It happens a lot, people come in for their follow up visit with a sheepish look on their face because they did not do their home exercise program. Sometimes life happens, and I get that, the kids are sick, someone dropped in for dinner, or maybe you totally forgot. But on the other hand you have to realize “if you change nothing then nothing will change.”
What we do as your physiotherapists in 30 minutes with you is great but what you do in the other 23.5 hours of the day is also extremely important.
This is why during sessions we point you in the right direction with “do’s” and “try to avoid’s” and then give you exercises or stretches to help you progress until your next visit so we can help you reach the next step.
Some of the more common reasons for not doing exercises and some possible solutions:
“It hurts when I do it.” Fair enough. This is a good reason to be hesitant. It’s important to have a good conversation with your physio about what they are trying to help you accomplish with each exercise and which level of discomfort that is acceptable. For some injuries we need them to be completely pain free. In other circumstances you will get better results by pushing into that discomfort. It’s also important to distinguish pain and discomfort. A stretch, a pull, stiffness, and feeling stuck or feeling fatigued are common sensations but they aren’t pain. Remember, for muscles to adapt and get stronger they need to be pushed slightly past their comfort zone. That is how they get the signal that they need to get stronger. You can tell yourself “I’m tired but I’m okay.” and get those last few reps in.
“I totally forgot.” Okay, how can we help you remember? Maybe you need to incorporate that exercise into something that you already do every single day. Can you balance on one leg while you brush your teeth? Can you do your kegels after you’re done stretching at the gym? Can you do squats each time you have something in the microwave and you’re waiting for it to be ready? Something is better than nothing, so if you are consistently forgetting to do your exercises see if you can link it to something else that you already do each day. If that fails set yourself reminders. An alarm on your phone or computer can pop up or sometimes it’s really effective to just put stickers up around your life. Maybe one on the bathroom mirror, one on the volume button of your car, one on your computer screen. Every time you see a sticker you can stop and do your exercise or fix your posture, or whatever else you might have to do.
Some tips for reaching your goals and staying accountable:
Remember why you are doing this (you are tired of having pain while sleeping at night, not being able to go for a run, etc.) So you are taking control of your own health and working towards something that is important to you so you can get back to what you want to do.
Have a workout buddy or a support system. You are more likely to go to the gym if you’re meeting someone there, or if someone is going to ask you how it went
Make SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely) “I’m going to lose weight and workout” is too vague. “I will do 30 minutes of walking 4 nights per week after dinner instead of eating chips. My goal is to lose 3 pounds in one month” is a goal that is much more likely to be met because you have a battle plan.
As always, you can find us at ladnervillagephysio.com or give us a call at (778) 630-8800.