Happy April! 

 

This seems like a bit of an ominous quote for welcoming Spring. However, as the first quarter of the year comes to a close, what often happens (despite the usual good weather for the Valley - uh, what is happening with this cold rainyness??), is that all  of that enthusiasm for our goals we came into the new year with might be encountering some obstacles (maybe in the form of a different injury, or not seeing as much progress as we'd like, or just life things keep interfering in our ability to practice or "get there"). And as we are maybe not hitting those goals or something has come up against us that is challenging where we would like to be, it is easy to become discouraged and discard the things we wanted to achieve with a big sigh of disappointment.

 

That is why the Henry Ford quote seems so appropriate. Just because you set a goal, and initially see some progress (just like the airplane starts its taxiing on a smooth surface or hopefully a nice smooth runway), the challenge comes as you have to face the wind and prove how much you actually want this goal (now it's time to take on the wind & take off).  

 

A wise person once told me, when you declare a goal, often the universe will test you to see how much you really want it. So, now it's time to put in the work. Quarter 2 of the year, although Spring is all about new beginnings and fresh life (i.e. all of the little baby animals everywhere), it is also about buckling down and focusing on what you declared you wanted this year.

One example: I sent my silks teacher a pose I wanted to learn. She presented it to the class and asked if I wanted to try. Well, I had asked for this pose, so obviously I had to try it in front of everyone. As I was hanging by one arm, and trying to "get hips up and through", I actually had no idea what that meant and I ended up getting my fist caught under my crotch area, where I was stuck hanging. Embarrassing, frustrating. And worse, I had asked for this goal.  In front of everyone.
 

Although I wanted to just hang my head in embarrassment, a) I couldn't because my one arm was stuck, and b) I had to just laugh because the actual pose I was in was pretty ridiculous.  And because I was able to laugh at myself, I ended up making some new friends who remember me as the girl who kept trying despite the embarrassment.

 

But, don't worry, this story has a happy ending. I ended up taking a random lesson on a different apparatus and the girl instructing me kept referencing some bow pose. I had no idea what it was, but when she demonstrated and explained it, turns out it was the thing I was supposed to have done in silks. And I was able to do it! Successfully. I just needed a new perspective. And maybe a week of space away.Taking this lesson from Spanish web, I returned to silks the following week, climbed back up on my own, and showed the class that I had learned the skill I had asked for. And with a little practice, my hips went up and through sans getting caught.  (although it doesn't mean that I didn't demonstrate the bad pose just so they remembered where I was coming from).

 

So, as you shift to whatever life might be throwing your way (whether it is an injury taking longer than you had hoped for your fitness goals, having to start training a skill over that you haven't visited in a while, or weather preventing you from being able to play on your aerial rig outside and continue your plans for world domination - a.k.a. making me change my training plans …), remember, this is your challenge and it's time to face the wind. But you don't have to do it alone. As your physical therapist, it's o.k. to bring these frustrations to me, and we can look for another perspective together to keep you encouraged and on track.

 

But, as it is Spring here, and we have had more rain than expected, what often comes with that are weeds.  And YARD WORK!!

 

So, this month, we're focusing on proper technique for yard work activities!!

 

In the video below we are looking at ideal way to pull weeds, trim things, move plants, etc.

Now, this may not cover all of the things you may be doing in your particular yard (and if that is the case, always feel free to follow up and we can review to keep you safe), but the principles are similar to cleaning your house:  Use a neutral spine for hip hinging or squatting if you are able to avoid repetitive bending, especially bending and pulling because that places your spine at risk for injury (maybe not on the first weed, but definitely by the 50th).  Keep objects close to you to avoid having something heavy extended out in front of you so your back has to work really hard to hold it (I'm not saying place a chainsaw against your chest, but a good locked in position so that you are stable is better than extended in front of your where you are strained and have less control).Knee pads are your friends for prolonged kneeling positions.

Shoot me a DM, give me a follow @bettefittherapyaz, or send an email at betterfittherapyaz@gmail.com if you want to chat further. We can make a game plan for how to reset goals for the Spring and get you ready for the upcoming summer and next quarter!!