In 2013 I was a weightlifter — meaning I participated in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. Like most recreational lifters I was not very good; but I showed up and practiced the sport 3–4 times a week. Then, in 2014 I became a weightlifter who did karate, who then also took up powerlifting. I was under-recovered and overtrained, but I was not going to quit. Until my body forced me to. Eventually, I was a bed-ridden mess. But I learned from my mistakes in a fairly epic way. I learned that it is okay to switch sports, and it is okay to quit a training modality if it is no longer serving you.

I spend a lot of time talking about “self-care,” particularly when I am advising my clients, colleagues, and loved ones to practice it. I tell people to take care of themselves or give specific instruction, to “eat,” “sleep,” or “get outside.” The more I preach the gospel of “self-care,” the more I feel inclined to explore the term itself and its history. Sometimes, what we, or our clients are already doing by “showing up”, is in itself all the self-care that can be mustered at the moment.

I spend a lot time telling people what to think about as they set up a lift and maybe what to think about during their next set, but I have recently realized that I need to start talking more about what to think about while executing the lift. Thinking about what our body is doing throughout the entire lift is crucial to a successful heavy lift. Furthermore, it is a skill worth cultivating if you are trying to heal from trauma.