Hi, this is Yoshi from FuncPhysio. I hope everyone is staying healthy. Are you feeling that your body is deconditioned during this time of quarantine?
I believe the quarantine restriction will gradually be eased in the next several weeks. There are many people whose activity and exercise level has decreased significantly during this quarantine. We are less active and our sitting time has increased.
I am experiencing the effect of this and feeling discomfort and stiffness in areas that I did not feel previously. I know which muscles are tight and which muscles are not working properly so I am stretching and exercising frequently to maintain my physical health. Are you also doing stretches and exercises regularly?
Inactivity will induce the number of problems. Some of the main problems are decreased muscle flexibility and strength, restriction in joints, decreased cardiopulmonary function, and decreased digestive system function. These problems if prolonged may lead to various diseases.
In addition, a decrease in exercise level also affects your cognition because our brain is stimulated when we use our muscles. I also experience a lack of concentration on the days that I lack physical activity. Furthermore, a decrease in activity and exercise level decreases the immune system.
This is something that we need especially consider in this present time.
There will be many people who will restart or begin an exercise routine once the quarantine restriction is lifted off. Please be careful when starting to exercise after a period of inactivity.
Your body was in a sort of hibernated state and the muscles, nerves, and cardiopulmonary function have gotten weaker. It is critical to improve the physical condition; however, in certain cases the exercise needs to be performed carefully and in a progressive manner. When our body moves the muscles shorten and lengthen.
This contraction and relaxation are what maintains the muscle’s flexibility and strength. The movement of our body also facilitates blood circulation and metabolism, which brings nutrients and removes toxic wastes from the muscles. Plus, movement secretes the synovial fluid (joint fluid/oil) into the joint, which lubricates and brings in the nutrients to maintain its range of motion and health.
Inactivity will cause a decrease in muscle flexibility and strength and decrease joint range of motion.
The body cannot move smoothly and efficiently when there are restrictions in the muscles or joints. In an efficient state the physical stresses are dispersed throughout the body; however, when inefficient the stress accumulates to the vulnerable (weak) areas of the body. It is indicative that your body is not functioning correctly if you are having discomfort or pain. The intended benefits could actually be causing more harm to your body when forcing to exercise in such a condition.
Please contact FuncPhysio if you are having discomfort or pain if you are not sure what kind of exercise to do, and/or need instruction on how to perform exercises. We are happy to see you at the clinic for evaluation/treatment and we are still continuing our TeleHealth live video sessions as well. Let’s optimize our health as the quarantine eases!
Written by Yoshi Fujii, DPT, OCS, CFMT, FFMT, FAAOMPT
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