About a week ago I twanged my back – so badly that I have been suffering ever since.
That’s the first real back problem I have experienced for about 3 years, although the condition started in 1987 as a result of a long country walk, carrying one young son on my front and another on my back – the ligaments were torn and the verdict was that resting on the floor for 6 months would facilitate a complete cure – yeah.
So ever since then I have been plagued by an occasional few days of “ouch!”.
I went to see my local physio last week and again last night – he has given me a series of stretching exercises to loosen things up – apparently, as part of my maturing, my spine has forgotten how to bend backwards – all that time I spend in cars, planes, trains and sat at a desk has taken its toll.
The new regime is to spend about 10/15 minutes per day, slowly stretching backwards from either a standing position or laying on the floor.
I am re-training my body, my spine, to move in a direction it hasn’t taken for years. It doesn’t like it at the moment and is telling me in no uncertain terms.
But over the weeks ahead we will agree a compromise – I will stretch gently and my back will learn to become more supple.
Rather like replacing bad habits with good habits – it takes time, gentle easing in, pace not race – and then gradually the situation improves.
In 90 days I will be able to bend all the way back and the discomfort will have reduced or ended.
A small change in movement bringing about a big change in happiness.
I ponder – what small change in your professional “movement” would bring about a big change in your professional happiness over the next 90 days?