Fake it Until You Make it

If you don't fancy yourself to be a "gym person", or an exercise enthusiast, then it is time to reframe how you are looking at things.  After all, weren't we all non-exercisers at one point?  I often see people adopt a "them vs. me" attitude when it comes to working out.  Exercise is for everyone, everyone stands to benefit from it, and it is not some sort of an elite activity where only a handful of individuals are allowed to participate. 

Creating a mental shift is important.  Self-limiting thoughts that prevent us from adopting healthy behaviors have to be acknowledged and addressed.  When I am at the gym enjoying my own workouts, I often look to my left and right, and mentally address the people I see.  I think "good job", and "you belong here".  I can sense the uneasiness in people using equipment for the first time, and the anxiety in others that are hyper-sensitive, fearing everyone else in the gym is casting judgement upon them.  Little do they know that I am rooting them on and hoping that they face their fears, work through them, and continue onward.

If you are struggling to belong to a healthy lifestyle, you gotta fake it until you make it.  This means to "act as if", and to visualize that you are already there.  If you keep trying, showing up and committing yourself, eventually the faking gives way to reality.  This is the case for those that want to lose a couple of pounds, many more, or those that just want to shape up.  Building time in a healthy lifestyle is a process that has to begin somewhere.  Through every effort and step in the right direction, new habits eventually develop and they can become the new norm.  This is what psychologists call the mere exposure effect- which means we tend to like things and objects that we are frequently exposed to.  Keep exposing yourself to exercise and you might find yourself eventually enjoying it.  Imagine the possibilities!
 

New Knees Please

A startling statistic came to me via email a couple weeks back.  Did you know that 1 out of every 50 people now has an artificial knee?  It is hard to imagine, but with my recent exposure to the senior population, I  think it is safe to say that the numbers might be 1 out of every 25 for those 75 years and up.

When treatments to manage knee pain fail to be effective, knee replacement surgery is often pursued.  Typically, knee replacement falls into two different categories.  There is total knee replacement, and partial knee replacement. 

• Total knee replacement consists of three components: a femoral component, the tibial component, and the patellar component.  Total knee replacement is often good for individuals suffering from arthritis, or for younger, more active individuals. 
• Partial knee replacement is pursued when only one of the three components are in need of replacement.  If more problems exist, then partial knee replacement is not recommended. 

I have one long-time client that underwent a total knee replacement a couple years back.  I had the opportunity to observe her immediately post-surgery and closely followed her progress until she was cleared to return to regular exercise activity.  Her doctors had her up and out of bed- walking from one side of it to the other, within 24 hours of her surgery.  While at rest, she also had her leg in an automated machine that flexed her knee repetitively with the degree of flexion steadily increased.  She was also a good patient, and did every minute of her prescribed physical therapy and exercise homework for the following six to twelve weeks after surgery.  She had a very successful outcome as a result of good care, and being so diligent with her rehabilitation.

Most knee replacement patients undergo physical therapy for six to twelve weeks, with goals of increasing range of motion, strength and balance to resume regular activities of daily living.  Some may be eligible for clearance to restorative/progressive fitness activities as early as six to eight weeks post-surgery.  It is not unusual for there to be general tightness surrounding the knee, for the patient to experience unusual sensations surrounding the surgery site, and to have balance issues (temporarily) due to restricted movement.  These issues do resolve themselves with more healing and once more normal patterns of activity resume.