Category: Community Notes

First Choice Physical Therapy is pulling out all the stops this time. The Bay Education Foundation is having a golf tournament and ALL proceeds benefit the programs of the Bay Education Foundation and directly impact Bay District Schools. It is going to be held on Saturday, August 24th at the Panama Country Club, 100 Country Club Drive, Lynn Haven, FL.

First Choice is the Senior Sponsor which gets our team into the event, we will be the lunch sponsor and the best news is, “We get to have a tent!” We will set up a couple of tables under the tent and players who wish to offer a donation to the Bay Education Foundation will get a good ‘warm up’ stretch from one of our therapists. The perfect way to begin or end a day of golfing fun!

Congratulations to Brent, Stephen and Carrie for finishing the Possum Trot 5k this past Saturday. Carrie was a former patient of ours who was working hard to get back to running. Stephen finished with a time of 33:16. Carrie and Brent both came in third in their age groups. Brent finished with a time of 27:10. Brent thought he had a better chance to catch a possum if he took his shirt off. Congratulations to these guys!

Did you know you can share your favorite blog post from First choice Physical Therapy on Facebook? We make it easy. If you are on the Blog page reading a bunch of posts, you just click on the title of your favorite. That takes you to that posts page and at the bottom is a Facebook icon. Just click it and it will take you to your own page so you can share us with your friends. We really would appreciate the boost!

Also, be sure to Like our Facebook page. You can jump over there right now to Like us. https://www.facebook.com/1stChoicePT. If you have been a patient, leave a post on our page about your visit and how we were able to help you.

Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is to be desired more than riches, to be esteembed is better than silver or gold.

My training for the Berlin Marathon is just over half way complete. Obviously, throughout my training plan, my total weekly miles run is ever increasing. It is important when one trains that he does not increase weekly mileage too much. A good, general rule to follow when training for a run is to increase total weekly mileage by no more than 10%. My initial training plan was a little aggressive and did not follow this method. At first, my body was whispering to me that I was increasing my mileage too quickly. Then, it began talking and so now, I am trying to keep it from screaming. I am currently trying to work with the 10% rule. I certainly will not break any records in my run, but I will finish and the goal is without injury!

Simon Haussmann, PTA

We do have a lot of Doctors of Physical Therapy and other very bright people working at First Choice Physical Therapy. Here is an example of the Deep Thoughts that are discussed around the water cooler.

I cannot believe that I’ve trained this much and written this many blogs before talking about the importance of running shoes! With running as a hobby you do not need much equipment and do not need to spend a lot of money, but it is important to get a good running shoe. To determine what type of shoe you need, you will need to know the characteristics of your running gait. For example, when I run, I slightly pronate so I need a shoe with a lot of medial support. Check with us at First Choice about what kind of running gait you have so that you can lace up and get on the road.

Simon Haussmann, PTA

In my last blog post, I talked about needing a breakthrough. Thankfully, I think I had it this weekend during our long run!

At the beginning of my breakthrough run though, I had a headache. I almost talked myself out of running, but thought better of it. First, I knew I needed to run. Second, my wife was going to run regardless of whether or not I was going to and I couldn’t let her out do me too much! Medical logic, I thought, says my headache might go away soon after I start running because of the dilation of blood vessels that occurs. Certainly the release of endorphins (feel good hormones the body naturally releases during exercise) couldn’t hurt either!

So, I ran. At first, my headache worsened. However, as I persisted, it gradually resolved. I’m not in the business of advising people to exercise when they are sick. There are definitely times your body needs to rest. However, there are other times that exercise might just be the dose of medicine you need to get you out of your funk. Your job is to determine the appropriate response: rest or exercise?

Simon Haussmann, PTA

Breakthrough. That’s what I’m looking for this week. Up until this past weekend, training for the Berlin Marathon in September has been fairly smooth. However, this past Saturday’s 13 mile “run” was a bear! Since then, it’s been a little tough for me to get back into the swing of running. Here are some things I’m doing to achieve my breakthrough:

1. Rest and recover. Overuse of muscles without rest can cause a heavy feeling and even lead to injury. This week I will continue to train, but dial down the mileage a bit to give my legs some rest.

2. Cross train. Instead of running 5 days this week, I’ve decided to do some swimming and other exercises to keep me fit. This will also provide some much needed variety.

3. Focus. Many “burnouts” (whether it is in training or in life) are the result of mental breakdown. I will focus on the successes of my training instead of dwelling on the fact that it’s difficult for me to run right now.

Hopefully, if you are needing a breakthrough with your training you can also employ these methods and find success!

Simon Haussmann, PTA

It’s hot! Training for a marathon is no joke in this summer heat! Regardless of what type of training you are doing this summer, it is important to make sure you are staying hydrated. In general, here are some guidelines that I try to use for hydration:

• Drink water throughout the day, not just right before exercise.
• Drink during exercise when I feel thirsty; usually a large gulp every 15-20 minutes is adequate.
• Integrate a sports drink for runs/exercise longer than 60 minutes.
• Drink water following exercise.

Each person will be slightly different in his or her needs for staying hydrated, so learn what works for you!

Simon Haussmann, PTA

As a normal human being, I am constantly tempted to skip my training runs, eat junk food, and feed my brain mindless activity. So probably, for me, the most important aspect of this marathon business is training my mind. The mind is a powerful tool and if focused properly has the power to overcome things we would never imagine.

Thankfully, I have the privilege and the power of prayer. Talking to God helps me focus on what is important and direct my attitude, my mind. Prayer helps me not only during my training, but in all of my daily activities.

Remember a time you used your mind or when you prayed to overcome a situation. Think about a time when you purposed in your mind that you would overcome or accomplish something. Pray, revive that focus, and then overcome!

Simon Haussmann, PTA