You Need to Have a Short Memory

[Guest Prosoft Admin]

I just had a neat conversation with a patient the other day that reminded me of a perspective I'd like to share with you.

This very nice teacher who was in for knee problems, we'll call her Sylvia, wanted to resume her fitness workouts.

She missed the feeling of being active, feeling stronger and more fit, having more energy, and not to mention the calorie-burning benefits of her cycling escapades.

Sylvia was accustomed to 3-hour rides on the weekends.  That's awesome to be able to go out and enjoy the outdoors for that long on a bike.  Not everyone can do that.  Sylvia was feeling better and really eager to get back on the saddle.

BUT, here's the problem. She still did have knee symptoms and we weren't sure how long she could tolerate biking for, especially outdoors where elevation changes would come into play.

Here's Sylvia's take on it..."So should I just go out and ride for 40 minutes or so and see how it goes?"

Wow! Forty minutes. Is she serious? Are you wondering the same thing I was?

I asked her, "When's the last time you successfully rode for 40 minutes?"  She looked at me puzzled a bit. I could almost see her musing in her head...."Mike knows I've been in PT for over a month or so - how could he be asking a dumb question like that?" and prior to that her symptoms were even worse before she started PT.

In actuality it had been a long time since she'd proven she could ride for 3 hours, let alone even 40 minutes. But that prior success was her best memory. It was her only reference point.

Or at least the one she was choosing to recall.

Don't we all do that when we're hurt or recovering from a setback?

You kind of think back to when you were at your very best and define that as who you physically are.

That right there is a set up for disaster

Because you and I both know what happens next.

When you say "But I used to ride for 3 hours"...then your next thought is "Then I'll just go out for an hour or two and see how I feel".

Sylvia needed a Shorter Memory!

With a short memory....maybe back to only a week or two, she'd realize that she had only been on the stationary bike for 5-10 minutes and proven she could do that without symptoms.

So, if she were going to try to resume outdoor cycling then maybe choosing what - maybe let's say 15-20 minutes max might make more sense.

My piece of advice for you today is this.

• BE WIMPY! 
• Yes, that's right...I said be wimpy. 

Think of it this way...

If you've been away from some particular activity for some time then you've got to Have a Shorter Memory.

Don't think way back to 3 months ago or a year ago "When I used to do....." but rather think back to just days or a week or two ago.  If you don't have recent evidence of SUCCESS doing some specific amount of that activity then you MUST start with tiny, WIMPY, amounts of whatever it is that you like.

You shouldn't go out and play singles tennis for "only" a best of two sets but rather just hit some balls around for 15 minutes.

It'd be better to go swim a two laps then rest and repeat it a few times rather than go swim non-stop for 30-45 minutes with your training partner.

It makes more sense to see if you can cut just a part of the back lawn and take a break than to start in the front where you won't let it remain unfinished (even if you start hurting).

If you or your loved ones have some musculoskeletal ailments that are holding you back from what you enjoy, now is the perfect time to call us to see if we can help you address them before you miss more of this beautiful end of summer and fall weather in pain.  We'd love to help you get back to Peak Performance!