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I had a conversation this morning with a client about someone we both know. This person recently learned she has some arthritis. Naturally, she and her husband consulted with "Dr Google" (we REALLY need to be careful with this .... Refer back to a previous post of mine). According to the "doctor" yoga and pilates is what those with arthritis, in this part of the body "should" be doing to help manage it. So - she signed up for yoga.
And down the rabbit hole we go....
Will yoga or pilates help this woman with her arthritis??
It can, absolutely. Among many other things!
Should she do yoga or pilates??
She can. But here's a better question...
Does she even like yoga and/or pilates!?
*The ONLY thing anyone SHOULD do for their health, to manage conditions and to progress toward their goals, are the things that they will do CONSISTENTLY... AND that they might even enjoy!!!!
My concern is not that this woman has chosen to sign up for yoga. That's wonderful! My concern is that she may get into the mindset that if she doesn't truly enjoy it, or she isn't finding that 1 or 2 classes per week has delivered any magical results, that she'll feel it's a "lost cause". I fear that because "Google said do 'x'", that if it isn't working for her on some level, that she'll "feel like a failure". It's a common mental trap we get sucked into! And it's NOT true!
The other side of this is that currently, this woman does not have any consistent health practices in place on a regular basis (no movement practices, no particular focus on healthy eating habits etc..). Which can also mean that if she chose something from her own heart and mind that she WANTS to try or TRULY ENJOYS she may have greater success! Also, if she was to open her mind to the idea that SHE can make decisions for HERSELF rather than Google telling her what she "should" do, she may open the doors of progress quite easily. Yes, yoga may give her that same success. But is "Google" choosing yoga for her... or is SHE choosing yoga for her??
I'm happy for this woman, that she's taking ACTION to better her health. That's wonderful. I just REALLY hope that, as I've seen SO OFTEN in my career, she's not falling into "the GOOGLE" trap mentality of "you should do 'x' or else you fail!".