Remembering all the exercises taught can be challenging for some. This article explores effective strategies to enhance recall.
Reduce / simplify – The less you have to remember, the easier it is. Even when we are are young, most of us have trouble memorizing 20 random words. If we reduce it to only less words, like only three, you know it will be a lot easier. Furthermore, if you group related concepts together, it further simplify memorization. A cohesive set of ideas is more manageable and memorable.
Relate and group – For our exercises, there are different ways to link them together. For example, if you remember the acronym CSSN (Circulation, Stretching, Strengthening and Neural and the memorization trick for it), that is a good way to see if you covered the different needs of your body.
Another way to remember seemingly unrelated exercises is to drive it by needs. 1) To be prepared for falling, you have to protect yourself when you fall forward. This means that you have to protect your hand and face When you fall backward, you have to protect your head and tailbone. This gives you a thread to your stored memory. 2) For chronic pains, most likely it is either the shoulder and neck or the lower back.
Repeat via triggers – You know that repetitions help you remember things, it also help rewire your responses so that you act differently without even needing to think about it. For example, if your goal is to solve a chronic pain, do exercises related to that specific issue right away. Do not wait for a specific allocated time. A simplified version of the exercise is better than deferring it. In this case, the pain becomes the event trigger. To be prepared for falling forward, you know that the hand is your default landing gear and it has to absorb the impact. Do the “hand-sequencing” drill whenever you press your hand on any surface. For example, when you push a door, when you press yourself up from a chair, when you place your hand on the bed to help lower yourself slowly, etc..
Remember one thing at a time – Instead of overwhelming yourself by trying to remember everything at once, focus on one new exercise each week. After 10 weeks, you will have 10 exercises most relevant to you under your belt. Avoid that hopelessness feeling. Allow yourself to improve gradually.
In conclusion, here are the 4 Rs to help with memorizing all the exercises:
- Reduce /simplify
- Relate and group
- Repeat via triggers
- Remember one thing at a time. Build success stories that help you realize that you can.