Are you struggling with movement, to find motivation to stay active or recover from an injury?
Injury recovery and physical therapy can be challenging. Especially when you’re trying to get back to your favorite activities. And particularly after you have been released by your doctor to “resume normal activities,” but you are nowhere near your normal.
On an episode of the Redefining Fitness, with SassFactor Fitness Podcast , I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Veronica Jow, a medical doctor with board certifications in internal medicine and sports medicine, with over a decade of experience practicing sports medicine in the Bay Area of northern California. We discussed her unique approach to fitness, healing, injury, recovery, and patient care. Through her work as a collegiate Team Physician at the University of California, Berkeley and into private practice at Avid Sports Medicine, Dr. Jow has helped patients from elite athletes to underserved populations recover through empathy, education, partnership and the concept of movement as medicine.
Movement Impacts Mental and Physical Health
The idea of movement as medicine is rooted in the idea that physical activity positively impacts both physical and mental health. Exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as improve mood, cognitive function and other amazing physiological benefits such as:
- Improved cardiovascular health: Regular physical activity can help improve your heart health, lower your blood pressure, and reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Increased strength and flexibility: Through activities like resistance training or weight lifting, yoga, and Pilates, you can improve your overall strength and flexibility, which can help you perform daily activities with greater ease and reduce your risk of injury.
- Better balance and coordination: Activities like dancing, martial arts, and balance exercises can help improve your balance and coordination, which can reduce your risk of falls and improve your overall quality of life.
- Increased energy and stamina: Regular physical activity can help boost your energy levels and improve your overall stamina, making it easier to get through your busy day without feeling fatigued.
- Reduced stress and anxiety: Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural mood-boosters that can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety and improve your overall mental health.
The Problem with “Sports Medicine”
Sports Medicine operates from the position that exercise is more than simply “hitting the gym.” It focuses on movement patterns in the body and how those movement patterns can be optimized in a given way with relationship to the movement patterns used by a specific sport. This is where the idea of “training for your sport” comes from. So, when observed from that perspective, exercise stops being about random activities checked off in a training app and becomes about moving in very specific ways, with intention to improve body function.
When We Stop Identifying As An “Athlete”
Often, when people hear often the word “sports” or “athlete” or exercise,” it triggers a very specific thought or idea in their minds. “Exercise,” can mean a specific thing depending on who is thinking about it. Those ideas often leave out many forms of movement that are beneficial and our body recognizes as exercise even when our beliefs tell us it isn’t.
Also, an issue many of us face is that if we don’t participate in professional sports, or when we stop being competitive, we have a hard time identifying with the term “athlete.” And with that mindset shift, so shifts our mindset around our own exercise and movement and what it means for us.
The result usually ends up in us moving less for the joy of it and we start thinking of physical activity as exercise, which feels like a chore and less like fun and makes it harder to prioritize and accomplish. We lose our “why.” And without a return other than to “look good,” which often feels vain, or to “lose weight” and get off excess medication, it ALL starts to feel like a never ending overwhelming chore. The joy in the journey evaporates leaving motivation and commitment an elusive, intangible and passing thought.
Sports Medicine is Movement Medicine
So, how do we get started on this journey of rediscovery through movement? The first step is to rebrand “exercise” as movement, understand ANY movement that gets your body moving and your heart pumping works, recognize that movement IS medicine and to prioritize it as such. This means making time for physical activity in your busy schedules and seeing it as an essential part of your overall healthcare regimen.
THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWERS OF MOVEMENT
If you are recovering from injury, exercise/movement can have transformative power and help speed up the recovery process. By engaging in safe and appropriate activities, you can improve strength, flexibility, and range of motion. Movement can also help reduce pain and inflammation in injured areas.
In our recent interview, Dr. Jow shared her professional expertise and personal journey of rediscovery through movement. Through the activities she chose, Dr. Jow gained confidence in her body’s abilities and discovered the interconnectedness of movement, thinking, and feeling.
