I Walked 32,000 Steps in New York. Then I Started Limping.
/I Walked 32,000 Steps in New York. Then I Started Limping.
My Apple Watch has been sitting in a drawer for the last three years. Not sure why, but a few weeks ago I pulled it out, charged it up and suddenly became obsessed with my vitals and making sure I hit a minimum of 12,000 steps every single day.
Fast forward to last week.
I'm in New York and I start limping.
Why am I limping? I haven't done anything. I'm just walking. I'm a good walker! I do 12,000 steps a day, every day.
I did what I thought was the sensible thing and sat down at the nearest bar for a beer.
Unfortunately, that didn't work.
Nek minute, I look at my watch and I've done 32,000 steps. The day before I'd done 29,000.
That's nearly THREE times my normal daily steps.
I should know better...
Too much, too soon.
As a physio, I've spent years telling people about this. And here I am, hobbling around New York, having completely ignored my own advice.
One of the biggest contributors to many overuse injuries is a sudden change in load. Basically, asking your body to do more than it's currently prepared for.
Our muscles, tendons, joints and bones are incredibly good at adapting to exercise. But they need time to do it.
So why am I telling you this, apart from hoping you'll learn from my dumb mistakes?
Because spring is here in Auckland, summer is around the corner, and the weather is finally getting better.
Which means I'm going to start hearing a few familiar things:
"Sh*t, summer's coming. I'd better get fit before I'm back in my togs."
"I need to get back into running. I forgot how awesome it is!"
"Right, that's it. Shoes off, jandals on until April."
Sound familiar?
None of these things are bad. In fact, I'm a big fan of all of them (especially the jandals).
The problem isn't the activity. It's going from zero to hero overnight.
And that's when we tend to see people coming into the Parnell physio clinic with sore Achilles, irritated knees, plantar heel pain and other annoying injuries.
How to avoid doing too much too soon
Here's a little advice from a Physio who clearly needs to take his own advice.
Getting back into the gym? Awesome. But if you've had a few months off, perhaps start with 2 or 3 sessions a week rather than going every day. Add in some walking, Pilates or easier movement days and give your body a chance to adapt.
Getting back into running? Brilliant. Start with shorter runs, mix in some walking and build up gradually. A Couch to 5K programme can be a great place to start. Don't get too caught up in hitting a magic weekly percentage increase. Consistency and recovery are more important than smashing yourself in week one.
Getting the jandals out? Go for it. But perhaps don't make your first outing a 10km walk around Auckland. Your feet and calves might have something to say about that.
Getting back into exercise after winter? Remember, you don't need to make up for three months of doing very little in your first week.
The goal isn't to do as much as possible.
The goal is to keep doing the things you love, week after week, without getting injured.
And if you've read all of this and go out and do too much anyway?
That's OK. We're human. Sometimes enthusiasm gets the better of us.
Apparently even after years of treating injuries, owning physiotherapy clinics and telling people to manage their training loads, I can still get it wrong.
Need a Physio in Parnell?
If you've picked up a niggle, have a running injury or an old problem is starting to make an appearance, come and see us at Beyond Balance Physiotherapy in Parnell, Auckland.
We'll help you understand what's going on, get you moving again and work out how to build back up to doing the things you love.
BOOK A PHYSIO APPOINTMENT IN PARNELL
See you out there (hopefully without a limp).
Nick Torrance
Beyond Balance Physiotherapy
Parnell, Auckland