I am going to be honest (but when are the Rehab Renegades not?). I have a strong man crush on each of the people in this blog post + 1 bonus post from an inspiring woman. We want our readers to become knowledgeable and we realize that means more than producing blogs- so here is the first installment of our Inner Circle Reads. We need to help steer you towards reliable sources; sources we have come to know and trust. Which is why I strongly suggest reading more about the people below, instead of clicking the top hits on Google.
Activity and Exercise– Gray Cook
Gray Cook is the behind the scenes guy that has helped re-emphasize the importance of quality movement in nearly all areas of fitness and rehabilitation. His emphasis on the importance of quality before quantity influenced a majority of top trainers and strength and conditioning coaches in the world. In this article, Gray discusses the differences he sees in exercise, fitness, and physical movement when traveling abroad.
“One of the things that I became immediately aware of in my international travels for education and teaching was the fact that, in the United States, we speak of someone’s exercise program. When I’m dealing with a person who was raised outside of the US (or when I’m working outside of the US), more often than not, people don’t ask about exercise. They ask, What is your activity? What activities do you enjoy?” – Gray Cook
When I consider situations where people continued with exercise programs, the common trend is that it is something they enjoy! For instance, my Uncle is obsessed with CrossFit right now (it is clear why). He shows up to a place every day where he is excited to learn something new, challenge himself, and make friends. Is it tough? Hell yes! But it meets so many basic human needs for him.
My mother’s athletic feats dropped off since her cheerleading days, despite her (sometimes overly aggressive) competitive nature playing softball and tennis with my sister. When I look back at her various exercise and fitness attempts, one thing that continues to prevail over the rest is walking. Not walking on the treadmill. Walking outside with friends and family. She could do it every day.
Gray’s article points to the fact that an active lifestyle is way more sustainable than promoting exercise. Exercise is wonderful, but it may be better served if its goal is to improve your ability to perform the activities you actually ENJOY.
Change the way you feel – Tony Robbins {0:00 to 3:10} 
If you have read our previous blogs you are starting to understand how emotions impact every piece of your life, including pain. I regularly think about a statement made by Jim Carrey, “Our eyes are not viewers, they’re also projectors.” How we perceive moments in time is specific to the emotions WE create. How can two people sustain the same life altering injury, but have two completely different responses? Person A may want nothing to do with the world, become depressed and angry. But Person B continues to smile, be thankful to be alive and be motivated to help others with similar experiences. On any given day WE have the ability to decide what emotions we will feel. Some of you are calling bullshit… I know. Despite what you feel, Tony Robbins has been helping people do this very thing for more than 30 years. What is interesting is how closely pain science emulates certain messages that Tony shares. We aren’t just a back or knee. We are ruled by our emotions and beliefs. Each of these shapes our perception at any given moment. It is encouraging to know that we are in the driver’s seat; not the weather, not your micromanaging boss, and certainly not your back or knee.
Cognitive Functional Therapy with
Peter O’Sullivan
In the patient stories section of Pain-Ed, Joletta Belton discusses her treatment session with Peter O’Sullivan. Peter is a well renowned clinician, researcher, and educator in the management of complex musculoskeletal pain disorders. This story, along with many others depicts Joletta’s experience with chronic pain. While reading, I noticed her words mirror the feelings and beliefs that my patients regularly express. Her story is a great resource for other people experiencing chronic pain and she provides a sense of hope for those who do not believe that they can change their quality of life. To learn more about Joletta’s battles with plan, you can check out her webpage here.