This idea is behind so much of what I do as a physical therapist. Behavior change. Most of us are challenged by the idea of doing something new and different. Familiar patterns are comforting. We know them and they often feel as if they have become a part of us. Familiar patterns develop a kind of momentum, where the longer they stick around, the harder it is change them. Old habits die hard.
In my line of work, I am looking to help clients find new ways to move. Their body has successfully utilized a strategy for a period of time, however that strategy became ineffective somewhere along the line. Coaching them to find new ways to move can be a challenge, which is part of why I love the work. I can use physical means to facilitate the process, such as my hands via manual techniques, or through exercise. Ultimately, however, the change needed resides within them. The awareness they develop in our work together is what gives their body the capability to create change. That is what we’re seeking, a change.
Change requires energetic input. The energy needed is proportional to the difference between where we are and where we want to be. If the desired outcome is lofty and well beyond our current position, then we must be willing to put a massive amount of energy into the process. That energy will most likely not come all at one time. It will be the accumulation of small alterations over a long time horizon. A practical, day-to-day example, could be a small change to our typical exercise regimen. If we are frequently overtraining, then reducing our rep count by maybe two repetitions can be useful. At a certain threshold, we will feel the changes we are seeking whether it be increased energy or fewer aches and pains. That may take weeks, it may take months. The commitment to the process and the repeated energy expended to get there is how we get where we want to be. Rarely is that easy, but that is precisely why it works.
Whether we are adopting a new exercise regimen, changing eating habits or attempting to create a new routine, we must overcome momentum. Momentum generated by old habits. The inertia is usually large, requiring an influx of energy that is, at minimum, equal and opposite. We can make this happen; it just takes a concerted effort to make small changes over a long enough time period that we reach out target.
Austin Ulrich, Physical Therapist
