The Myth of Aging

“Well... I AM 46 years old…”

This was the reason a recent client gave me for backing down on his physical activity.

I can understand. He was playing it safe… trying to be careful not to “wear out” his joints too soon.

He had the impression, as most of us do, that there is a limited amount of “wear and tear” your body can take before it breaks down and will require drastic measures- like surgery or stopping your workouts all together.

And 46 feels old… when you’re 46.

Your body doesn’t bounce back like it used to. Maybe you’ve had a few injuries, a surgery or two, and the idea that you could get hurt again has got your feeling nervous.

Maybe you’ve even gone through physical therapy (like this gentleman had) and despite your diligence with your exercise program... and giving yourself time to heal... you’re just not feeling like your normal active self yet. You don’t feel really strong, flexible, or able to handle the challenges of your workout like you used to.

Or maybe repeated bouts of pain have set you back enough times to make you feel like you’re just pushing too hard.

So you tame it down a bit. You stick to the treadmill instead of playing basketball. You stretch more instead of getting out and running hard. You slow down the steps and twists in Zumba class.

And slowly you starting believing that your time to be young, active, and mobile is up.

You’re getting older, so you might as well get used to the fact that your body is just falling apart.

You can’t keep going around acting like you’re 20 years old anymore...

...Well, you COULD believe all of that. I mean, you’ve probably heard it over and over again, and maybe you’ve even heard it from your doctor or physical therapist.

Or, you could choose to believe something different.

You could remember that while you might be in your forties, you’re only HALFWAY to 80.

You could remember that you have a living, breathing, adaptable body. It will never stop being able to improve, even if you’re getting stuck right now.

You could realize that if you stop gaining strength, power, explosiveness, or agility in your body NOW, it WON’T be available to you when you actually do get older.

(And the tough part of that is... strength, power, explosiveness, and agility are the exactly the movement abilities you need to avoid a fall and a broken hip when you’re 80).

You could choose to believe that while you can’t go back to when you were 20, there’s absolutely NO REASON to act like your time is up now.

The only reason you’re struggling is that we haven’t yet solved the real problem that’s keeping you from being your normal, fully active, self.

Most people in your position only need a couple of things to propel them back to the active and healthy life they want (and need).

1. A new set of eyes.

2. An approach that restores all the movement capabilities you need for the sport or workout you love to do.

I’ve had client or client come to me feeling stuck and hopeless, but leave feeling confident, restored, and strong again. One is back to playing basketball confidently. Another is back to regular exercise classes without having to “modify” everything. Still another- back to CrossFit without any issues.

And most of the time, the process is so much easier and more fun than they expected.

But they ALL started with the choice to believe that they were capable living of a better life. And they ALL took the steps necessary to achieve it.

You can, too. And it starts by booking a free call to speak with me at kinesipt.com/talk. When you do, you’ll have the chance to run your situation by me to see if it really might be possible to get back to the active life you want.

If it is, we’ll also walk you through a step by step plan to achieving it, so you too can get your life and confidence back. If it makes sense for us to help you do that, we'll let you know how. If not, we'll point you in the direction that best serves you.

This free call adds massive value to your life because when you book it, you make the choice to KEEP PURSUING the active healthy life you deserve.

That choice can only be made by you, but it has positive effects for you... AND everyone around you.

What could be better?

Book your call now: kinesipt.com/talk

Talk soon,

Melissa

The 1 Mindset Change That Can Revolutionize Your Rehab

The foundation of good medicine is in determining a correct diagnosis. Without knowing what we are treating, we can’t possibly choose the correct form of treatment. So, when we have musculoskeletal pain, it’s very important to know exactly what is causing it- be it a ligament tear, a tendonitis, a ruptured disk, etc, right?

Wrong. In fact, focusing too hard on understanding exactly what is causing our pain can drive us to seek out excessive medical tests and to spend too much time treating symptoms, rather than solving the underlying issues contributing to our pain. 

If we understand pain correctly, that it is a sign alerting us that there is potential danger (it does not reliably tell us the type or magnitude of the danger), we can understand that pain does not always equate to injury. What is important is that we rule out the potential for serious injury or illness requiring immediate medical intervention, which can often be accomplished by a doctor or physical therapist taking a complete history and conducting a thorough physical exam. With serious injury or illness ruled out, I believe that there is often very little value to determining the exact physical source of pain. What we know is that there is a movement problem and that’s all I think we need to know. 

