Can we let some of our movement “rules” go?

A common theme that comes up with our members are the “rules” of movement that they’ve previously been exposed to.

Things like….

I need to keep my back straight and tall

My shoulders need to stay down and back

My knees shouldn’t go over my toes

The arches of my feet need to be lifted to be strong

I shouldn’t lift with a rounded back

Do any of these sound familiar to you?

These are commonly held beliefs that are often repeated - by professionals, friends and family alike.

The things is…all of these things could be helpful…some of the time, for some people.

The flip side of that is sometimes they can also be UNhelpful!

There are plenty of tasks and activities when following the common “rules” above could potentially make the whole thing more difficult and uncomfortable…can you think of any?

If you’ve been holding yourself to rules like the ones above for a while some questions you could ask yourself are….

• Was this helpful for me for a period of time (like after an injury)? Has that period of time now passed?

• Was this given as blanket advice with no room for nuance or context?

• Have I been following this rule/strategy for a while now, but still feeling stuck?

If the answer was YES to the questions above, it could be time to try a new strategy!

How might it feel to loosen the rules a little bit?

To start gently exploring those positions or movements that you’ve been avoiding for a while?

If the thought of that sends you into a panic….that is totally fair!!

This is where having a trusted movement/health professional to support you along the way can be super helpful.

To help you decide if they are the right person to support you with this new phase of your journey feel free to ask them things like…

• When was the last time you updated your knowledge on this?

• How do you access the most recent evidence?

• How have YOUR beliefs around this changed over time?

Trying new things can be scary.

They can also open up a whole new world of possibilities.

Let us know how you go breaking the rules!

AOK