A Louisville Physical Therapist navigates COVID and big life changes
Hey! It has been a minute since I’ve blogged and I’m feeling pulled to share a personal story from my journey. The last few years have been tough for everyone and I know I’m not alone in struggling to find my way through the changes that have ensued since COVID began. From finding a rhythm with my strength training routine, to pivoting my business to meet the ever changing requirements, I felt as if I was being tested to my limit.
Have you ever set out to meet a healthy goal and it’s taken much longer than you anticipated? Ever made attempts to take better care of yourself and life had other plans? I can say 100% YES to both.
What changed the game for me was learning how to make adjustments, learning to be realistic with my own capacity (and how many hours are actually in 1 day), and chipping away at the “all or nothing” mindset.
It’s taken me the better part of 3 years to gain roughly 3 pounds of muscle - despite working daily in a dedicated physical therapy gym in Kentucky. When it comes to putting on lean muscle, ½ to 1 pound per month would be a realistic goal considering lifestyle factors and training time are dialed in… so 3 pounds in 3 years is definitely not near the high standard I set for myself.
Now, when I reflect on what the past 3 years presented for me, I’m extremely proud of those pounds! Like many of us, I’ve encountered major life events that challenged me to my core. Between recovering from a global pandemic to separating myself from a 13 year relationship, I’ve experienced change in every sense of the word. For the first time in 38 years I’m living alone, figuring out how to navigate myself and my daughter through this change, and taking big steps to create the life I desire.
It’s taken a village of support and forced me to lean into asking for help. This time has provided an amazing opportunity for growth and expansion in all areas of my life. An area in particular that required an adjustment during this time of transition was my strength training - my personal physical therapy so to speak.
I knew my body, mind, and soul were in need of space for healing. Now I just had to figure out where this space was going to come from. What could I change / replace / eliminate / modify to ensure I was suited to handle this time in my life; and not just handle it, but truly process what was happening.
If you’ve ever experienced grief or loss, you know that feeling where you’re doing well to simply exist and go about your day. Your emotions and feelings fluctuate; stages of grief come in waves. Just when you think you’ve “graduated” to the next phase, something triggers a response and you’re reminded- Oh, this is still a thing. Life feels uncertain and there’s a whole new level of unknown and newness that accompany each day. That’s what I came to expect: uncertainty is to be expected when we enter uncharted territory. As a person who thrives with a plan, prepares, anticipates, and avoids “play it by ear” at all costs, this time was quite draining to my energy levels.
Processing grief and big life changes can greatly impact our energy levels. This rings true in my practice as I see many injuries correspond to times of increased physical and mental demands on the patient. Trust me, I’ve had plenty of injuries that happened in part because I was more focused on checking the boxes than truly honoring my body’s needs.
Post pandemic and separation, my head and my energy levels were simply not in the space to lift weights. As a physical therapist who’s very driven towards fitness and strength goals, this was not an easy realization.
I chose to lean into this though; which meant I was stepping out of auto-pilot and creating the grounds for true change. I found that this time called for adjusting the expectations I had of myself around training altogether. I lowered the external stressors and moved into forms of exercise with lower physical demands while also supporting this healing phase. For about 8 months, I took a hiatus from strength training, and shifted my focus to yoga, walking, and mindfulness practices. In Spring of 2022 I knew I was ready to start getting after it again and I have been consistently training 3-4 times per week since then. I have been a dedicated physical therapist in Louisville, Kentucky for over 14 years and consistently strength training for the past 6 years. Never have I ever taken a break from the weights and felt truly ok with it; but this time I did it! No drowning myself in shame and negative talk. I accepted my circumstances and gave my body what it needed. I reframed this time as an opportunity to build my intuition muscle and deepen the relationship I had with myself.
Back to my original question- have you set out to achieve new goals this year? Adopted a new way of eating or exercising? Have you felt the needle move towards your target? If not, I encourage you to take stock of your current life circumstances. When our efforts are consistently not translating to the change we desire, we must look inward and get curious without judgment. This no judgment piece can be difficult when we’re hard wired to apply the “good” and “bad” labels. Take a step back and be honest with yourself.
What circumstances are different compared to the last time you set out for this goal?
Can you be open to making one small change that moves you in a forward direction?
When big change is happening in your life AND big change is desired, the road blocks we meet are often a result of our approach and our mindset. Here are 2 things I’ve found to be effective when big change is happening (big life events: moving, having a child, ending/starting a relationship, transitioning out of a career) and big change is desired (weight loss, increased muscle, addressing a chronic injury or pain).
Break your big goal into bite sized chunks. Think ground zero level - You want to workout tomorrow? Start by laying out your clothes and blocking time on your schedule for the workout. Even if it doesn’t happen, you succeeded in 2 steps that move you closer. You want to make meditation a part of your morning routine? Start by committing to 1 minute every morning- set a timer, close your eyes and sit in a comfortable position. When you can find consistency and success in micro habits that support the bigger goal- you may notice the needle starts to move in the right direction.
Stay close to your why! Take some time to journal and reflect on why you want to achieve this goal. What will it mean when you fulfill this commitment to yourself? When we have a full understanding of what drives our desire to achieve the goal, it can serve to keep us moving forward when motivation runs low.
In closing, I’ll remind you that as cliche as it sounds, the growth truly lies in the process. Big life changes and challenges bring light to even bigger and BRIGHTER opportunities. The process to any desired goal is not linear. Be open to pivoting when you begin feeling stuck or overwhelmed. If you need support on your journey of health and wellness, consider hiring a professional to help. Stay curious. Celebrate the small victories and somewhere along the way, I’m confident you’ll find joy in the process just as I have. I’m cheering for you!
Click here to find out how Sergent Wellness can help you achieve your goals.
Here are a few helpful links to items Dr Julie uses to achieve her goals: