I recently came across the newly updated 35th anniversary edition of Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within.
It’s a book about changing habits, making better decisions and taking more control over the direction of your life. Although it isn’t a book about physiotherapy, one of its central ideas struck a chord because it’s something we see in clinic all the time:
Knowing what to do isn’t the same as actually doing it.
We Usually Know What We Should Be Doing
Most of us already know that we should move more, exercise regularly, get stronger, eat reasonably well and generally look after our bodies. The problem usually isn’t a lack of information, it’s turning that information into consistent action and this is particularly relevant when it comes to recovering from pain or injury.
Consistency Matters in Rehabilitation
We see this with physiotherapy and rehabilitation all the time.
Doing your exercises once won’t make you stronger.
Going for one walk won’t improve your fitness.
One good night’s sleep won’t transform your recovery.
And waiting for that persistent niggle to disappear on its own isn’t always the best strategy either.
What tends to make the difference is what you do repeatedly.
Successful rehabilitation is rarely about doing something dramatic. More often, it’s about making relatively small changes and sticking with them for long enough to allow your body to adapt.
Small Decisions Can Create Big Changes
That might mean adding another ten minutes to your walk.
Doing your rehabilitation exercises three times this week.
Getting back to the gym.
Starting some basic strength training.
Or finally getting that shoulder, knee or back problem assessed rather than continually changing what you do to work around it.
None of these things feels particularly significant at the time, but repeat them over a few weeks or months and they can completely change where you end up.
We see this regularly with our patients at Physioelite. The patients who make the best progress aren’t necessarily the youngest, fittest or strongest. They’re often simply the ones who consistently do the small things that move them in the right direction.
Your Body Adapts to What You Repeatedly Ask It to Do
The human body is remarkably adaptable.
Strength improves when muscles are progressively challenged. Fitness improves when the cardiovascular system is regularly exercised. Movement becomes easier when we practise it. Rehabilitation progresses when the right amount of load and recovery is applied consistently.
But the opposite can happen too.
When pain causes us to gradually stop walking, exercising, lifting or doing the activities we enjoy, our capacity to do those things can reduce over time.
This is why good physiotherapy isn’t simply about reducing pain. It’s also about helping you rebuild the strength, movement and confidence you need to get back to doing the things that matter to you.
One Question Worth Asking Yourself
So perhaps a useful question to ask yourself is:
What’s one small thing I could start doing consistently that my body will thank me for six months from now?
It doesn’t have to be dramatic.
The important thing is starting, and then continuing.
If you fancy listening to the book that prompted this article, the newly updated Awaken the Giant Within, 35th Anniversary Edition is available as an audiobook on Audible UK Awaken the Giant Within
If the thing stopping you moving forward is pain or an injury that you’ve been putting up with for too long, you don’t necessarily have to keep working around it.
A thorough physiotherapy assessment can help establish what’s causing the problem and, importantly, what you can do to start moving in the right direction again.
