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eliminate your why nots

Letting Go Of Your Why Nots

Years ago, I sustained an injury to my back during a competition. My L4-L5 vertebrae suffered a micro-tear, which caused a disc to protrude and pinch a nerve. It was one of the most excruciat-ing injuries I’ve ever experienced. Up to that point I had only experienced mild pain from “throwing my back out” or overdoing it at the gym, but this injury gave me a whole new perspective on injuries involving nerves and other soft tissues. I wouldn’t wish an experience like this on anyone.

I went through a period of self-doubt and formed a number of excuses about why I couldn’t train anymore. “I’m hurt. I can’t move right. I can’t do what I was doing before, so why bother?” These were just a few of the mantras I repeated to myself during those first few weeks after getting hurt. I had a really hard time accepting that I would have to change the way I moved my body. I was quite rooted in how I trained, so the idea of modification didn’t fit in my world.

This went on for nearly a month. I felt lethargic and heavy, and was putting myself down at every opportunity. I was drowning in my poor me monologue.

Thankfully, my wife Christie, being the feisty ginger that she is, called me out on my self-pity. She told me to get up and move, to stop feeling sorry for myself and to start adapting to my situation. (She’s a wise one, isn’t she?)

Adaptation is important, and accepting the need for adaptation is arguably even more important. It’s challenging to overcome old habits that are entrenched. But I did exactly what Christie said, and started doing what I could. When I exercised, I focused on more isolated movements—nothing explosive or dynamic—and worked on re-stabilizing my core and the erector muscles that surround my spine. It was a slow process, but over time, I got stronger. I was training again and feeling great for it. This experience taught me a lot about myself, but even more about how to coach my clients.

When I begin working with new clients, I always ask them, “What do you need to release in order to do what you want to do?” This helps people to explore what’s hold-ing them back from becoming more fit. I meet most of the responses I get with a smirk,

“Life is a process of discovery, don’t ever stop exploring.”