From hiking to golfing to recreational sports leagues, summer offers plenty of opportunities to get outside and get active. If you’re like many Ability Physiotherapy & Wellness patients, your body has likely been working hard for months.
But with summer winding down, you’ve probably started to think about the next round of seasonal fun: winter sports! Autumn is actually a great time to transition between the two, offering an in-between season where you can recover from summer’s activities while getting ready for winter’s.
Recovering From Summer Sports: Why Rest Matters
Recovery isn’t just a matter of taking it easy for a few months. It’s actually an active process that allows your body to recover, adapt, and repair after a busy sports season. Without that recovery period, your risk of injury may increase once winter kicks into gear.
Tips for Promoting Recovery This Fall
Stay Active, But Keep It Light
Recovery is not the same thing as total rest. You still want to stay active, but you want to do so in a way that switches up from the movements you did in the summer. We recommend lower-impact activities like walking or easy cycling. Also, incorporate gentle mobility exercises into your routine to help keep joints healthy.
Prioritize Quality Sleep
Sleep is one of the most effective recovery tools available, so aim for 7-9 hours each night throughout the fall. During sleep, your body repairs muscle tissue, regulates hormones involved in recovery, and supports healthy immune function.
Eat to Support Recovery
Protein provides the building blocks your muscles need to repair. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats also supply nutrients that support normal recovery processes and overall health.
Address Pain Early
Now’s the perfect time to address any pain or discomfort that might have developed during the summer season. The Ability Physiotherapy & Wellness team can assess your symptoms and identify any factors that might be contributing to them, including muscle imbalances or improper movement patterns. We’ll also work with you to address these concerns before winter sports really get going.
Preparing for Winter Sports: Why It’s Better to Start Early
Winter activities like skiing, ice skating, or hockey all place much different demands on the body than many summer sports. You’ll need strong leg muscles, quick reaction times, and stable joints to lower your injury risk once you start hitting the slopes.
That’s why we recommend you begin prepping for winter sports in the fall. It gives you plenty of time to prepare your body for both performance and reduced injury risk.
Tips for Training for Winter Sports
Build Strength First
Strong muscles help absorb force and protect your joints. For winter sports, we recommend focusing on your core and lower body, from your glutes to your ankles. Choose exercises that mimic the movements you’ll be using in your chosen sports (such as lunges or lateral jumps).
Improve Balance
Many winter injuries involve slips, falls, or loss of balance. Simple exercises such as standing on one leg, heel-to-toe walking, or balance board training help improve stability and coordination for icy conditions.
Maintain Mobility
Limited movement in your hips, ankles, or shoulders can force other parts of your body to work harder, so mobility work should be part of your pre-season training as much as it was part of your post-season recovery.
Gradually Build Endurance
Don’t wait until the first day the ski lodges open up to test your fitness. Incorporate training to improve cardiovascular fitness now, which will help you enjoy longer days on the slopes with less fatigue (which helps lower injury risk, too).
Get A Pre-Season Assessment
Even if you don’t have any pain or injuries, you might still benefit from a full-body assessment with the Ability Physiotherapy & Wellness team. We can evaluate your strength, mobility, balance, and movement patterns to identify areas that may increase your risk of injury and help you develop a pre-season training plan tailored to your winter sport of choice.
Stay Strong Through the Changing Seasons
Changing seasons offer the perfect opportunity to reset your routine.
Giving your body time to recover after a busy summer helps reduce lingering pain and supports long-term health. Preparing for winter sports with strength, mobility, and balance training can help ensure you’re ready to make the most of the cold weather.
And remember, Ability Physiotherapy & Wellness is here to help throughout the process. Schedule an appointment today to learn more!
Sources: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40798-024-00731-7
How Postural Restoration Helps Support Comfortable Movement
Your body isn’t perfectly symmetrical, nor does it necessarily need to be. However, certain movement habits, muscle imbalances, or mobility restrictions can contribute to discomfort or make everyday activities harder.
That’s why we offer postural restoration at Ability Physiotherapy & Wellness, which takes a whole-body approach to these concerns.
What Is Postural Restoration?
Postural restoration looks at how different areas of your body work together rather than focusing solely on where you feel your symptoms. It can be particularly helpful for people experiencing movement limitations or recurring muscle or joint discomfort, especially when these affect day-to-day life.
What Can I Expect from My Sessions?
We’ll begin with an assessment to learn about your symptoms, goals, daily activities, and movement. This process also includes a physical evaluation, during which one of our physiotherapists will assess your posture, breathing, strength, joint mobility, balance, and movement patterns.
Based on your findings, treatment may incorporate strategies such as:
- Targeted strengthening to improve muscular support and movement control
- Mobility exercises to address stiffness and create a comfortable range of motion
- Stretching when specific muscles or tissues are limiting movement
- Breathing exercises to support better coordination between the rib cage, trunk, and surrounding muscles during movement
- Movement retraining to help you perform daily or recreational activities more efficiently
Helping You Build Confidence In How You Move
You don’t need perfect posture to feel good. In fact, there’s really no such thing as a universally perfect posture. What really matters is that your body can comfortably adapt to the activities you enjoy, which is something postural restoration can help with.
Curious whether postural restoration might be right for you? Schedule an appointment with Ability Physiotherapy & Wellness and discover how personalized physiotherapy can help you move with greater comfort and confidence.
Exercise of the Month
Bridging
(Glutes, Lower Back, Hamstrings)
Begin on your back. Bend your knees and keep your back flat on the ground. Gently, contract your abdominals and hold to keep your back flat as you move up into the bridge position. Remember to breathe. Gently, squeeze your butt muscles and lift your hips off the ground. The goal is to have your hips aligned with your knees and shoulders. Hold for 5 seconds. 3 Sets, 10 Reps.
10-Minute Sausage Skillet with Cherry Tomatoes and Broccolini
This one-pan dinner has a nice buttery sauce, so serve it with some crusty bread for mopping.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces fully cooked Italian sausage (about 4 links), sliced into 1/4″-thick coins
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 bunches broccolini (about 1 pound), trimmed, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- Crusty bread (for serving; optional)
Instructions:
- Step 1: Cook the base. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and thyme, stir to combine, and cook, pressing down on some of the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to encourage bursting, 2 minutes. Add broccolini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, covered, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.
- Step 2: Serve. Divide sausage mixture among plates. Serve with bread alongside, if desired.
🎿 Summer Recovery & Winter Prep Checklist
Check off the steps you’re taking to actively recover from summer sports and prepare your body for a safe, injury-free winter season!
Get Back to Doing What You Love
Whether your goal is to crush your next morning run, garden without stiffness, or simply keep up with your kids, you don't have to push through the pain alone. Reach out to the movement specialists at Ability Physiotherapy & Wellness today, and let’s build a personalized plan to get you back on your feet.
