With Valentine’s Day around the corner, CUAA healthcare faculty offer their insights on achievable ways you can care for your overall health.
Often during Valentine’s season, we focus on the love we are meant to give to others. However, it is also important to show love to oneself—an act some people perhaps struggle with more than extending love outwards.
Showing love to yourself comes in all forms. Oftentimes, when you show love to yourself in one area, you see returns elsewhere too. This is because our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being are inextricably linked. Each aspect affects the others, creating a holistic balance that is essential for overall health and productivity.
With CUAA retaining a bevy of programs focused on healthcare professions, we thought it appropriate this Valentine’s to poll the experts. Faculty from CUAA’s occupational therapy, physical therapy, and rehabilitation science programs offer up some of the insights they’ve gleaned from their practice.
Reggie Kehoe, OTD, OTR/L
Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Science
It is a wonderful side effect that if one can improve their physical health, their mental and emotional health are also going to see some sort of improvement. So, I tend to lean towards addressing the physical side of things first. My first thought, when it comes to improving physical health, is always to recommend some sort of resistance training. Whether it is any form of weight training (my personal and professional preference), resistance band exercises, body weight exercises and calisthenics, or something else, working towards getting physically stronger is so vitally important for decreasing all sorts of health risks and improving one’s longevity and quality of life.
With all of that said, it may be even more significant for a person to find ways to make resistance training or any form of exercise enjoyable for them. Here are some great starting points:
- Find workout partners or “gym buddies” that can help keep you accountable.
- Sign up for various fitness classes that provide more structure.
- Focus on exercises and physically demanding activities that you find fun.
- Implement some sort of movement or mobility routine, however small, throughout your day. Binging a new show? Pause between episodes to get in some stretches or mobility work. Working on that paper or lab report? Take scheduled breaks to move around and stretch (but still go back and finish that assignment).
- Find targeted or common stretches on YouTube so you can have guidance on proper form. There are all sorts of stretching exercises and mobility routines you can find on the internet, but here are some of my favorites to start your search with: Elephant walks, cossack squats, ATG split squats, supported deep squats, prone handcuffs, chin tucks, seated good mornings, couch stretch, chair dip stretch, world’s greatest stretch.
Working towards getting physically stronger is so vitally important for decreasing all sorts of health risks and improving one’s longevity and quality of life. —Reggie Kehoe, OTD, OTR/L
Melissa Kieffer, PT, DPT
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Showing love to your body is more than just staying physically active. It’s about taking a holistic approach to caring for yourself—mind, body, and spirit—throughout your life. As a geriatric physical therapist, I have seen firsthand how small, consistent habits can impact well-being, especially among those who live into their 100s.
One of the most common traits among my patients who demonstrate love to their body is their commitment to activities that nurture their physical health, mental clarity, and social connections. They:
- Read regularly to keep their minds sharp.
- Maintain strong social bonds to combat isolation.
- Prioritize physical activity to stay strong and mobile.
One of my favorite ways to encourage my patients and clients to show love to their bodies is through community-based tai chi. This low-impact exercise promotes physical health—through improved strength, balance, and flexibility—and offers mental benefits, helping to boost memory and focus. The added social aspect of participating in group tai chi classes fosters a sense of connection, which is just as important for long-term well-being. By embracing activities that encourage movement, mindfulness, and social engagement, you’re giving your body the love it deserves—helping to enhance both the quality and longevity of your life.
I have seen firsthand how small, consistent habits can impact well-being, especially among those who live into their 100s. —Melissa Kieffer, PT, DPT, PhD
Emily Paul, OTD, MOT, OTRL
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is rooted in the perspective that engagement in meaningful occupations is essential to health, well-being, and quality of life. In this context, “occupation” encompasses all the activities that people need, want, or are expected to do in their daily lives. A person’s occupations are intrinsically tied to their identity, values, and purpose. When we engage in meaningful activities, we affirm who we are, connect with others, and navigate the world in ways that promote fulfillment and resilience. Participation in meaningful occupations improves mental and physical health by reducing stress, enhancing cognitive function, and fostering a sense of belonging. Much like our mission here at Concordia University Ann Arbor, well-being through an occupational therapy lens takes a holistic approach, treating the mind, body, and spirit.
What’s the best way to tell if you have a meaningful occupation in your arsenal? Here are a few questions to get you started:
- Does it give you joy?
- Does it help you feel connected to others?
- Does it fill you with a sense of purpose?
- Does it build your resiliency and perseverance?
- Does it enhance or challenge cognitive function?
- Does it help others?
When we engage in meaningful ‘occupations,’ we affirm who we are, connect with others, and navigate the world in ways that promote fulfillment and resilience. —Emily Paul, OTD, MOT, OTRL
Want in?
CUAA will continue to offer a variety of degrees in 2025-26 and beyond. Pursue a degree in healthcare at our North Building with its newly remodeled features and state-of-the-art simulation equipment, or earn your master’s degree in education through one of our well-established online programs. In the near future, Concordia will look to reintroduce church work training opportunities in Ann Arbor by building a new vision and model for the undergraduate degree programs here.