A couple of weeks ago my knees hurt. They ached soooo badly. And as if the dull ache wasn’t bad enough they would also take turns sending sharp jabs of pain up to my brain. To add to my misery they would also, intermittently, act as if they weren’t going to hold me up.
Totally sucked.
Why did my knees decide to revolt?
It’s because I did stupid.
My stupid: I sat way too much for way too long for too many days staring at a screen.
In my defense, I had some projects I needed to get done. My tax return being one of those projects.
So I allowed myself to get so caught up in what I was doing that I didn’t take breaks to get up and move my body.
My knees decided to remind me just how much stupid hurts and how important movement breaks are. And they weren’t subtle about it. They both decided to scream at me.
And I know better. So why oh why did I do stupid?
And some well meaning people in my life told me that knee pain was normal at my age.
My age!? What the #@&%??? 🙄
I mean I am older so I should be wiser and not do stupid.
But I did in fact, do stupid. So I couldn't, in all honesty, pin my knee pain on my age.
Why did I do stupid?
Probably because I’m human 🤷♀️
Thankfully I know how to undo the stupid I did to myself.
And here's the thing, most of us know that sitting for long periods can really mess with and cause pain in our knees, hips, backs, shoulders, and necks. Standing can do the same.
Being sedentary doesn't encourage blood flow and it doesn't help keep joints lubricated. It's also a stressor on your nervous system.
So please let my stupid be a reminder to you.
And know this, your body was made to move. And thru movement your body — you — can find depths of healing, strength, and resilience you probably didn't even know you had in you.
So how are my knees now? So much happier. Thank you for asking 🙂
I’m now going to go move my body. I've been sitting for about fifty minutes now working on this blog and other things. Time for some rocking, rolling, and cross crawls.
Please remember to move your body. Move it every hour or so for about ten minutes. I know that's easy to recommend and harder to do. But your body will appreciate it and you'll be healthier for it.
If you need ideas about how to get more movement in your life to help you feel good just let me know…
*a version of this blog began as a Facebook post