A trip to the physio

About a week ago I twanged my back – so badly that I have been suffering ever since. That’s the first real back problem I have experienced for about 3 years, although the condition started in 1987 as a result of a long country walk, carrying one young son on my front and another on my back – the ligaments were torn and the verdict was that resting on the floor for 6 months would facilitate a complete cure – yeah. So ever since then I have been plagued by an occasional few days of “ouch!”. I went to see my local physio last week and again last night – he has given me a series of stretching exercises to loosen things up – apparently, as part of my maturing, my spine has forgotten how to bend backwards – all that time I spend in cars, planes, trains and sat at a desk has taken its toll. The new regime is to spend about 10/15 minutes per day, slowly stretching backwards from either a standing position or laying on the floor. I am re-training my body, my spine, to move in a direction it hasn’t taken for years. It doesn’t like it at the moment and is telling me in no uncertain terms. But over the weeks ahead we will agree a compromise – I will stretch gently and my back will learn to become more supple. Rather like replacing bad habits with good habits – it takes time, gentle easing in, pace not race – and then gradually the situation improves. In 90 days I will be able to bend all the way back and the discomfort will have reduced or ended. A small change in movement bringing about a big change in happiness. I ponder – what small change in your professional “movement” would bring about a big change in your professional happiness over the next 90 days?