#3 Can't do it all
Do you ever feel like you can’t do all the repetitions for each of the exercises? There is a lot to think about and to do to practice each exercise correctly, so that it is beneficial and prevents injury. For example, when you are doing the “clamshell”, you are maintaining vertical alignment of the hips, keeping the navel toward your spine, keeping the low ribs from resting on the floor, and maintaining a right angle between the upper and lower leg. You are doing a lot before you even start the movement! It can be tiring, both physically and mentally. It’s important that you give yourself permission to not do all the repetitions for each exercise. However, it’s important to discern the difference between giving yourself this permission and giving yourself an excuse that allows you to avoid doing what you could do and know you should do.
Noticing the subtle details of your body movements, your muscle sensations, and how you are feeling is crucial to help you discern between not being able to do more repetitions and not wanting to do more. Sometimes it’s helpful to notice the monologue in your head. When you notice yourself thinking “I don’t like this exercise, it’s so hard” try to switch from a judging mind to a curious mind: “What do I have to do to keep my navel towards my spine? Where do I feel this the most? Why do I feel it there?” When you switch to a curious mind you will become more interested in the process and you may find yourself less distracted by thoughts of not wanting to do the exercises.
Noticing the subtle details and sensations in your muscles will also help you to identify muscle fatigue. When your muscles fatigue, you may not be able to maintain the muscular support that is required to do the exercise correctly, like keeping your hips in alignment and pulling your navel in. Maintaining muscular support is important to avoid injury and back pain. Always maintain the muscular alignment and support throughout the exercise. When you do your exercises, notice the muscles where you feel fatigue. Bring your attention to these muscles as you exercise. You may notice that those muscles that provide support and alignment fatigue first. Continue to work these muscles; stop the repetitions when you can no longer maintain support and alignment. Notice how many repetitions you can do before you stop. After a few days, as your strength increases, you may notice that you have increased the number of repetitions.
In short, know exactly why you are stopping. Give yourself permission to stop repetitions if your body needs to stop. Discern whether your body needs to stop or your mind is bored and wants to stop.
You should not feel any pain during your exercises if you maintain proper alignment and core support. If you feel pain, stop and re-establish alignment and stronger core support. If pain continues, do NOT do any further repetitions. You can continue to the next exercises as long as you are pain-free. Notice where and when you felt the pain and be sure to include this information in the feedback at the end of the exercise session.
Focusing your attention on the subtle details of your body and mind during exercise makes exercise interesting, helps you to determine when to stop exercising and when to work harder, avoids making unnecessary excuses, and helps you to avoid injury.
