Don't torture your dysfunctional body by taking it to the gym. Nurture it, balance it and then work it.
I have many conversations that go like this:
Client. Why does my back/hip get so sore?
Me. Because you've become seat shaped.
Client. But I don't sit that long, I make sure to get up from my desk and I go to the gym/run 3 times a week.
Me. Ok, let's imagine that you took up weightlifting tomorrow and trained for a total of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and 4 hours a day at the weekend. What changes would you expect to see in your body at the end of a month? What would be the magnitude of these changes at the end of the year? You'd expect to see some major structural and size changes. Similarly if you took up yoga and devoted 8 hours a day to practice. You'd experience a huge change in flexibility, strength and overall range of motion.
In both scenarios and in any other training regime your body would undergo a dramatic adaptation and your body would change in muscle volume, muscle tone, strength, flexibility range of motion. All of the fascia in your body, muscle, ligament, tendon all the cellular matrix and even bone density would change and adapt to create a structure capable of maintaining these endeavours.
Client. Sure
Me. So how long have you been training to be a chair?
Client. Oh dear! A large number of years.
Me. I'm pretty good at what I do but I can't undo the effect of all of that training in one hour of treatment. You will have to do a lot more work. You need to break up banded fascia rebalance the musculature by strengthening and stretching and you'll have to ensure that maintain this new healthy dynamic posture.
Client. I thought going for a run or going to the gym would fix it.
Me. No it wont. Currently you take this seat shaped body to the gym and out for a run and as a tool it isn't up to the task. Forcing it is likely to cause it stress that will lead to other structural issues.
Client. That sounds like an impossibly big task. How can I fix this?
Me. Yes it is a big task but there is a lot of it that you can do as you relax, as you work, as you watch the telly and as you wash the floor. You can work the changes into your daily routine. Learn new physical positions to relax in. You'll need to become body aware, listen to your body when it needs to open up and learn how to nurture it rather than torture it.
Client. So you can't just fix it?
Me. I can help and I can show you a lot of ways to help yourself but the answer here is for you to take responsibility. Then enjoy the ride because you will literally get better every day.
Watch out for the next few blogs where I will post a few ideas about how you can nurture your body during everyday tasks.
