“I exercise because I’m supposed to” was a way that my recent client described
his relationship to exercise.
To be honest, I used to feel the same way as a wrestler cutting weight. I did not
understand how to eat and exercise. I just knew that if I exercised more, I could
eat more. I had a very unhealthy relationship with exercise due to my relationship
with myself.
When I was in college, my coach, Bob Lemmuix, said something that made it all
make sense… “You eat to gain or lose weight, you exercise to become strong”.
I was the smallest 184 pounder on the team my first year in college wrestling. I
began to eat and exercise while enjoying college like most freshmen do and the
size stacked on. I was bigger, faster and stronger until the injuries piled up.

Looking back now, while college wrestling is a brutal sport on the body, my
recovery routine was far from adequate.
After taking years off competing and going to physical therapy school, I began to
learn ways to prevent injuries through the way I looked at exercising. Exercise is
preparing the body for whatever it is we want to do.
Sometimes physical therapy requires you to do the “therapy” part. The part that
says “I think you may need to look at this another way”

Yes, you are supposed to exercise and be strong, but you are also supposed to
enjoy doing it.
While I struggled to find things to do with this client, I also realized there is a
reason he came to see me.
The best thing I could do for him was to help him pick a goal that was something
fun and active to do.
He basically said “I don’t really want to do anything by myself”
As the appointment was ending, I thought “there’s not much I can do to help you
with this attitude”
Then he said “what are your package rates?”
I really was not going to offer him another session. Not because I didn’t like the
guy, but because I didn’t have a service that could help him.
I do not like to pick others goals, I prefer that we either make them together or
clients already have one in mind.
I let him walk and did not schedule the package and thought about the fact I
turned down a guy I genuinely liked because I wasn’t going to do massages and
not exercise.

I don’t do much manual therapy for patients who are not exercising. I am a
“physical” therapist. I do have an awesome massage therapist who I can send
you to though if you’re looking for one.
After my client walked out and I didn’t schedule a follow, I felt like I let him down.
He came to me for help and I wasn’t able to do that. As I thought about it over the
following week I tried to think what I could’ve done better.

Then it hit me. If he doesn’t like doing it alone or isn’t motivated, let’s invite his
friends. Sometimes doing activities with friends just makes the experience a little
less frustrating.

Dr. Charlie