As the sun makes the summer days longer, this quarantine starts to wear thin on all of us during the pandemic. More and more people are getting up and getting outside! The fresh summer breezes, late afternoon storms, and numerous outdoor activities make doing your PT outside fun.
Instead of allowing the opportunity to post fun content slip through your fingers, you should definitely look into outdoor-friendly PT exercises and routines for your next summer blog post! Outdoor activities offer a change of pace for your clients. Not to mention some much needed time outside of the house.
With everything that is going on with COVID-19 and our new normal, your clients will love the chance to get out into the world and still get their physical therapy done. In order to help you find some inspiration for your next blog post, here are seven outdoor-friendly PT activities to consider for your clients!
Yes, hiking can be a great way to get your exercise in, as well as manage your physical, mental, and emotional needs. One of the best ways to get up and get out into the world, hiking is one of the most popular outdoor activities. There is, however, a lot of prep to be done for your clients before they set out on a hike!
Here are a few things your clientele should do before they get on the local trails:
Hiking is in no way a traditional form of physical therapy. However, hiking has been proven to increase your attention span, improve your anxiety levels, and reduce stress!
Be honest with your clients, as well as on your website, about the limitations that some people may have with longer hikes. Mention that each individual will have a different level of skill and physical ability and to keep that in mind as they make hiking a part of their physical therapy routines!
If your clients live in an area where they have a yard, it is a great place to get an outdoor exercise area up and running! Whether you do lunges across the grass, or use your small patio area for your daily shoulder stretches, utilizing your yard is a great way to get outdoors for you PT.
Not only can you do a normal body weight routine in the comfort of your own yard, but you can also include working ON YOUR YARD as part of your physical activity. Gardening and working outside can both burn calories, but also improve your mental health.
Try using your patio furniture in your stretches for propping your legs up. Use your grass as a comfy, natural padding for your ground exercises. There are so many ways your clients can get to know nature, get their PT in during the week, and do it all from the comfort of their own backyards!
Swimming is an incredible exercise for anyone looking to get out in the great outdoors. It helps to reduce stress levels, as well as improve your mood and increase strength and endurance. All things considered, swimming in a lake, pond, or outdoor pool is an EXCELLENT way to get outside and still maintain PT during quarantine!
Here are the primary parts of the body that you can target while you’re swimming:
All of these primary muscles can be targeted while you swim! You can choose to have your clients use their whole body or try to focus on certain muscles while in the pool. Be certain to layout on your website the specific exercises needed for each muscle group. This will help your clients to get their specific PT needs to be met, and still have fun in the summer sun!
Riding your bike has so many physical benefits. Especially when it comes to cardiovascular health. However, it can be used for more than just a good source of endorphins! Cycling improves core stability, takes the strain off of certain joints, and can be done in social settings to improve confidence.
Whether they want to take more challenging trails, or simply want to ride their bike around the neighborhood, there are so many amazing benefits to using bikes in your clients’ PT routines. It gets you out of the house, and back into shape!
Going to the park has never been more popular. A great way to get a physical therapy session in, without your clients having to go into the clinic is to set up a park friendly routine for them! You can have them do inclined pushups on park benches, walk the perimeter, even use playground equipment to get in their necessary exercises!
Find ways to be fun and incorporate things found in most part areas. This includes stairs, benches, park equipment, and even walkways!
One of the best things about yoga is that it has such a large variety of health benefits. Not only that, but it can be done anywhere, at any time, with little to no equipment. That’s right if your clients want to get out of the house, introduce them to a yoga routine that will fit their specific needs. Then send them right out into the world!
As long as you have a sturdy, safe place to stretch it out, you can do yoga nearly anywhere. Outdoor yoga can also be incorporated in any of the above routines as well. Yoga during your hike, after your bike ride, before your swim, and more!
Depending upon where your clinic and your clients are located, they may also be able to find outdoor yoga classes. Many more yoga studios are working with physical therapy clinics to provide safe, socially distanced classes outdoors. You clients can call their friends, grab their masks, and still get their PT done outside.
Sports and leisure activities are excellent ways to be outside, be physical, and not be cramped up in a house! Find sports that allow your clients to relax, as well as get their physical therapy needs to be met.
For instance, kayaking is a great way to be a part of the great outdoors and get excellent shoulder and upper body workouts done. Long walks through the neighborhood to help with mobility and doesn’t require too much physical strain. While at the same time, something as easy as fishing can help your clients.
There are so many sports and leisure activities that can be easily included in your clients’ physical therapy routines. Don’t be afraid to let your clients know that physical therapy doesn’t always have to be inside the box. They can get out of the box and be outdoors!
It is important for you to not only mention the various activities you can do for physical therapy outdoors but also the inherent risks. You can’t advocate for your clients to go hiking without letting them know what may happen to them while they are out on the trails. It’s easy to make your PT blog more at-home and outdoor-friendly. However, it’s also important that you keep the same level of care as you do in your clinic.
You should include a list of precautions, as well as limitations, for each recreational or physical outdoor activity. While you may not physically be there to ensure your clients are safe and not injuring themselves, you can still be certain you informed them about the risks.
You should also include a detailed and specific way to do activities without causing injury. Yes, gardening may seem easy and simple, but it could possibly lead to back strain or knee pain. Your clients are tired of being quarantined in their homes, but they shouldn’t be tired of putting their health and safety first!
If your clients are eager to be outdoors and are tired of spending their physical therapy time indoors, they have options! By choosing to include outdoor routines for your clients, you are not only giving them a new place to get their PT done, but a great way to clear their minds. Help your customers and your online audience get out of the house, and back in touch with nature by posting about some helpful and fun outdoor physical therapy activities!
Don’t forget that the blog post should include specifics. Not only should each activity include the do’s and do not’s for physical restrictions, but also a general disclaimer about the inherent risks. All in all, your clients will love having more information they can use to help them overcome their quarantine monotony and still do PT!
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