On this episode of The FOX Five, we welcome back, Anthony Lombardo, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, USAW, USA-PL, TSAC-F, Pn.1, who shares his “Five Out-of-the-Box Ideas of Being a Physical Therapist.” Anthony walks through creative, engaging approaches to care, from integrating exercise into daily life and using real-world environments, to introducing unconventional activities, gamifying therapy, and grounding goals in food, family, and fun. The conversation highlights how creativity, enjoyment, and personal motivation can transform therapy and keep patients engaged and progressing.

Jim: Welcome to The FOX Five, the show that explores FOX Rehabilitation through an original list created by a FOX colleague. Please welcome back, FOX Rehabilitation physical therapist, Anthony Lombardo. Anthony, welcome back.

Anthony: Hey guys, what's going on? Good to be back. Thank you, Jim, for having me again. I do appreciate that. Thank you.

Jim: I'm energized when I speak with you. So, thank you for coming back. I'm going to enjoy this episode of The FOX Five.

Anthony: Me, too, Jim. Thank you.

Jim: So, Anthony, last time you were on, you talked about perks of working with FOX. What is your FOX Five this time around?

Anthony: Today, my FOX Five is a little bit of a different one we're going to take. We're going to do Five Out-of-the-Box Ideas of Being a Physical Therapist.

Jim: Now, when you were on our podcast, you talked about doing MMA with older adults. You talked about powerlifting with older adults. If those made it into your FOX Five, I think that would be awesome. So, without spoiling, what is Number one on your FOX Five?

Anthony: The list I made, we're going to go from least crazy to really, really out of the box. So, the first one's a nice easy one, and that's going to be just integrating exercises into your daily routine. Nice and straight and simple, just for the first one.

Jim: Now, that's not out of the box. I mean, I guess it would be out of the box for someone who just sits on their chair and watches TV all day, but exercise is important. Exercise is medicine, motion is lotion, all that good stuff. So, you need to exercise. Like Anthony said, he's building up here. He's telling a story.

Anthony: Yeah.

Jim: But we should point out that exercising is not crazy, or at least not outside of the box. Anthony, what is Number Two on your FOX five?

Anthony: Let's bring it up a little bit more now. So, now we're going to do what I like to call environmental modifications.

Jim: All right. So, break that down for us.

Anthony: Something great about doing physical therapy out of the box with home care is really wherever you are, physical therapy will follow. I mean, let's go to the garden, let's pick some plants, let's go down the block and walk over there and hang out by the park bench and do some dips on the park bench. Let's go down to the river and let's see—you want to do some fishing? Let's cast a line and see how we do with that. All the environments that you're in, physical therapy can follow. That's one great out-of-the-box technique that I personally do with physical therapy.

Jim: If it's clinically appropriate, go outside.

Anthony: And that's what I love. I love seeing pictures and videos of patients outside.

Jim: Our clinicians don't treat patients in a vacuum. We go to your home. We can go to your garden. We can go to your stairs outside. All of it, I think, makes for better health care. That brings us to Number Three on your FOX five.

Anthony: Now, my Number Three is I like to say, don't be afraid to have them say, "Come again." And what I mean by that is, let's bring it back to the podcast that we had the other day—mixed martial arts, powerlifting, everything in between. Don't be afraid for them to take a double take on what you just said, but what you want them to do with you.

Jim: But how cool is it when they do that double take, you sell them on your crazy idea, and then they see the results?

Anthony: Absolutely correct. That's exactly right. So, I love to say, "This is what we're going to do. We're going to throw some punches back and forth." They say, "Come again," and I say, "You heard me. You're going to throw some punches at me, Mr. Johnson." And I love to do that because that gets a little bit of the mundaneness of exercise out of the box, out of the hat. Pull the rabbit out of the hat, as the magicians say. I want them to feel a little bit more alive, you know? Now, don't get me wrong, I love exercise just as much as the next person—going to the gym, doing whatever your repertoire is for sets and reps—but at some time in your routine, it does get a little bit boring. So, I say, let's just burn that bridge. Let's build a new bridge. Let's start lifting some heavy weights. Let's start punching things and let's get a new fire burning. And that's my Number three.

Jim: Yeah. All right. That was great. Thank you. Where do we go from here? What's Number Four?

Anthony: Number Four is what I like to call gamify the process.

Jim: Yes.

Anthony: Listen, man. If there's a game involved and there's some type of battle between Mr. Johnson and I, let me tell you, I'm going to step it up a notch, and I know Mr. Johnson is not going to let me win this battle by just, you know, giving in. I like to gamify the process. Let's see who gets best of 10—me versus you. Or even better, husband versus wife, family member versus the client. I love having more and more people involved, combining it with some type of game-like way to really set the tone and get a sports-like element involved.

Jim: Yeah, I love speaking with clinicians. I love speaking with PTs, OTs, SLPs. I love that you can give clinicians a stack of Uno cards and there's a million different things you can do with them. Anthony, what is Number Five on your FOX Five?

Anthony: Number Five is I like to kind of end it on a little bit of a high note, but a real note. And I always say never forget the three Fs of life: food, family, and having a lot of fun. That's what I'm looking for.

Jim: That's all you need. And if you can weave that into your therapy, that's a driver for people.

Anthony: Exactly, correct. I've had clients that say, "Hey, listen. I haven't gone to my favorite restaurant in 10 years, and my birthday is coming up. I want to build the endurance and the stamina and whatever I need to get to that restaurant." I say, "Mr. Johnson, let's get it going. I want you to go to that restaurant for your birthday involving some family."

"Oh, you know what? I have a brand-new great grandson or great granddaughter. I want to pick them up and just hold them in my arms. I want to be able to do that."

“Fantastic, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. We're going to work our way up to that. And then at the end of the day, we have to have some fun. Jim, that's what I want to have in my career as a physical therapist. Out of the box, the three Fs: food, family, and a lot of fun. That's what you need.

Jim: Can I add a fourth one?

Anthony: Please do.

Jim: Food, family, fun, and FOX Rehabilitation!

Anthony: Hey, FOX Rehabilitation. Let's go, baby.

Jim: I love it. Fun is so important because if a patient is having fun, then they will look forward to their next session. If they don't have fun, they may cut it off—and they need those therapy sessions in order to improve their function. We may laugh, but it might be the most important thing.

Anthony: I agree. Fun is a very important thing that keeps accountability. If it's not fun, what's the likelihood of them coming back to me to do more? We have to have fun. We always have to have a good laugh. Laughter is the greatest medicine, I personally think, that anyone could have. So, fun is necessary. I'm writing the script for it—you need to have some fun, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Johnson. We're going to do it at FOX.

Jim: Well, Anthony, always a fun time with you. I'm going to nag you to come back on the FOX Five or do the podcast again just so we can hang out.

Anthony: I would love to. It's always a blessing and an honor to talk with you, Jim. You're a great guy. I absolutely enjoy every moment speaking with you and helping people understand what physical therapy really is all about.

Jim: When your team has their next get together, send me an invite.

Anthony: Jim, you're getting the first invite. You're getting a letter invitation, sir. Check out that mailbox. Send me the email address. You're getting it. We're going for it, baby.

Jim: Kicking it old school with the snail mail.

Anthony: Let's go, man. Snail mailer. Yes, exactly. I love it