Exercise And Why You Aren't Lazy

I found a great article regarding how laziness does not exist, and it applies beautifully to rehab and exercise.

"But I don't wannaaaa...."

Clients often come to their follow-up appointments with tails tucked after not doing their exercises. (And I'm speaking on doing them at all. The people who feel bad for only doing them every second day need to chin-up.)

A lot of therapists will put their hands on their hips and immediately scold their clients, citing their predicted inability to get better if they don't exercise and pushing them to just do it. But we know, but now, that this is an ineffective method, don't we?

I think I just heard Nike call their lawyers.

The psychologist who researched and wrote the above article boiled "laziness" down to two causes. One was anxiety regarding the task and a perception that the person's attempts would not be "good enough". (Fear of failure.) The other was confusion or lack of clarity on the first steps of the process.

Understanding this now, can you see why a stern "just do it" is the last thing you want to tell someone with either of these struggles? Instead, I find it to be a crucial exercise in empathy in order to help clients past their hurdles.

If a client can't foresee a positive outcome and doesn't believe that they can get better, regardless of their homeplan, then it takes a great deal of coaching in order to teach them how to perceive control over their condition. They need to know, deep down, that recovery is possible; not simply go through the motions of an appointment.

And as for the lack of clarity, any half-decent therapist should have the ability to educate and break down the pieces for their clients as needed.

Everyone has their own background. We prefer to see things as simple and black and white, but have you put yourself in someone else's shoes lately?

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