With a specific musculoskeletal diagnosis, we sometimes become bound to protocols or site-specific treatments that, if ineffective in alleviating pain, leave us stranded or cause us to chase symptoms. If we simply look at painful movement as a movement problem, we are free to engage in problem solving- in finding and building on movements that are not painful in order to more quickly and effectively restore mobility and function.

As patients with movement problems, instead of injuries, we can let go of the fear of damaging our bodies and feel confident getting back to moving again. 

Letting Up Is Not Giving Up

2011 Marathon

My husband is currently in his 3rd week of training for a marathon he is planning to run in early May. This will be his fourth marathon and is already putting up bigger numbers in weekly mileage than he has ever before. He is feeling great, primed and ready for the long arduous journey that is marathon training. 

Flashback to last month, about mid-December. He was struggling with a back tweak he acquired after sleeping on an uncomfortable bed while we were out of town. He was hardly running at all. He was working on gaining some comfort and movement one step at a time, but was still on the losing end of the battle. As we were talking one afternoon, he told me that although he was frustrated about the pain in his back, he was patient and hopeful about the future. He said, 

“I just know that when I get through this problem, I’ll be stronger.” 

And he has a lot of experience to prove it. He has faced many tweaks, injuries, set backs, and detours in his life and running career. But I have witnessed, over the years, that rather than getting more frustrated or anxious about his ability to run, he grows more patient and more peaceful, more invested in process of running than in the outcome. He knows that each injury, pain, or set back is an opportunity to grow, to become more in-tune with what his body needs, and to get better at doing what he loves to do. Each measure of patience he gives his body and his running pays dividends in his performance, comfort, and happiness as he pursues his goals. 

When someone comes to me with an injury, their current outlook is, quite understandably, dismal. They are usually feeling anxious, frustrated, and fearful that they have not been able and may not be able to do what is most precious to them in life. Their inability to move well is an inability to live well and the effects are often devastating. 

But time and time again, when these individuals take the time to regroup, reset, and dedicate themselves to really getting better, the results are astounding. I have seen many people sidelined by injury and fearing falling behind their peers, only to emerge stronger, more comfortable, more confident, and more capable after their recovery. They have taken time to understand their bodies and how to take care of them. They have taken time to rest (which is an often overlooked component of growth). And they have taken time to work on the fundamental movement qualities that are foundational to their success in their sport or activity.

They have embraced, or at least tolerated, the process of recovery and they are stronger for it.  

So, if you are currently working toward a goal or suffering a set back, please take heart. Take a moment to thank your body for this opportunity to rebuild. Invest in yourself and invest in the process of recovery. Know that letting up is not giving up. And know that when you get better, you will be stronger. 

2015 Training

2196 Ways to Sweat

This little gem is thanks to both the Gray Institute and my dear friend, Mr. Phil Brooks. (Check out our organization, Audible Odyssey, to find out more about how we help support the art form of tap dance and the tap dancers that give it life). One never really knows when inspiration will strike. :)

We Are Not Broken

In a world with the blessings of science and technology that give us medications, braces, orthotics, and MRIs, we have gained tremendous ability to understand and help our bodies when they are in serious need of help. But there is another side to this blessing that motivates me to speak up and to toss away this technology whenever possible. 

It’s the belief that we are not inherently broken. We humans are built exactly and miraculously how we should be.  We are meant to stand upright, our feet are meant to pronate, and pain is not a sign of failure, but a sign of success. Furthermore, it’s the belief that when we do break down, our bodies are knowledgeable and well equipped to lead the healing process.

Although this belief may stand in opposition to many medical and therapeutic practices that are common today, the research is mounting to support it. We are finding that our brains and bodies have tremendous protective and corrective capabilities that, when respected, light the path toward healing and growth. Gary Gray, David Butler, Brian Mulligan, and Barefoot Ted have been onto this for years, and I have learned this lesson time and time again from the patients who have been gracious enough to let me try to help them.

We are powerful. We are meant to move. And we are capable of healing.

When we respect our body’s inherent wisdom, we can more easily step away from tests and treatments that don't work in harmony with our needs. If we make ourselves students of our bodies, and if we listen with humility, we may more readily reach our fullest potential.