Ever feel stuck in a routine that is zapping the energy right out of you? Having trouble reaching your rehab or fitness goals? The brain is a funny thing, in that it seeks comfort and pattern. The problem is that it only adapts only when facing NEW challenges. ๐ช๐ฎ๐ถ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐!?โThatโs right, the brain craves pattern, but thrives on variation.
The brain doesnโt love surprises, and is always trying to anticipate the next outcome and make adjustments along the way for safety and success. Getting out of the comfort zone of your normal routine is tough in all aspects of life; social, academic, work and physical fitness.
One of the biggest causes of muscle and joint pain, or fitness plateaus are our daily habits. Our routines are comfortable, we see them as normal and easy, the path of least resistance, yet are causing us harm โ Think sitting all day at your deskโฆ..
The key to breaking through pain and performance barriers is to hack your nervous system with variations to your daily movement habits. Lose the normal, lose the easy, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, and introduce variability, variety, and variation! In other words, do as many different things as often as you can.
These new activities donโt have to be complicated to successfully achieve adaptive change, but nothing happens until something moves! So get ready to move ๐ด๐ถ๐น๐ฌ of yourself, ๐ด๐ถ๐น๐ฌ often, and in ๐ด๐ถ๐น๐ฌ ways. Your brain and body (and chiropractor) will thank you!
๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
1. Brush your teeth barefoot and work on splaying all of your toes slowly and smoothly. Then try lifting only your big toes, leaving all the other toes relaxed on the floor. This provides massive sensory feedback to your brain, and foot control is extremely important for balance and fall prevention.
2. Walk backwards towards your car at least 10 steps. When was the last time you walked backwards..๐ฌ๐ฟ๐จ๐ช๐ป๐ณ๐
3. Walk around on your heels for 1 minute. This will not only stretch calves, but work the shin muscles all the up to the core.
4. Copy your kids! Mine are always doing crazy stuff that I try to copy, mostly so I donโt feel old. I find myself trying to do all sorts of crazy patterning and laughing at the same time. They still understand the fun and learning involved with variation.
