Practice What You Preach, Build A Choir

By: Floraine Emata-Pagcu, PT, Director of Rehabilitation

Providing health care services, rehabilitation services particularly, can be physically taxing. We evaluate each individual patient, performs objective measures, formulate goals and then provide physical treatment interventions to improve our patient’s quality of life. In performing our daily routine, we put undue stress to our joints, shortened our own muscles which in turn put us at high risk for injuries. Ironically, we provide constant education to our patients and their loved ones on proper body mechanics and home exercise programs but how many amongst us give ourselves the benefits of home exercise?

An eccentric contraction is the motion of an active muscle while it is lengthening under load. Eccentric training is repetitively doing eccentric muscle contractions (Wikipedia). Isometric contractions generate force without changing the length of the muscle while a concentric contraction causes muscles to shorten, thereby generating force.  Pilates is a physical fitness system developed by Joseph Pilates, a method of work out with the art of controlled movements. If practiced with consistency, Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the entire body. It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, developing a strong core, and improving coordination and balance. It involves all three types of muscle contractions.

Stress and personality differences among co-workers can build into tension during our daily activities. The importance of respect and team work is essential to a smooth daily operation. Performing short activities which can only take as quick as 10 minutes can go a long way in team building and creating a harmonious working environment. We chose to do a once a week, 10 minute-Pilates activity to promote flexibility, camaraderie and team work!