By Nancy Alexander, PT
As a licensed physical therapist and certified fitness specialist, my role is not just to give you an exercise to do. My job is to give you an exercise that will help you meet your specific needs and help you reach your specific goals. In my new book, Get UP! Defy Aging with Movement, I mention this important concept. “I learned a long time ago that I’m not just giving my patients an exercise to do, I am giving them the tools to get their life back.”
Today I want to arm you with a way to do this for yourself. It’s a simple process. All you need is some time to think it through, resources to help understand it, and a desire to make a change. Last month I spoke of the opportunity to rest, renew and recharge. Reflection is certainly a part of this process. Now, I ask you to take the time to identify those things that are important to you and your physical health and dial in on what matters above all else. Sometimes it’s easy to see these things, other times it takes more attention – more focus.
Think of it this way. There is a panoramic picture before you of your future healthy life. In that picture, where do your eyes repeatedly go? What gets your attention? Fine tune that lens and focus on it. You could think of this as a short-term goal. Some of you are goal-oriented, some are not. If goal-setting is a turn-off, think of it more as a focus. What—in the short term – do you want to do, be or have?
How do I choose which exercise to give you? It’s all about meaningful movement and giving you a focus. With every visit and during every class, you deserve a focus.
Here are some examples:
Recently a member of the Living Well Academy who lives in Illinois underwent a left total knee replacement. I was able to see a video of her when she came home from the hospital. It showed her walking to the front door of her home with a front-wheeled walker – typical for a post-operative patient at this stage. As I watched I noticed that her left knee didn’t straighten fully which led her to walk with a slight bend in that knee when she placed her foot down for the next step. This is when that knee should be straight. That got my attention.
Consider that this active woman went to the extent of having a joint replacement so she could walk better and longer with less to no pain. This woman sacrificed a lot for this end goal. She wants to be active and perhaps participate in sports again. As a physical therapist, I know that to walk and be as active as she wants, she must be able to straighten that left knee fully. If she doesn’t, she will likely limp for a long time. In addition, abnormal tightness in that knee can lead to altered joint forces, which in turn can cause faulty mechanics at that joint (and perhaps neighboring joints). And she will likely develop knee pain at the front of that knee which will hinder her more.
Fully straightening that left knee needs to be her focus, especially early in the rehab process. Early on, range of motion is king. Gaining strength will come in time. Giving her this focus is worthy because of the immense value it will bring to her.
Granted the focus here is very specific. It doesn’t have to be that way for you, though.
Yesterday I took a ride on my bicycle in the community where I live. Because of travelling a lot lately, I have not ridden in over a month and well, it showed. I was huffing and puffing out there. My watch keeps statistics for activities like this and though I biked at my familiar speed, I noticed my average heart rate and my maximum heart rate were close to 20 beats/minute higher than they should be. Wow!
Needless to say, this got my attention and I decided to make it my focus. I don’t want to tax my heart that much, especially when I know it can be better. In addition, cardiovascular endurance is important for so many activities in my life as well as sports. Hence, my current focus is on improving my fitness and decreasing my heart rate to more normal levels.
How about you? In terms of physical fitness and movement, what do you want to focus on? Maybe you feel tight and want to learn a stretching program to help you improve your flexibility. Maybe you feel you’ve lost some strength and want to start a resistance training program. Has your back been hurting you lately and you know now is the time to address it? Or, perhaps you got away from walking regularly and want to get back on a schedule for this. Take some time to figure it out. It’s worth it. You are worth it.
Make a plan. Is there more than one thing you want to work on? If so, you’re not alone. Do your best to pick the most important goal right now. Don’t fret that you may be overlooking something else. Remember, you are choosing this as a short-term goal or focus. It’s what you want right now. Know you can change it any time you want. This is fluid and over time, your needs will change. Roll with the changes and keep your focus meaningful to you.
The important thing is to start. You can do this! Let me know if I can be a resource for you. I’m happy to help you work through this. Add a layer of accountability to it if you wish and let me know your choice and how you plan to go about it. Email me at movementsolutions55@gmail.com to start the process now.
Change the lens. Refocus on your desires. And feel good about the fact you are taking action now that will lead you to a healthier life.