Hey

Happy Wednesday!

It's New Year's resolution season! 

While some criticize setting resolutions, many people, including myself, still rely on goals to create momentum for the year ahead. To this day, "moving more" remains one of the most popular New Year resolutions.  

The problem - as anyone who has ever embarked on starting a new movement practice knows - isn't starting; it's keeping the practice. 
 

Why is that? 

Is there a way to create a sustainable movement practice that lasts?

This week's post examines movement practice through the lens of the nervous system to help you see that often, it isn't the lack of willpower or discipline that halts our progress. Today, we'll discuss the capacity of our nervous system to absorb and adapt to the changes we are creating.

Muscular System or Nervous System Capacity:

When we consider movement, we usually focus on muscles and joints—how they move (or don't), their range of motion, and their strength. 

We rarely contemplate the nervous system's role in our movement, yet it orchestrates every movement we make.  

As we move, our nervous system makes quick and precise adjustments to protect us from vulnerabilities, such as instability or positions that may irritate nerve tissue. Our brain subconsciously organizes and manages all the details of movement for us. What an incredible operating system!

Our nervous system manages movement and the rest of our lives. It processes what we see, hear, feel, and taste to generate appropriate responses to each situation. But what happens when our nervous system capacity gets overwhelmed?

Nervous System Fatigue:

Last week, I spoke with a friend who had recently completed a rehabilitation program for a severe concussion. She mentioned, "During the rehab, we were advised to walk in silence because talking while walking can strain the nervous system."

I was surprised to learn this. , have you heard about this before?

Unless we work with a skilled therapist who is well-versed in the language of the nervous system, we usually aren't familiar with the signs of nervous system fatigue.

This is certainly not taught in schools. Our society tends to dismiss the signs of nervous system overwhelm in favour of "being tough" and "getting back at it."

Learning to recognize and interpret the subtle signs of the nervous system is crucial, especially for those with a history of persistent pain.

Key Signs Of Nervous System Fatigue:

, do some of these sound familiar?

Decreased neural drive: The communication between the brain and muscles becomes less efficient, resulting in compromised breathing, slow muscle recruitment, and inefficient movement patterns.

Cognitive effects: Nervous system fatigue can lead to decreased concentration, impaired decision-making, and memory problems,

Physical symptoms: You may experience dizziness, headaches, nausea, digestive disruptions, muscle weakness, and slowed reflexes.

Emotional changes: Irritability, moodiness, and decreased motivation are some of the more common symptoms.

Recovery challenges: nervous system fatigue can disrupt sleep patterns and weaken the immune system, making it harder for the body to recover.

As you may have imagined, chronic pain is one of the main contributors to nervous system fatigue. The other factors include insufficient rest and sleep, poor nutrition, and excessive mental/emotional stress.

How To Move At The Speed Of The Nervous System:

Our nervous system needs a certain "bandwidth" to explore new movements. When it functions at the edge of its capacity due to chronic pain or other reasons, the nervous system has less flexibility to adapt to new habits or patterns.

However, this doesn't mean that we stop exploring and growing. It means that we must learn to move at the speed of our nervous system (usually much slower than we imagine).

Adopting a kind, gentle, and respectful approach to movement can help us become more in touch with our bodies. This approach, which respects our nervous system's limits, reassures us that we can progress without wasting our energy pushing ourselves unnecessarily hard.

On The Mat:

During your movement practice, learn to recognize the signs of nervous system fatigue: changes in how you breathe, difficulty keeping the proper form, disrupted movement patterns, as well as mental/emotional symptoms, such as feelings of anger, overwhelm, exhaustion, or frustration. 

When you notice these signs, pause to reflect and reset before beginning again.

Here's to moving and moving forward! 

With warmth and gratitude,