Let Us Underwhelm You

Wow. Pretty uninspiring. Or…maybe not. I’ll explain.

People are worried as we near the annual “Time to get back in shape.” resolutions.

About what? Getting hurt. I don’t blame them, either. Getting hurt hurts.

People are afraid of hurting their backs. Their shoulders probably already hurt, so they’re also afraid of making that worse. Who knows what else is going on? Knees? Hips? Feet?

This results in three things:

1.    Since they don’t move well or often, the body tightens up. Use it or lose it.

2.    As they get tighter, they move worse, and injury becomes even more likely.

3.    When an injury occurs, people convince themselves that movement itself is the cause and the fear signals light up. This perpetuates the cycle.

The whole thing is sad, especially since we know that GOOD movement is actually the cure. It improves your range of motion, flexibility, mobility, and makes you feel better.

So, let’s get back to what I was talking about initially. About letting us underwhelm you. People are afraid of exercise for all the reasons I just talked about. (Not to mention that their only experience with exercise may be watching people yelling, screaming, and crying on television.)

Uninspiring.

The good news is that none of that is necessary and doesn’t make anyone better. After all, barely being able to walk for several days isn’t anyone’s idea of fun. When this is the aftermath of the first workout, there’s usually not a second.

That’s why you should aim to be underwhelmed in your first workout. First, you want to make sure there’s another one. Second, you want to start establishing good movement patterns to start overcoming that fear of movement. That’s easier to do if your first workouts are manageable.

Remember our motto, “The best thing you can get out of a workout is the desire for another.”

After you get the hang of things, you start to make it more challenging. Slow something down, speed it up, add more weight, change your tool, or add more reps. The list goes on and on.

The main idea to take away here is for you not to fear movement. Good movement helps just about everything, and it should not hurt.

When starting a new workout program with a trainer or by yourself, focusing on good movement first will make sure that you progress without getting hurt.