Exercise is good
Exercise is good medicine BY STEVE STEIN Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand. That’s never been truer than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantines, business and school shutdowns, and fear of the deadly virus itself have caused a year’s worth of stress and anxiety for many people. Experts say a great way to relieve stress, anxiety and depression, improve memory, concentration, sleep and mood, build resilience and coping mechanisms, even reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, is regular exercise. But gyms across the state had to close March 16, 2020 because of the pandemic and weren’t allowed to reopen for many long months. The 25 Powerhouse Gym locations in Michigan finally reopened September 8, 2020. “Everyone is aware of the physical benefits of exercise.” said Henry Dabish, CEO of Powerhouse Gyms International. “You can lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and fight diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular illness, which is one of the leading causes of death.” But exercise also helps you deal with stress, depression and anxiety. “It also can increase your energy level, and boost your selfconfidence and self-esteem,” adds Dabish. As an example, he told the story of a Powerhouse Gym member in his 60s who worked from home in the days of a strict pandemic lockdown and could not get to his gym because it was closed. “This member was used to coming to the gym three or four times a week. It was like his social life,” Dabish said. “He said after he got done with his Zoom business meetings at about 2 in the afternoon, there was only so much Netflix he could watch instead of going to the gym. He said he felt cooped up in his apartment. He wasn’t in a good place.” That not-good place became a good place after the member’s gym reopened, Dabish said. The difference was night and day. Rocky Bahoura is another expert on the benefits of exercise on mental health. He’s a physical therapist and an owner of Premier Therapy Centers, an outpatient physical therapy clinic in West Bloomfield that specializes in orthopedic conditions. His patients range in age from 5 to 99. Bahoura said he’s keenly aware that a big part in the healing from a major injury is determination and persistence. In other words, the mental side of the recovery equation. “It’s very easy for someone who is not able to do much because of a lower back injury to get frustrated and discouraged and say, “‘Oh, no, what am I going to do for the next two weeks?’,” said Bahoura. Shawn Sharrak has first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to suddenly lose the ability to live his life the way he wants to live it. The 23-yearold West Bloomfield resident tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee on January 2 during a pickup basketball game in a church gym. The injury came on an innocuous play, one Sharrak had done hundreds a times without getting hurt. He jumped to catch a pass, came down fine on his left leg, but heard a pop in his knee when he came down on his right leg. Sharrak underwent surgery to repair his knee on January 27, and began three-days-a-week physical therapy sessions with Bahoura two days after. “I couldn’t put any weight on my right leg for the first two weeks Henry Dabish Rocky Bahoura Shawn Sharrak after surgery. I was pretty much bedridden,” Sharrak said. “It was tough to do anything I used to do in my daily life.” Thanks to physical therapy, Sharrak is walking a little now and getting better every day. In fact, he gets better after each therapy session. He’s making steady progress, and that’s what physical therapy is about. “I’ll never take the small things I do in my life for granted,” shares Sharrak. “I finally got cleared to drive after 38 days of not being able to drive. I kept track.” Now that he’s driving again, Sharrak can get to his office and he doesn’t have to work at home. He’s in the mortgage business. Sharrak credits Bahoura and others at Premier Therapy Centers with keeping him positive mentally during his recovery process. “They’ve kept saying I’ll get better over time if I stay persistent, but I must admit that was hard to believe when I couldn’t walk,” Sharrak said. Fellow patients in his doctor’s office and Premier Therapy Centers also have been a big help. “They’ve been very supportive,” said Sharrak. “It’s good to see their progress if they’re further along on their recovery than I am.” Sharrak does exercises at home on his off days before physical therapy. Bahoura specializes in patient treatment plans that include an exercise program, touting the importance of exercise with or without an injury. “Get moving and get that heart rate elevated,” said Bahoura. “That can be done without a rigorous workout.” Now that the weather is warmer, go outside and do a brisk walk for 30 minutes three to five times a week. Bahoura offers, “If you don’t want to do that, walk around your house indoors a few times. Or climb stairs, do push-ups or sit-ups. Everything helps.” 22 CHALDEAN NEWS APRIL 2021
APRIL 2021 CHALDEAN NEWS 23
