A slight change in your daily habits can guide your life to a very different destination’
James Clear
I often get asked how many sessions will I need to feel pain/symptom free? My answer is a) It’s highly likely you didn’t get into your current posture position overnight so it will take time to correct and b) This will depend on whether you can commit to learning about yourself and completing your exercises daily. This all starts with wanting to make a change and creating new helpful habits. All of these things will have a huge impact on how long it will take.
One of my favourite quotes from James Clear’s Atomic Habits book is ‘Habits seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they deliver over the months and years can be enormous’. So, my question to you is what do you want to change and are you ready to make a change? Are you ready to take responsibility for your own health? So, you can get back to doing the activities and sports you love.
Once you are ready to make a change your mindset is always the first place to start. Research suggests you need to have a clear goal on what you are trying to achieve and to build consistent good habits over 1 month, not just do bits when I feel like it. You need to find the right times that work for you and think about whether you need anything, i.e. having your gym kit ready by your bed to help you succeed.
Do you remember when you learnt how to brush your teeth? Most of us will not remember but we have somehow created a twice daily habit of brushing our teeth. We often dismiss small changes because they don’t seem to matter very much, in the moment. When creating a new habit, it’s ok if you miss a day but it’s more important to make sure you pick up the habit the following day to help strengthen your new habit.
You build habits with consistency, constantly doing something, and muscle memory. When you create a new habit of doing your routines of corrective exercises daily you will improve overall muscle strength and joint integrity. You will start to feel and become stronger. So, over the course of a few weeks, or even months, consistency performing the exercises will be the most important factor.
It’s always good to celebrate after every time you have completed your new action as this helps your brain to start associating the action as a good thing. As Dr BJ Fogg, in Tiny Habits book states ‘People change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad’ so don’t forget to celebrate!
At Align Your Body, we help clients restore balance in their body and relieve chronic pain by improving their posture. If you would like to know more, please get in touch for a free consultation, CONTACT US PAGE