And that’s.. getting out of your comfort zone!

So much of our life, whether that’s work, whether that’s our cars, our homes, like so much stuff that we have and how our life unfolds is made to make us more comfortable. One example that comes to mind is air conditioning.

It was hot this summer in Colorado. How uncomfortable would you be if you didn’t have AC at your home? There are many people in the world that don’t have that, and they deal with that on a day in, day out basis. Same thing with heat in the wintertime. Imagine how uncomfortable it would be if you didn’t have that.

I also think of suitcases. We use rolling luggage and suitcases when we’re traveling. That’s just an invention that was made to make our lives more comfortable, a little less stressful, a little easier, and it’s great, but one drop in the bucket over and over and over again, a lot of things are making it harder for you to step out of that comfort and to tap into getting outside of your comfort zone and make things a little bit more challenging.

I used to have a background on my phone of a quote that said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” And I must have had that on there for years. Now I have a Green Bay Packers logo or something that hasn’t changed in a while. But I remember having that,”Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and it was just my daily reminder when I looked at my phone to do some hard things and not take the easy way out on things.. simply because that’s not always the best way to go about it.

So let me give you an example of getting outside of your comfort zone:

It’s cold outside but you need to get in your walk for the day. You could either..

1. Get in your warm car and drive to the gym to walk on the treadmill
2. Put a few layers on and walk outside in the 45 degree weather

I would be willing to bet that anytime you’ve stepped outside of your comfort zone, no matter how small it is, even though it’s a little difficult at first, you’ve never regretted making that decision after it’s all said and done, right?

It’s a little uncomfortable to push yourself in a workout and make yourself feel uncomfortable, but after that workout is over, do you regret doing it?

And I almost like to look at the ability to put yourself into good stressful situations and to get out of your comfort zone like a muscle that you can flex.

The more bicep curls you do, if you’re using weight that’s challenging, probably the stronger and more endurance your biceps muscle is going to get. I feel like the same thing is true for getting out of our comfort zone. The more we do these little things, the more they feel like little wins and they stack on top of each other, it’s like a snowball or a domino effect in a positive direction. It makes it a little bit easier the next time because you can look back on the experiences that you’ve had before in these little instances where you push yourself just enough outside of your comfort zone to where you can say, “well, I’ve done that before, so I can do this! I’ve conquered that obstacle and jumped over that hurdle before, so I can do it this time.”

And what you can do is you can take on slightly larger and slightly larger challenges without it being extremely stressful or inconvenient. This is how I feel about getting into the sauna or getting into an ice bath. It’s exposing yourself and exposing your body to an in-the-moment stressful situation.

It’s hot, it’s sweaty, it’s hard to breathe or it’s cold and it takes your breath away. It’s uncomfortable to sit there, but you feel better afterwards. And in the moment it’s a little stressful and it’s uncomfortable, but then afterwards, you’re like, “I’m glad I did that.”

Get out there and do hard things.

Get out of your comfort zone. No matter how small or big that is. Whether it’s from an exercise standpoint. Whether it’s for doing something spontaneous with your spouse or significant other. Whether it’s asking that person out on a date that you’ve been avoiding because it’s a little scary.

Push yourself outside of that comfort zone. And I believe that you will probably be glad you did when it’s all said and done and not have any regrets about it.

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With over 40 muscles in your back, many get used when you’re doing an arm, back, or full body workout. Injuries in this area are common but they can be prevented with the correct movement mechanics.

Dr. James Stetson is a Movement Specialist and Chiro here at Physio Room who understands how it feels to suffer a harsh back injury in the gym. While deadlifting, before putting on a belt, he pulled from the floor and felt a pop in his back (oof, sound familiar?). From the moment he heard the snap, he keeled over in excruciating pain.

As he continued to move, Dr. James quickly realized that this injury was not one that could just be “walked off” like he hoped. That excruciating pain wasn’t going anywhere and he spent the next week laying on his floor, unable to move due to the pain that’d run down his spine.

Knowing that he wanted to get back to his normal range of motion, Dr. James continued to do small movements like press-ups, small rotations, pelvic tilting, and other small motions until he felt that point of pain. Within the week, he was back to playing golf and taking time to rebuild his movement patterns before returning to heavy lifting and his regular workout routine.

Through those small movements, Dr. James stuck with (and swears by) a few tips and tricks to help curb back injuries and lower back pain in general.

Everyone’s movement patterns look different in the gym and during day-to-day life because everyone is built differently, inherently moves differently, and does different activities that require unique movement patterns.

Before you hit the gym next, consider these tips from Dr. James to help prevent back injuries:

1. Neutral spine

Try to keep your spine braced during your workout. This is paramount to keeping your back strong and bypassing lower back pain. 

2. Tall chest

Keep a tall chest and show off your t-shirt. Pulling your shoulder blades back will turn on your lats and allow you to drive through your legs. 

3. Engage your glutes

Push your knees outwards to engage your glutes and create a strong core. Anytime you squat or deadlift, create external pressure between your knees by pulling them away from each other slightly.  

4. Push the floor away

Don’t pull on the barbell or whatever weight you’re pulling off of the floor. Instead, push the world away from your loading point. 

5. Finish tall

Don’t overextend or hyperextend. Stand tall, finish your reps, and get your shoulders slightly behind the barbell. 

Want to learn more about these 5 critical bullet points in detail and see Dr. James demonstrate how to bulletproof your back in the gym? Fill out the form to download our full EBook below for more information.

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