Adversity challenges us in ways we don’t always expect, but it also offers the chance to uncover resilience, strengthen our mindset, and rethink what truly matters. In this episode, Alex Kaminsky returns to share her story of navigating a bone tumor diagnosis and the physical, mental, and emotional hurdles that came with it. From setbacks in recovery to reevaluating ambitious goals, Alex illustrates how consistency and reflection helped her realign with her passions and rediscover her love for tennis.

Alex’s journey reminds us how slowing down, embracing gratitude, and aligning our goals with our values can turn adversity into growth. What can we learn from facing uncertainty and reframing challenges as opportunities for growth? Join Alex and Dr. Andrew Fix’s discussion as they explore resilience, and offer insights that reveal how even the toughest moments can lead to clarity, strength, and a renewed purpose.

Quotes

• “I was making it even harder on myself by taking on something completely new, like distance running, while also trying to balance it with recovering from an injury. A lot of the frustration that came with different parts of this process forced me to reflect and dig deep. I let myself sit with the discomfort, listen to my thoughts, and ask myself: Why is this so frustrating? What’s holding me back? And what do I need to do to move forward?” (28:18 | Alex Kaminsky)
• “My other rule is that nothing is too big or too small to be grateful for. It can be something simple, like saying, ‘I’m grateful for sunshine,’ and that’s enough. Other days, it’s like, ‘I’m grateful for my loving and supportive parents who have gone through hell and back to make sure that I had the best life possible.’ It can be extravagant, but it can literally be so silly. Both are equally important for shifting your mindset and rewiring your brain to focus on positivity and see the good in everything. We’ve all been around those people who, no matter what they’re going through, always bring that positive energy into a conversation.” (41:05 | Alex Kaminsky)
• “I think it’s really important to understand that it’s similar to the law of attraction—what you think about expands, and what you focus on grows. So, you need to focus on visualizing the things you want, not the things you don’t want.” (50:52 | Alex Kaminsky)
• “One of the biggest things and one of the things that’s the hardest for me is just giving yourself grace. And I think it’s so easy to see other people doing a great job, pushing through, and persevering. And we just tend to be so hard on ourselves.” (59:47 | Alex Kaminsky)

Links

Connect with Alex Kaminsky:
https://www.realkaminsky.com/

https://www.instagram.com/alexkaminsky222/

https://open.spotify.com/show/1VEwGlGsstM4B0EefzohAX?si=b2822ab5c7644036

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Connect with Physio Room:

Website | https://physioroomco.com/

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Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/physioroomco

Andrew’s Personal Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/drandrewfix/

Andrew’s Personal Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/andrew.fix.9/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The post 153. Overcoming Adversity | Alex Kaminsky appeared first on Physio Room.

When we are injured, our first instinct is often to rest and take it easy. And while rest is important, too much of it can actually make the healing process take longer. That’s because when we’re inactive, our muscles weaken and our joints stiffen.

Exercise, on the other hand, helps to keep our muscles and joints strong and flexible. It also increases blood flow to the injured area, which aids in the healing process. Be sure to talk to your doctor about a safe exercise routine that will help you heal properly and get back to your normal activities as soon as possible, if you’ve recently been injured.

The thought of exercising may be daunting when you’re injured. However, getting active is
often crucial for a speedy recovery. The best exercises for different types of injuries depend
on the area that’s hurt.

For example, if you have a muscle strain, it’s important to do exercises that don’t put too much stress on the injured area. Low-impact activities like swimming or biking are good options.

If you’ve sprained your ankle, strengthening and stability exercises are key. Once the pain and
swelling have gone down, try doing calf raises or balance exercises on one leg. Low-impact aerobic activities can help increase range of motion and reduce pain for someone with arthritis. Water aerobics or using an elliptical machine are good choices.

Here are a few exercises that can help you recover faster from an injury:

1. Cardio
   Getting your heart rate up will help increase blood flow to the injured area and speed up the
   healing process. Start with some light cardio and gradually build up your intensity as you feel comfortable.
2. Strength Training
   Developing strength in the muscles around the injured area will support it and help prevent
   future injuries. Start with lighter weights and fewer repetitions and progress as you get stronger.
3. Flexibility Training
   Stretching helps improve range of motion and can prevent scar tissue from forming around the injury site.

If you’ve suffered an injury, you know the frustration of not being able to do the things you
love. Whether it’s a sprain, strain, or something more serious, injuries can sideline us for
weeks, months, or even longer. But there is hope! You can create a personalized injury recovery program that will help you get back to your pre-injury self.

