopher (Chris) Han graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy, and then completed the Doctor of Physiotherapy program at Macquarie University in 2018. Chris is currently undertaking his PhD at the University of Sydney and Institute for Musculoskeletal Health in the field of low back pain and is due to complete this in early 2024.
Chris is currently an assistant Physiotherapist for the NRL Referees. Chris has previous experience as the head Physiotherapist at Panthers Premier League Netball and a number of elite sporting athletes in the private setting.
Through Chris’ experiences, he has a particular interest in all areas of the body and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, sports, vestibular rehabilitation, and Men’s Health (pre and post prostate surgery).
Suzanne graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Health Science (Sports and Exercise Science) in 2015. She then went on to continue her studies at Macquarie University graduating from the Doctor of Physiotherapy post-graduate degree in June 2019.
Since graduating, Suzanne has worked in the local Penrith area in both private practice and Sports Physiotherapy. Suzanne has worked with sporting teams including Penrith District Netball Association, Mt Druitt Rangers (NPL), Penrith Valley Figure Skating Club, and local dance and cheer schools.
Suzanne has a particular interest in working with artistic athletes including cheerleaders and dancers. She has a professional background in both cheer and dance and has previously worked as both a cheer coach and dance teacher. Suzanne’s previous experiences are an invaluable resource to her as a physiotherapist, as she has a thorough understanding of the level of physical fitness and skill acquisition that these athletes must have in order to be successful on stage and in competition.
Suzanne’s other areas of clinical interest reside in lower limb musculoskeletal injuries, spinal pathologies and women’s health.
Nathanial graduated as a physiotherapist in 2012 which saw him work in private practice and hospital settings gaining experience in all areas of physiotherapy including hand therapy, splinting/casting, pre/post-operative care, Men’s Health and general musculoskeletal, occupational and sports physiotherapy. Since then he has gone on to complete further studies in physiotherapy enabling him to be the only dual titled Musculoskeletal, Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist in Penrith.
Nathanial has a strong background in sports physiotherapy achieving accreditation with NSWIS as a service provider and working with many elite sports teams.
Nathanial has a particular interest in working with elite athletes, complex cases and in particular assessment and management of knee, hip and shoulder pain.
Andrea graduated from the Australian Catholic University completing her Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science in 2018 and Master’s of Clinical Exercise Physiology in 2020. After graduating she attained accreditation with ESSA as an Exercise Physiologist.
During her studies she gained clinical experience in both hospital and private practice settings, in cardiac rehabilitation, neurological conditions, cancer and chronic musculoskeletal injuries.
Since working at Progressive, Andrea has a specialist interest in treating musculoskeletal injuries, helping people in the mid-late stage of rehab to get them to return to sport or work. As well as helping people manage chronic conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and diabetes.