I had the first physical therapy appointment today and boy do I feel incompetent. Once again, yes I realize my feelings have no basis in reality, but there they are anyway.
Getting to the office and parking was extra fun due to construction in the area, but fortunately I had those annoying "first-time visit" forms filled out ahead of time. I was properly chastised for not becoming completely familiar with my insurance policy's coverage of physical therapy and then introduced to Mark the PT. We chatted for a bit and then he tested my "multifidus" which failed completely. I was prepared for weak, but this was completely non-responsive. We went over a few exercises to hopefully wake this little muscle back up. Then he had me on my side and started poking...nay prodding at my spine all along the fusion! The desire to reach back and clobber him was strong, but I'm a good little bottom so I just let him know it hurt and then tried to breath through it. The multifidus was not actually on the list of things Dr. Williams wrote on the perscription, so we weren't done when he'd finished the sadistic portion of our session. He gave me a couple more exercises for my upper back. I left with a pile of papers and just about zero confidence in my ability to accomplish any of it.
I have a whopping total of 6 exercises that will probably take less than 15 minutes a day to complete. Short of daily walks during recovery period, I cannot think of a single time when I successfully maintained a daily exercise schedule. This is a really big change in habit I'm asking of myself right now and today I feel like I'm not going to be able to do it.
Do I know anyone who does a daily routine? How did you start? How do you keep going?
7 comments:
I'm not perfect about working out every single day, but I come reasonably close (and have done so for years now).
For me, the two key factors were deciding that doing this was really important to me, and finding a regular time for it. In my case, the only time that really works is 6 AM. Getting up then isn't my favorite thing, but I found that I got used to it pretty quickly.
First off, a big hug to you because whether you do it or not, you're worth a hug!!
My recs as a lifetime exerciser:
Don't think about it, just start. Don't worry about whether you're going to keep going, just start. If you don't start today, start tomorrow. If you don't start tomorrow, start the next day. Reward yourself for every tiny thing you do right. Don't punish yourself for anything you do wrong.
Do you have people who would either do it with you or keep you company while you do it?
Don't ask yourself to change a lifetime of habit; ask yourself to change something today. And then I might not have mentioned this yet, but just start.
Oh, and by the way, it's okay to hate it. Just hate it and do it anyway. PT pretty much sucks. I hate flossing my teeth and doing dishes but I do both because I know they're good for me. Plus it would be gross if I didn't.
Had another thought-
This can be a little tricky but it can also be effective...What would happen if Max just told you to do it?
After three rounds of PT with three different physical therapists - I think they Like to torture people. It hurts at first, and at least for me I feel like Everything they want me to do I fail at. But it gets better, the more you do the exercises at home the better you can do them at PT. Then they give you new exercises and you do it all again. But you get stronger for it - usually your muscles end up stronger than the average persons, which I think is cool.
As for doing the exercises every day, for me I had to decide that A) I wanted to get better, and B) that doing them was going to make me better and C) every time I did them it mattered. Then every day when I got up I could make myself a little bit better if I just spent the 15 minutes to do it.
Still haven't started the exercises, maybe later tonight, maybe tomorrow morning.
Thinking I may need to ask for a little more help just getting the ball rolling.
BTW, thank you all three for your comments. They're good words and I'm letting them sink in. Really.
I'll just add to what has been said already. Do it a day at a time, if need be a moment at a time. I really hate exercise in virtually all it's forms :) I started walking a few times a week about a year ago and managed to lose almost 30 pounds. I started out by just making myself go out the door and do it. I hate it the whole time and then when I finish up and get back home I feel proud of myself for accomplishing the task. There are days where it is a fight to keep going and not turn around and walk back home. So again, just take it a moment at a time.
Kristy
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