How many times have you thought… “I know what I need to do. I just need to…” There’s something incredibly appealing about finding the one thing that will finally fix the problem. And sometimes that thing is helpful.

• Your core may benefit from strengthening.
• Your glutes may need more capacity.
• You may need more mobility – or more rest.

But… the myth is that one of them must be THE answer.

Want to read the transcript instead?

here it is…

I Just Need To…

Why the “one thing” approach often keeps us stuck

Have you ever caught yourself saying…

“I know what I need to do. I just need to strengthen my core.”

Or maybe…

“I need to strengthen my glutes.”

“I just need to stretch more.”

Or even…

“I’ve hurt myself, so I just need to rest.”

If you have, you’re definitely not alone.

Hi, I’m Alexis Weidland,  osteopath and co-founder at BlossomingMe and Healthy Learning Lounge, and today we’re continuing our Recovery Reframed series by looking at one of the most common assumptions I hear about recovery:

“I just need to…”

A Story

A little while ago, I was chatting with a lovely client who’d been struggling with lower back pain for quite some time.

As we talked, she sighed and said, “I know what I need to do… I just need to strengthen my core.” A few minutes later she added, “Actually… maybe it’s my glutes.” And later still she started talking about that  she needed to stretch more to allow her body to move more effectively. By the end of the appointment she’d also mentioned resting more, buying a new chair and getting a different pillow.

It made me smile, because I hear some version of this almost every week. “I just need to…”

   ✨ Strengthen my core.

   ✨ Activate my glutes.

   ✨ Stretch my hip flexors.

   ✨ Foam roll.

   ✨ Rest.

   ✨ Walk more.

   ✨ Walk less.

   ✨ Find the right exercise.

We’re constantly looking for the one thing that’s going to fix everything. And I completely understand why. We all want simple answers. But our bodies are rarely that simple.

Today’s Big Idea

So today I’d like to gently challenge another common belief. That recovery is about finding one missing piece. Because in my experience, it’s much more often about helping lots of small pieces work together a little better. That’s a very different way of looking at recovery.

Three Things Many People Don’t Realise

1. Most advice isn’t wrong… It’s just incomplete.

Core strength matters. Glute strength matters. Mobility matters. Rest matters. Walking matters.

The problem isn’t usually the advice. It’s believing that one of those things, on its own, is the answer.

2. Your body adapts as a whole.

Imagine trying to improve an orchestra by only tuning the violin. The violin might sound beautiful. But if the rest of the orchestra isn’t working together, the music still won’t sound right. Our bodies are remarkably similar.

Breathing… Movement… Confidence of movement… Sleep… Strength… Our Mobility… Our Vitality… Our ability to Balance… Our ability to transfer load efficiently. They’re all playing together.

3. Recovery is usually about building capacity.

 Not asking what one thing needs to be fixed, but maybe more, “what can I do to help my body to become more capable?”

 Sometimes it is about improving strength. Or reducing tension. Sometimes it’s about sleeping better. Maybe it is more about moving more confidently, and sometimes we simply need to learn that our body is safer than we thought. 

A Story from Clinic

One client came to see me convinced her weak core was causing all of her problems. We certainly worked on trunk control. But we also worked on breathing, her walking pattern, her hip mobility, the way her body transferred load and her confidence with movement. And gradually she became more able to comfortable moving again. But was it because of the core exercises? Well probably partly. But I don’t think it was only because of the core exercises.

I think it was because her body became more able to work together and more adaptable in doing so.

Bringing It Together

So perhaps this week, instead of asking, “What’s the one thing I need to fix?”

Try to focus on – “What might my body need a little more of right now?”

And in this moment, it may be a little more movement or a little bit more rest. Maybe a little more confidence in how we do things, a little more strength, a little nit of stretching. Maybe it’s more variety.

Small improvements across several areas often have a much bigger impact than chasing one perfect solution.

Three Invitations

So I have three invitations for you today. The first

Become curious.

Notice how often you catch yourself saying, “I just need to…” Ask yourself whether that’s the whole story. Two…

Think more broadly.

Rather than searching for one magic exercise, consider what else might help your body feel more comfortable, and more capable and work more effectively together. And three…

Celebrate progress.

ANY progress – Recovery isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about helping your body become a little more adaptable and capable and ABLE… each day.

Next Step

If you’d like some help understanding which areas may be influencing your own recovery, I’d love to invite you to try my interactive Pain Pattern Discovery Coach.

The link is in the description. It asks thoughtful questions to help you explore your own patterns and identify some simple, practical first steps that you can do now… safely, to help you to begin your recovery..

And if you’re ready to begin improving the way your body breathes, moves and manages pressure and load transfer, the Rib Cage Reset Mini Course is a wonderful place to begin.

Next Week

Next week we’ll tackle another belief I hear all the time. “My scan explains why I’m in pain.”

Scans can be incredibly helpful. But do they always tell the whole story? We’ll explore that together.

One final Reflection

What’s one thing you’ve been hoping would “fix” your body? And…

What might change if you focused instead on gradually building your body’s overall capacity?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

 So that’s it for today. Did it raise any questions or aha moments? If so, I’d love to hear them, so please put those in the comments section. I love answering questions. I hope you found today useful, and if you know someone who could use this information, please share it. Remember to comment, like, and subscribe. Until next time, and in health, bye for now

Click the Button Below for my RibCage Reset min-course

About Blossoming Me

BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Cranio-sacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage. 

Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.

**Disclaimer** The information provided by BlossomingMe, on our website, in our courses, and in our blogs and posts, is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided on this site and social outlets is not, nor intended to be, a substitute for profess

ional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health professional before you make any changes to your health regime, before dealing with new symptoms, and, if something you have read here has raised any questions or concerns regarding your situation.