It is better to be 80% on task 100% of the time than it is to be100% on task only some of the time.

You have already committed, the program is designed for you to achieve results- so now what?

Be Consistent….  Being consistent does not mean being perfect. Putting pressure on ourselves to be perfect or do things perfectly will often lead to pressure, guilt, fear and eventually burnout.  We do not want to look at working out as an “All or Nothing” principle. 

Sometimes life gets in the way of our workout plans. This is not failure by any means, it is just life, and the question is how do you respond to these obstacles?  If you get a flat tire, do you give up and just slash the other 3? Most likely the answer is, “No”. So when these obstacles present, make a work around plan.  Most likely there will be another obstacle just around the corner. I mean we are coming into the busiest time of the year!

So what does 80% consistency look like with our specific strength training program?

• Perhaps you fall behind in the workout calendar and have to get your 2nd workout in the following week- no big deal!

• Perhaps you only have time to do 3 sets rather than 4 sets on that final challenging week- but you make those 3 sets REALLY GOOD.

• Perhaps you do half the workout in the morning then half in the evening or even the next day.

• Perhaps you skip biceps and triceps-  this is my gym hack! You have hit those muscles already with the earlier exercises.

• Maybe (occasionally) you just do the first 2 exercises for your upper and lower body- these are the main and most important lifts anyway! 

Being Consistent most of the time will change the narrative from pressure and dread of getting in that workout to feelings of pleasure, accomplishment and positivity! 

I hope this helps! Go get your Move On! Anyway, that works!

• 💪 Bird Physical Therapy & Performance strength programs follow progressive overload principles- also called periodization. These principles align with our natural muscle physiology that supports muscle growth.  

• 🏋🏻‍ Progressive overload occurs when we add weight, sets and/or reps to an exercise plan week by week.  Our bodies are amazing in that they will accept these challenges and respond positively. Many of you are beginning the 4th week of this program which is the first heavy week of the program for this set of exercises. Then we will start a new cycle of exercises next week while again applying the progressive overload principles.

• ⚖️ Strength Programs can be designed to focus on muscle strength or muscle physique (looking good) or muscle endurance. This typically will depend upon the overall volume, intensity and the number of reps that are in each set. 

• ➡️When we are new or just returning to lifting we will make gains with a wide variety of combinations of sets and reps- with the most important factor being that each week progresses in intensity. 

• Our new gains are primarily due to something called neural adaptation and this is what allows us to start feeling pretty good after about 4 weeks of weight training. Neural adaptation is the result of improved muscle recruitment - waking up all the muscle fibers and reminding them what their job is.  We also improve our coordination, which can make us feel pretty good because we move better during workouts and throughout the day.

• 📅After 8 weeks of training, true strength gains will start to take place. Around 16 weeks we can expect an increase in muscle mass with more noticeable physique changes- don’t worry you will not get bulky! This may seem like a long time- but just think about how fast the year 2022 has gone by!

• 😊I hope you find this helpful while navigating your health and fitness journey!

• 📻Stay tuned to hear more about how to support these positive changes through consistency and nutrition! 

What are your New Years Goals for 2023? 

You may have 1 or more of these goals:

•  Improve overall health and well-being

•  Lose weight

•  Improve strength

•  Improve muscle mass

•  Improve function

•  And many more

Well- what is your plan? A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish.....

• Your plan may include identifying any obstacles that may prevent you from achieving your goals. Most likely one of those obstacles is a lack of time to complete workouts.

• A time management strategy that may be helpful is to plan your week in advance. Perhaps on Sunday night determine which days and times will work best for you to get your workouts in. Another may be to utilize habit stacking. When cleaning up the kitchen from dinner, also make your lunch for the next day. When getting ready for bed at night, also set out your work and workout clothes. All very simple, but yet effective. Might I invite you to read Atomic Habits by James Clear, an easy read that inspires habit building.

• It was a fun leisurely / non-competitive 30 mile bike ride along the Huron Valley & AirLine Trail bike paths with 22 friends!

• $500 was raised and donated for colon cancer research!

• There were stops ~every 5 miles at a brewery/bar along the way. 

• We hope you can join us next year. 

The time is now! Off-Season is the time period between competition and Pre-Season.  This is a time to take inventory on how things went during the competition season. Did you meet your goals? Are you struggling with injuries? What are your goals for next season?  During the Off-Season, athletes can engage in both rest and recuperation from their sport. However, this should be an ACTIVE rest cycle where athletes should focus on gaining strength, mobility and athletic ability.  Although many athletes may participate in a travel season for their sport, time should still be dedicated to Off-Season training. Most travel teams practice at 2 times a week, leaving plenty of time to perform Off-Season training. 

There is no "one size fits all" program for Off-Season Training.  Off-Season plans should focus on the athlete's individualized goals and deficits.  Allow Dr. Bird to help you create your Off-Season Training plan based on an individual evaluation and movement screen. Dr. Bird will follow you through your program in-person and/or virtually as needed.  Do not hesitate to contact Dr. Bird to set up an initial appointment.  Ask about a new service being provided for recovery, as well. 

Core To More has been created by Bird Physical Therapy and Performance.  This program was developed with those in mind who need some help getting started with exercise.  

This program may be right for you if you:

• Are feeling intimidated to get back to the gym 

• Can't imagine doing CrossFit or a HIIT workout right now

• Have back pain or any pain holding you back  

• Tend to jump into exercise and then your body breaks down 

• Need a bit of direction and accountability 

This program is a virtual one on one program, where you will receive individualized daily attention and exercise prescription through a digital application. This user friendly app will deliver high quality daily workouts right to your phone, tablet and / or computer. 

