Get Yourself Back in Motion. Jason T Smith

      Chapter 1:

       A MOVING EXPERIENCE

       Introduction

      Moving is important. Moving well is even more essential given its direct impact on our physical health, sense of well-being and practical enjoyment of life.

      However, we’ve become a sedentary culture so we simply are not moving as much or as well today. The increasing incidence of obesity, heart disease and diabetes are fatal testaments to this being true.

      We also tend to accept, dismiss or ignore aches, pains and medical conditions as if they will either go away on their own, or are just routine reminders that we’re not getting any younger. In any sense, many of us live as though we are slowly conceding defeat for a healthy active life.

      The message I echo throughout this book is that it’s time to get back in motion!

      The good news is that it’s much easier than you think. You don’t need to be at the gym five nights a week, running marathons on weekends or squeezing into unsightly lycra to be healthy. With some lesser known secrets revealed throughout this book, and some common sense, you will move better than you ever have before. This book puts movement right back up there high on your priority list, without you even having to break a sweat.

      If you aren’t moving well, it’s likely you won’t make next season’s Grand Final or exceed in your preferred sport. You’ll struggle to endure a full day of work without fatigue and discomfort – whether you are ‘white collar’ or work out in the sun. Weekends will feel less like an adventure and more like ‘recovery camp’, because you’ll tend to favour long sleepins and armchair activities to soothe your tired body. Even building the train-set with your 3-year-old on the toy room floor or playing hide and seek under the bed is going to start to hurt more than you anticipate.

      It might be common, but it’s definitely not normal to feel pain with everyday movement. Therefore don’t accept it. Your health and wellness are precious and you should seek to enjoy your life without feeling physically compromised. Don’t let a cramp, twinge or ache grow into something worse. And don’t limit your enjoyment by living with pain that prevents you from doing the things you love.

      The dilemma for most people is finding the right person to help them on this journey. In a world gone crazy - with fitness advice, lifestyle TV shows, celebrity chefs and extreme makeovers – we could be fooled into thinking everyone’s an expert. Who do you follow to make the right choices for your health? What happens when you get well-meaning but conflicting advice? And with the plethora of literature available in the media and online, how do you apply it to your unique situation? As a health professional, I’ll admit we have made it tough for you.

      The persistent question I’ve asked myself throughout my career is, “Why do some clients get better results than others?” Is it genetic predisposition, the skill of their therapist, the quality or type of treatment they receive or simply the individual’s want factor that has most influence? Or is it that some people are just luckier in health than others?

      After well over a decade of experience intentionally pursuing the answer to this question, I am excited to share my insights in the pages that follow.

      What is clear from the beginning is that ultimately good health depends on YOU to a large extent. It makes sense. You are the only one who can fundamentally change the way you move and feel. Empowering individuals to ask questions, be objective and make well informed decisions about their own health is essential. Many professionals may like you to think this is too hard for you to do. They are wrong. But who coaches you through this journey to true health? Hopefully, this is where you let me come into it.

      The Physiotherapy Solution