Retraining Ourselves

Over time we get into habits in our daily lives. Both physical and mental ones that can be good for us or can hold us back. Retraining ourselves to do things differently takes time and a good deal of effort. It can take a month or more of focused energy to ingrain new behaviors or thought patterns, so you have to be persistent and consistent in order to succeed.

      For me the physical retraining began when my new hip was installed and I started physical therapy. Over the last couple of years, I developed a pronounced limp, took stairs differently, and put my bad leg back when I had to pick something up or bend down. Out of surgery that lunge position was verboten as it could cause the new hip to dislocate – OUCH! I also had to focus on walking without the limp that had become necessary. Returning to my normal gait as quickly as possible was key to healing and getting fully mobile again.

      I wasn’t supposed to bend to pick things up off the floor so I learned to use the grabber that came in my hip kit. That got annoying fast so I focused on bending correctly with both legs even, bending at the knees and keeping from going past 90 degrees with my hips. As I type this, it’s only been 3 weeks so I still have to concentrate on bending correctly as my formerly bad leg automatically pushes back when I start to bend. Taking stairs normally and walking evenly have both been easier to get back to since both were driven by hip pain that vanished right out of surgery.

      In addition to retraining my brain and body, to be as independent as possible I had to adapt some things. Using the sock aid relieved my wife of that chore, As soon as I could handle our basement stairs I wanted to be able to do laundry so I attached a strap to the handle of my laundry basket so I could slide it down the stairs ahead of me and pull it ack up behind me. Neither of these were major innovations but they enabled me to be completely independent and that was a huge mental boost.

     Those are my hip related experiences in retraining myself, but you don’t have to wait for such a drastic situation to retrain your body or your brain. With the new year now a month old, many of you are working on your resolutions. I hope you stick with them – you’re at that 1-month milestone so keep up the good work and those new habits will become second nature soon.

    The hardest part about retraining our bodies and brains is getting started. Once you take that first step, each repetition of the new behavior or thought process gets easier and puts you on the path to permanent change. How we think, our routines, our overall outlook, all can be changed by focus, effort, and commitment. Just as I committed to pushing myself to get back to normal as quickly as possible after surgery, you can make any changes you want if you are willing to do the work.

Hip Update: Almost 6 Weeks after surgery and doing fantastic. Back to weight workouts since last week and took my first bike ride around the neighborhood. 1 more week of formal PT, then off to the Keys. Amazed every day at medical technology.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com  2-05-2024