Don't worry about where you once were. Allow the expertise of Dr. Bird to help guide you back to the exercises and activities that you enjoy. Core To More takes the worry and thought out of exercise and will help you re-establish your movement and build a solid foundation beyond the core. 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Dr. Bird!

Shoulder injuries can account for ~80% of all volleyball injuries. These injuries are linked to the act of overhead hitting that occurs during serving and spiking.  Various anatomical and biomechanical deficits of the shoulder complex can occur overtime secondary to overuse. Overuse occurs once the body structures exceed their level of tolerance.  Overall, overuse can be linked to excessive volume and loads associated with overhead activity.  There are 2 ways that these injuries can be addressed. 1) Control volume and load as the season begins and progresses. This lies in the hands of the coaches. 2) Prepare the body for these loads through injury prevention and strengthening programs.  In addition, these programs will allow you to move better and enhance your performance.

1. Shih YF, Wang YC. Spiking Kinematics in Volleyball Players With Shoulder Pain. J Athl Train. 2019;54(1):90-98. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-216-17 
2. Reeser JC, Fleisig GS, Bolt B, Ruan M. Upper limb biomechanics during the volleyball serve and spike. Sports Health. 2010;2(5):368-374. doi:10.1177/1941738110374624 
3. Wolfe, Heather & Poole, Katherine & Villasante Tezanos, Alejandro & English, Robert & Uhl, Tim. (2019). VOLLEYBALL OVERHEAD SWING VOLUME AND INJURY FREQUENCY OVER THE COURSE OF A SEASON. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 14. 88-96. 10.26603/ijspt20190088. 

So many people begin losing mobility and function at their shoulders by the time they are in their 30’s! I know 30 is really young. Time goes on and before we know it, we are having trouble reaching up overhead to do the most basic things, like- reaching into the cupboard, washing and styling our hair, getting dressed, putting on a belt or bra. REACH Healthy Shoulder Program can help you reclaim these important activities of daily living and much more. This program is a virtual one on one program, where you will receive individualized daily attention and exercise prescription through a digital application. This user friendly app will deliver high quality daily workouts right to your phone, tablet and / or computer. The REACH Healthy Shoulder program begins with basic range of motion and mobility exercises, which will prepare and ensure that your shoulder and upper body is ready for more advanced exercises. These more advanced exercises will allow you to build the strength back up in your shoulders and upper body. This will make simple daily tasks so much more easy. Contact Dr. Bird to find out more about the REACH Healthy Shoulder Program and/or other virtual services. 

Now more than ever, living a healthy lifestyle should be a priority, as we navigate through the COVID 19 pandemic.  Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is met through a combination of proper nutrition, sleep, mental well-being and exercise. Now more than ever, this has been a challenge secondary to the stay at home orders and the closing of gyms and fitness centers. These orders have resulted in reduced physical activity overall, at a time where maintaining good health is at its greatest need. 

Daily exercise helps boost our immunity, which will allow us to fight off infection.  Not only will, this boost of immunity help combat Sars-CoV-2, but will help prevent chronic illnesses, such as, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease. These chronic illnesses are the comorbidities that lead to more severe complications and poorer outcomes related to COVID 19. 

Staying motivated during this time has been difficult. However, there are ways to stay connected and keep moving.  Don't hesitate to reach out to Dr. Bird and ask about virtual coaching and/or telehealth physical therapy visits.  If there is a will, there is a way!

1. Woods JA, Hutchinson NT, Powers SK, et al. The COVID-19 pandemic and physical activity. Sports Medicine and Health Science. 2020;2(2):55-64. doi:10.1016/j.smhs.2020.05.006 

We all know that COVID 19 has been a challenge and there certainly has been plenty to complain about. I bet if we try hard enough, we can all find at least one positive outcome.  For myself there have been many, one being the implementation of telehealth /virtual coaching into my physical therapy and health & wellness practice.  

The concept of telehealth for physical therapy is difficult for people to understand. However, telehealth visits are high quality 1:1 visits that can be just as effective as in-person visits. Over 50% of an in-person visit is spent on patient education, 40% on exercise prescription and instruction and less than 10% on passive interventions- i.e. hands-on and modalities. Telehealth can improve patient adherence, satisfaction and can provide long-term management for chronic conditions. Pain relief and restoration of function can often be achieved within 4 visits using telehealth visits.  In addition, an initial study reported that there was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy between traditional examination and telehealth-based examination for the detection of shoulder pathology. 

If you are still not convinced, don't hesitate to reach out to Dr. Bird!

1. Bradley KE, Cook C, Reinke EK, et al. Comparison of the accuracy of telehealth examination versus clinical examination in the detection of shoulder pathology [published online ahead of print, 2020 Aug 29]. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2020;S1058-2746(20)30689-3. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2020.08.016 

Dr. Bird s a cash-based provider. Operating as a cash-based provider allows for detailed evaluation and treatment.  Goals, treatment plan and frequency of treatment are set through  collaboration between Dr. Bird and the client. 

Insurance companies often limit the number of visits or the type of treatments that a physical therapist can utilize with a client. Clients soon realize that these out-of-pocket costs come out to much less than if they utilized their insurance and eliminates the frustrations of premiums, copayments and deductibles. 

Michigan is a direct access state. Dr. Bird is able to provide rehabilitation physical therapy services for up to 10 visits or for a 21 day period before the client will need to return to their physician for follow-up care.  Care can seamlessly continue with a physician prescription. Physical therapy services are offered to those who require rehabilitation for a specific diagnosis that is preventing them from performing normal activities of daily living at a functional and pain free level.  

Dr. Bird is able to provide health and wellness visits at an unlimited rate.  Health and wellness treatments are provided when you are completely functional but would like to continue your quest for optimal health and enhanced performance. 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Dr. Bird!