10 tips for creating a personalized injury recovery program:

1. Talk to your doctor. Before you start any kind of exercise program, it’s important to check in with your doctor. They can give you specific guidance on what types of activities are safe for you to do based on your injury and overall health.
2. Start slow and build up gradually. Once you have the green light from your doctor, start slowly with your exercises. If you ve been out of action for a while, have a talk with your doctor about the right exercise program for you. Decide on an exercise routine that will build up your strength and flexibility to give you an energy boost for your workout without overstressing your body.
3. Get to know your body. Think about the kinds of exercises that you enjoyed before your injury. If you’ve never been into aerobics, yoga or Pilates, now is a great time to give them a try.
4. Stay positive. It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re just starting out. Don’t let it throw you off track. Remember, your exercise goals are realistic and achievable. Just take it one day at a time and give yourself plenty of encouragement along the way.
5. Be your own best coach. Be a good sport and set realistic goals for yourself. If you fall short of reaching a goal, congratulate yourself on trying.
6. Know when to call it quits. Don’t try to push yourself too far too soon.
7. Remember the pain is temporary, but a healthy lifestyle will be with you for the long haul.
8. Keep a food diary to monitor your intake and stay on track.
9. Get plenty of rest and sleep each night.
10. Go out for a walk or jog in the evening to help you relax after a long day at work or school.

It is widely accepted that exercise is beneficial for overall health, but did you know that it can also be helpful in the recovery process after sustaining an injury? Exercise can help to improve range of motion and increase muscle strength, which can aid in the healing process and help you to return to your normal activities more quickly.

Exercise can also help to reduce pain and swelling associated with an injury, and can also help to prevent further injuries by improving flexibility and balance. Therefore, if you are looking for a way to speed up your recovery time and get back to your life as soon as possible, consider adding some injury recovery exercises to your routine. You may be surprised at just how much they can help!

If you want to recover quickly from an injury, there are certain exercises you can do to help the process along. Taking the time to do these things will get you back on your feet and back to your life in no time. Be sure to listen to your body, and don’t push too hard or too fast; that will only set you back.

The post Exercises that Help you Recover Faster from an Injury appeared first on Physio Room.

In today’s post we are going to talk about training errors. Training errors generally involve improper progression of the volume or intensity of one’s training. One of the most common causes of injury is simply doing too much, too soon. In general, the less experienced or conditioned you are the slower the process should be to ramp into training. However, having experience or being in shape doesn’t mean you can skip the process altogether. 

Follow the 10% Rule

If you have taken long periods off from running, your running volume should be built back up slowly over time. General recommendations are to follow the “10% Rule” or to increase your mileage approximately 10% per week over time. There is evidence to suggest that trained runners can advance a little quicker than that, though injury rates increase dramatically as the percentage of volume nears or exceeds 30% week over week.

This is extremely important when it comes to reducing the risk of sustaining an injury, and one of the first questions we ask our clients. Generally, our cardiovascular fitness improves more quickly than the body tissues can keep up with, which makes it challenging to hold ourselves back. The primary reason to progress gradually over time is to allow the tissues to adapt and build our structural integrity. This means our muscles, joints, bones, tendons, ligaments, etc.

What are the 7 most common running-related injuries?

Develop a Complete Training Routine

Another important aspect that falls under training errors would be an incomplete training routine. We often see runners who are missing a proper warm-up, cool-down, and strength training program. We all struggle with not having enough time to do all of the things we want throughout the day or the week; though these three things should not be skipped. 

While strength training builds tolerance in our tissues to the rigors of running, warm-ups are pivotal to priming the body for the movement and strain you’re about to endure. Cool-downs on the other hand normalize tissue function through movement while reducing heart and respiratory rate. If you’re unsure how to execute a warm-up, click here for an example of a quick, yet effective running warm-up routine.

Recovery

Last but not least, we will touch on the importance of recovery. When we are training hard we have to provide the body with adequate time to rest and recover to reap the benefits of our training. Building active recovery days into our schedule is an important concept.

In high level running it is not uncommon to see training schedules that involve running all seven days of the week. For most people, we do not recommend this, but rather scale the frequency back to 5-6 days at most in order to reduce injury risk. That doesn’t mean you should do nothing on those other days of the week. Continuing to be active, work on mobility drills, or resistance training would be good uses of your time when you are not running. Even when you are training consecutive days throughout the week, each training session should not be extremely taxing. One of the sure fire ways to increase your risk of an injury is by trying to make every run intense. Variety in training is important to allow you to continue training for a lifetime.

Rethinking Running Injuries – 4 Causes You Should Be Aware Of

-Dr. Andrew

The post Train Smart, Run Healthy: Understanding Training Errors appeared first on Physio Room.