Find yourself modifying your activity a ton?
Maybe so often that you forget you’re modifying? It might be time to ask yourself why.
Hear me out. I think modifying can be so smart. No shame in modifying my game. When a workout is programmed with movements that are just too advanced for me, weights are too heavy, or I just am not feeling it that day, I’m gonna modify it with no hesitation.
But when something hurts, and I’m not making moves to find out why, that’s a problem. Here are a few reasons why:
1: Modifying due to pain means you are not able to continue challenging yourself. Getting stronger, faster, better at an activity doesn’t have to be the top priority, but it does maybe correlate to some degree to being better in daily life, contributing to your ability to stave off the aging process. In my opinion, a huge reason to spend time in the gym everyday is to be able to stave off the aging process!
2: Modifying due to pain likely means you are not addressing the pain issue. The longer a pain issue goes unaddressed, generally the more difficult it is to fix. Working around that problem is not doing your body any favors. The goal should be to modify with next steps in mind for getting that problem addressed.
3: Modifying due to pain may lead to a decrease in interest in the activity itself. Depending on how you are motivated, being unable to see gains and progress in your work may cause some frustration. When you can’t push and feel the reward from that, exercise is less fun. So getting to the source of the pain problem can help keep the interest and excitement alive.
If you are struggling with pain problems that keep you stuck in the modifying rut, holler at us or join us at a workshop! We’d love to talk through what’s going on with you!
Dr. Rachel Atufunwa, PT, DPT