Manufacturing Accountability

My usual fitness studio is closed for a week. The owners are two sisters and they and their families go “down the shore” for a week in July. I’m taking it as an opportunity to try something new/different. I have had a couple of shoulder injuries in the last six months, and I have mild osteoarthritis in my neck, so after mulling it over for a few days, I finally landed on a plan to work on a neck and shoulder routine for seven days, with the idea that I will learn more, build strength, and reduce the chances of future injury.


In my life’s worth of problem-solving, I often advise “Pick your expert, and pick a book.” There’s way too much info out there about everything, and so many people have opinions about how to do something. My wife and I devised this approach when we were at the brink of being parents. There’s so much advice out there about childbirth and child rearing that it was easy to spin in indecision. So, we picked a book (Dr. Sears) and our pediatrician, and all other advice we tuned out.


For my “7 Days for Neck and Shoulder Support” routine, I’m doing the same thing. Since all my parts feel pretty good right now, I don’t need a doctor or physical therapist. But I needed to narrow the world of inputs. Since my neck arthritis has been confirmed with an X-ray, I want to maximize freedom of movement. Since my shoulder issue is an occasional rotator cuff thing, I want to develop a routine for healthy strengthening to avoid re-injury. For my “expert,” I’m going to go with Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. She has a video playlist for neck and shoulders and she’s got a great vibe. For my book, I have chosen Treat Your Own Shoulder by Robin McKenzie.


But what will keep me accountable? I know me and I know I can get busy, distracted or otherwise resistant to my own goals. When I work out at my fitness studio, there’s the external accountability of signing up for a class and being expected to show up. And there's a $10 penalty for late cancellation/no shows. For my running club, people notice when I don't make it. My week-long neck and shoulder routine is really just a thing I made up, which would be easy to blow off or forget. So I'm manufacturing accountability by writing a blog post about it, and sending an email to my mailing list. Not that I expect y'all to reach through your phones or computers to quiz me on my progress, but I guess it's possible you could. It's really more about me knowing I've shared it, and if you did ask me, how would I answer? 


So here we are. Today I did 30 minutes of shoulder and neck-focused yoga with Adriene, and I identified Robin McKenzie’s book, which I read some of online, and which will arrive tomorrow in paperback form because I think it will be a useful resource to have on hand this week and further down the road. And, I’ve deputized you to help me hold myself accountable.


If you’ve got something you want to fix in your life, let’s talk about it. Every August, I open up my schedule for free coaching sessions. Short-term coaching is perfect for setting a course to work on a specific problem. A little support and accountability at the right time can go a long way.