Having trouble sticking to your home exercise program while you are in PT or after you are discharged? There are fortunately many different ways for you to stay on track with your exercises and routine.
1) Try listening to music! Music is a great way to motivate you and stay positive during a workout. It also can be distracting for you when you are doing, especially if you don’t particularly enjoy exercising. The type of music can also impact your output and increase you exertion. A 2009 study counted by Waterhouse et al. entitled Effects of music tempo upon submaximal cycling performance found that music tempo had a positive impact on the participants in the study. When the music was faster the participant in the study increased their effort consciously when compared to biking to slower paced music. The people in the study also enjoyed the faster paced music more when exercising. If you have a favorite genre of music, singer or band that is upbeat it might be a good idea to make a playlist that you think would be beneficial and encouraging for you when exercising, especially when you are on your own. If you are interested in reading more on the subject, the full article can be found here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00948.x/full
2) Try setting a reminder. With today’s technology you can set daily reminders in your phone or tablet to remind you to do so. Sometimes it is easier to complete a task if you are alerted to do so. Be sure to set the reminder at a time that you are likely to be free to do your exercises so that you do them in the moment and don’t procrastinate for a later time and potentially forget to do them.
3) Try to do them before or after lunch. You are more likely to do your exercises earlier in the day than later while you still have energy and the day is young. Be careful to not do certain spine exercises too early in the morning. Discuss with your PT when the best time for you to complete your HEP is and whether it is safe to do your exercises in the AM.
Article citation: Waterhouse, J., Hudson, P. and Edwards, B. (2010), Effects of music tempo upon submaximal cycling performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 20: 662–669. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00948.x
