Emerson wrote that consistency is
the hobgoblin of small minds. I
will use this in my defense should anyone point out that I contradict
myself. Then I will pull out other
rhetoric, winning by boring my critics to death and enjoying the glazing over
of their eyes. Just kidding. Mostly.
I often write that anything we do
is better than nothing. Today I am
going to suggest that we actually have to try to do things well. This would be that place where I appear
to be inconsistent. Both things
are true. Any work we do toward
fitness is good. I will almost
always advocate for getting off the couch, the exceptions being times when we
are sick or injured. Do a little
if doing a lot is more than we can handle.
That said, we have to pay
attention to form. It is better to
do nothing than to do things that will hurt us in the long run. If we consistently (hey, there’s that
word again!) work out without paying attention to our body mechanics, we are
setting ourselves up for future pain and suffering. In that spirit, I offer these suggestions:
Make friends. A workout buddy or trainer can help us
see things we would otherwise miss.
A little reminder that we have to go through the whole range of motion,
or that our elbows are sticking out too far, or that maybe we should use a
lighter weight since we are compensating can save us from weeks of
rehabilitation.
Make friends with the
mirror. When we work out alone, the
mirror can help us correct errors in our proprioception (remember that fancy
word? It means our sense of where
our bodies are in space.) that can lead to bad form.
Use abs. I say some variation of “engage your
abs” to clients more often than anything else. Core strength might be the very best way to ensure proper
form.
(The photo is me making friends with a warped mirror...)
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