We know it can be tough keeping up with your home exercise program (HEP) given by your Peak Physical Therapist.

Whether it is work, family, lack of equipment, or space; it is common that patients have a hard time completing their HEP.

Research shows that patients who adhere to their prescribed HEP, are more likely to have positive outcomes throughout their rehabilitation process as well as following discharge. Please keep in mind the exercises prescribed by your physical therapist and adjust these tips accordingly.

Here are some simple tricks to completing your daily exercises.

• When you wake up and are still in bed, performing some gentle stretches can be an easy way to warm up your body for the day.
• Waiting for water to boil or coffee to brew, you can perform an exercise or two.
• While warming up food in a microwave or during commercial breaks on tv you can focus on activity tolerance and endurance with a timed exercise.

In addition to time constraints, another common reason for nonadherence to a home exercise program is not having the correct weights. Here are some common household items that can be used in place of weights.

A standard 16.9 oz bottle of water or an 8oz jar of spaghetti sauce weighs about 1 lb
Bags of rice can come in options of 1 lb, 2lb, 5lb, and 10 lbs
A gallon of milk weighs 8.6 lbs while a gallon of water weighs 8.3 lbs.

Learning how to use what you have available at home to continue to progress your HEP per your Physical Therapist’s instructions is key. Keep yourself actively involved in order to quickly get back to the activities you want to be able to do independently and pain-free.