This discovery inspired her to pursue advanced fellowship training in sports medicine and eventually led her to become an advocate for movement as medicine. Dr. Jow has used it in her practice as a powerful tool for improving the physical, mental, and emotional health of her patients. As she explains, “I gravitated towards the idea of movement as medicine and felt most successful with patients who needed help in returning to or maintaining an active lifestyle.” Her approach to movement as medicine has been successful because it is evidence-based and rooted in personal experience, as well as her advanced training in sports medicine. And she is bringing a level of attention to patients that is traditionally reserved for elite athletes, to fitness enthusiasts and others on a fitness journey because everyone deserves it. Dr. Jow’s motto is “everyone is an athlete.”
Mindset and Visualization
But movement as medicine is not just about physical activity. It’s also about the interconnectedness of movement, thinking, and feeling. By focusing on mindfulness and the present moment, we can improve our overall mental and emotional well-being as well. And this is particularly important if you are struggling with chronic pain or are stuck in the recovery process and feel like you’ll never be able to do the activity you are trying to get back to doing.
As Dr. Jow put it “mindset plays a critical role in both fitness and injury recovery.” She encourages patients to have a balance of patience and confidence, and to focus on the journey rather than the destination. She also believes in the power of positive thinking and visualization. By visualizing yourself engaging in activities and movements without pain or limitations, you can help retrain you brain to view those movements as safe and enjoyable. In other words, by staying in the moment and being mindful of your body, you can gain a greater sense of control and agency over your pain and your recovery process.
Dr. Jow’s approach to fitness, healing, injury, recovery, and patient care is truly unique. She believes in empowering patients to recover through collaboration and education. This approach is based on medical anthropology study during her undergraduate years at Harvard. She learned about the ways social, cultural, and biological forces influence health and illness.
Building Body Confidence Through Cross Training
If you are recovering from injury or struggling with chronic pain, staying active can be challenging. But movement is essential for recovery. During our conversation, Dr. Jow said people can “gain more longevity in the activity that you want to be doing by adding balance, strength, and mobility through cross-training and other activities.”
Dr. Jow believes that “learning a new skill or trying something new” can help you gain confidence in their bodies and ultimately improve their overall quality of life.
It’s also important to find activities that we enjoy and that challenge us in new ways. As Dr. Jow suggests, “trying something new” can be a powerful way to gain confidence and improve our overall quality of life. This could mean trying a new sport, taking a group fitness class, or even just going for a walk in a new neighborhood.
Cross Training for injury recovery
And for those who are injured or struggling with chronic pain, it’s important to seek out the guidance of a sports medicine specialist, like Dr. Jow. With a customized treatment plan that includes cross-training and other activities, patients can regain their confidence and find new ways to stay active.
One of the unique offerings at Avid Sports Medicine is their fitness program. This program is designed to help patients transition from injury back to their sport or find new activities that interest them. Dr. Jow and her team understand the importance of cross-training and balance in preventing injuries, and they work with patients to find activities that are both engaging and safe. By working with patients to develop personalized treatment plans and focusing on cross-training and balance, she helps them recover and prevent future injuries.
When it comes to recovering from an injury, Dr. Jow believes in taking a long-term approach. She works with patients to address the root cause of their injury and provides options for alternative activities. Her athletic trainers also work with patients before they have an injury to help figure out what they need to do to prevent future injuries.
Dr. Jow’s focus on cross-training and balance is also key to preventing future injuries. By helping patients find alternative activities that engage different muscle groups and movements, she helps them avoid overuse injuries. This approach is especially important for athletes who may be prone to repetitive strain injuries.
Restore Your Inner Athlete
So, whether you’re looking to improve your physical health, mental health, or both, movement as medicine is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals. Explore the transformative power of movement and how it can improve your overall well-being, both inside and out.
Movement is not just about physical fitness; it is about mental and emotional well-being as well.
Start your journey of rediscovery through movement today and prioritize your well-being through the transformative power of movement. Whether it’s through a new sport, a group fitness class, or just a walk in the park, prioritize movement as medicine and take the first step towards your most authentic fit self.
And remember, movement as medicine is not just about hitting the gym or going for a run. It can be anything that gets your body moving and your heart pumping. So, find what works for you, whether it’s hiking, dancing, swimming, or playing a sport, and make it a regular part of your routine. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you for it.
Listen to more of my conversation with Dr. Jow at the Redefining Fitness, with SassFactor Fitness wherever you enjoy listening.
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