Slow Down - Your Pace Could be Causing You Pain

For those of you committed to a training program or an exercise plan, you may be doing everything you can to ensure you get results.  You are showing up to your sessions, giving it your best effort, eating right, drinking water, choosing whole foods, and getting plenty of rest.  Things are progressing and you are feeling more energized, your clothes are fitting better, and you are finally enjoying those smoothies in the morning.  You are in the groove and you couldn’t be happier…..and then a little injury pops up - your knee, your shoulder, a little twinge in your back perhaps.  You think, it’s not a big deal and it doesn’t keep you from working hard, so you push through, proving your dedication.

A few months go by and the nagging injury is still there and probably (though you do not want to admit it), your injury is affecting your daily life.  You can do certain things at home, it’s affecting your mood, and maybe even your sleep.  Aaaaaagh!!  All this effort and now I cannot even sleep well.

Well, I am here to tell you that if you slow down when you are exercising you will allow your body to move as it is intended to, repair recurring injuries, and limit the opportunity for new injuries to happen.

By slowing the pace of your movements down, you are allowing yourself time to think about technique vs repetition.  When we make technique more important than the number of repetitions performed, we tend to slow down - allowing more control over the movement.  This leads to stronger movements and less strain on all of your important joints.  The joints that tend to cause you pain - ankles, knees, hips, low back, neck and shoulders are now stable, creating a safer movement.  

Now, as you slow down and improve your technique, movements become more efficient, your body and mind start to remember quality and at this time you can start to increase your pace.  However, you must always be in check with yourself - am I going at a pace that allows me to in control of my movement?  

Check out this quick video on how you can slow your pace down to focus on technique with these foundation exercises.

​The key to keeping pain out of your exercise routine is to slow down, allow your body to time to learn, and focus on technique - not on repetition.

At Wilcox Wellness & Fitness, our trainers are incredibly skilled at keeping your form on point, keeping you from being injured.  If you are looking for some guidance on achieving your goals through a focused, fun program free of injury, check out our KickStart Program here:  
www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com/kickstart

Happy Training!