Being Present!

I recently finished a book called Gift of Injury by McGill & Carroll. The book is essentially the journey of Carroll’s road to recovery after debilitating injuries sustained from powerlifting.

There were a few nuggets I took from this book but one I started implementing almost immediately was becoming more present during my workouts. I am not one to be socializing or scrolling on my phone during a workout so I would have assumed I was in the all-clear but Carroll suggests becoming much more tuned in to what is going on with your body prior to each lift. So before I go to squat, I need to visualize what muscles I am going to use and how I am going to recruit them.

Admittedly, this sounded like a lot of work but just giving myself a few seconds to make a mind-body connection with what I am doing has proved to be really beneficial in how my lifting actually feels.

You may not be doing any super heavy lifting but this principle still applies to you. If you find yourself a million miles away when you are working out try taking a few seconds to connect with the movement and how your body is engaging. You are not only priming your body, you are priming your mind to make neural connections that might not already be there. Repeat this process over and over and your body will more naturally do what it’s supposed to do and feel better doing it.

If you need some help learning how to engage your body and mind let me know. Sometimes it’s helpful to have an outside eye give you some direction.

Weekly Movement Motivation!

Onward & Upward my Friends…