Authored by Bob Budai, OCS, and Clinical Director of ATI Waterford, MI
Exercise doesn’t have to include benching 200 pounds or running 10 miles to improve your quality of your life! Functional exercises are designed to specifically improve the activities you perform every day, whether that’s navigating a snowy sidewalk or lifting a 2-year-old.
Unlike exercising on a workout machine which typically targets just one muscle group, functional exercise focuses on integration of strength and coordination in real-life positions. For example, an older adult may not learn how to tear up the soccer field on the agility ladder, but they will learn better balance, body control and foot-eye coordination to reduce the risk of falls.
Virtually every gym has kettle bells available, but how many people really know how to use them? With the appropriate weight and technique, a kettle bell swing will dramatically increase the abdominal core and strengthen the posterior chain, reducing the risk of lower back injuries when you are lifting a load of laundry.
Benefits of Functional Exercise:
Functional Exercise is not a “one size fits all” program or philosophy, but rather it is unique to each individual:
- It gets you back to doing what you want faster.
- It keeps you injury free longer.
- It focuses your plan of care on goals you are already motivated to achieve.
- It is effective for any age.
- It allows you to measure your results easily.
- It allows your therapist to more accurately track your progress.
- It fosters more effective communication between you and your therapist.
So, what would you like to get better at?
For more information about Bob and the ATI Physical Therapy clinic in Waterford, please call (947) 222-5953.