6 Health Tips from a Physical Therapist Turned Tech Dude

When I meet new customers or even strike up conversations with existing ones, my past sometimes infiltrates the conversation. I didn’t start out my adult life as a computer tech/trainer. I didn’t get a degree in computer technology. My degree and training is in physical therapy. I worked as a physical therapist for over 10 years, mostly with geriatrics.

During those years, I informally did my own case study on healthy individuals, recovery time for sick or injured, and general wellness. I tried to compile and make sense of those who stay healthy as we age and why.

In 6 easy to digest snippets, here is what I observed in my years as a working physical therapist and in my years as trained physical therapist working in technology:

1. Don’t smoke. I estimate that more than 80% of the patients I treated in nursing homes had smoking in their histories.
2. Eat in moderation. Fad and restrictive diets can actually do more harm than good, again, in my opinion. The healthiest individuals I know and the folks who seemed to bounce back quickly from ailments all eat a wide variety of foods…in moderation.
3. Take care of  your feet. As we age, our balance and strength diminishes. However, taking care of your feet can pay huge dividends later in life. This can be done by not letting toe nail or other foot ailments get out of control, wearing supportive shoes, and walking bare foot as much as possible to keep ankles and feet strong and supple. The last two feet items do not contradict themselves…I promise.
4. Squat. If there is just one exercise that I can recommend, it is the squat or deep knee bend. Like strong feet, if you have strong legs and hips, your chances of debilitating falls and other injuries drop dramatically. When you are young, perform squats every day…as many as you can. As you age, simply practice rising from a chair without using your arms…often.
5. Walk as much as possible. Start out by not looking for the closest parking spot to a store, and gradually add more and more distance until you walk the equivalant of at least 10,000 steps or 2 miles per day. If you do it all at one time, fine, but cumulative walking can be just as effective as long walks.
6. Don’t sweat life. Life happens…let it. The less stress you keep in your life, the less overall problems you will have in general. My first mentor, Anthony Cardenas, taught me an important lesson when I volunteered in his physical therapy clinic during high school:  You can’t change what just happened, you can’t predict what is going to happen, so live and be here, now.

Remember, I am not a doctor and make no promises about these opinions and observations. I am just a physical therapist who works as a computer troubleshooter and trainer.