You don't need a lot to do some physiotherapy stretches and exercises from the comfort of your own home. The most important tools you can have are TIME and COMMITMENT. Put in the effort today, and take good care of your body!

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TIME

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You need to be able to consistently set aside time to do your therapy exercises. Without consistency, your condition will not improve. Doing your exercises once every week or two isn't going to do very much. 

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Try to set aside a set period of time daily. Build it into your routine, so that you don't miss this important part of your day. 

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You can try waking up fifteen minutes earlier, and using that extra time for your therapy exercises. Or if you find yourself rushing to get ready for work in the morning, you may prefer to set aside 15 minutes in the evening after work instead.

 

When you come back from work, you can force yourself to quickly change and get going with your exercise or therapy session, and then continue with the rest of your evening off.

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Your own schedule may differ, but the point of this is to set aside some dedicated time for your therapy exercises, daily. It's tempting to give in to fatigue and skip exercise or therapy sessions, especially after a long day of work, but if you do not build it into your daily routine, you won't do it consistently, and you'll miss out on the great benefits of regular exercise and home therapy.

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EXERCISE MAT

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Any simple exercise mat will do. I always find it more comfortable to do my exercises and stretches on an actual mat rather than being on the floor, since the padding feels good, and I don't slip and slide around on the floor (as the material used to make most exercise mats have anti-slip properties).

 

You can get one from any sports store - the Decathlon chain here in Singapore sells a good (if not very large) one at only $3.50. Value for money!

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EXERCISE BANDS

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Get a few resistance bands to help you do some simple strengthening exercises. You can get some from any fitness store - again, I like getting mine from the Decathlon because their equipment is very reasonably priced (Yes, I do most of my shopping there. No, they aren't giving me anything to promote them). 

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You can use these bands for all sorts of exercises. The flat broad bands (pilates bands) are best for your physiotherapy exercises, get a few of those, in different resistances.

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LIGHT WEIGHTS

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A light weight will help you do some exercises for your shoulder and forearm. You can either get a light dumbbell, or just use a can of food or a bottle of water. I prefer to use a light dumbbell because the grip on a small handle feels a lot more comfortable compared to trying to hold something large like a can or bottle.

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A TOWEL

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A towel will help you do some stretches for your shoulder, foot and hamstrings. It may sound silly and a bit overly simple, but it really is helpful for a few simple stretches. You can check out some of our other home therapy articles to learn a bit more!

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