Why homework?
I know, I know… homework is not something that everyone thinks of fondly .
Why homework when it comes to movement? And especially when it comes to correcting some habitual and - alas - not so optimal movement patterns that our brain’s come up with over a few (possibly many) years?
Let’s do some math!
Example:
there are 168 hours total in 1 week
of which - on average - you are asleep for 56 hours (7 nights at 8 hours each)
which leaves a total of 112 hours you are awake and doing what you typically do such as sitting at your desk, sitting in your car, running errands, etc
one 1-hour workout per week makes up only 0.009% of your time that you are working on creating the change you are looking for... not much, right?
This is why I give you some movement drills to do on a daily basis as homework to help you create that change you are looking for faster and also make it stick.
To learn a new movement and especially to unlearn a longtime habitual non-optimal movement pattern that has caused you discomfort or worse takes work, time, repetition and attention to replace it with something better.
How long and often do you have to do your homework?
It’s been found that - from a neuro perspective - 7 to 8 sessions per day of just 3 repetitions (i.e. a total time of less than 1 minute per session) worked better for lasting results than just a few sessions per day with many more repetitions.
Quality is also a lot more important than quantity: make the effort to aim for perfection in each of the 3 repetitions.
Don’t forget to set yourself a reminder. Most of the time it’s not a matter of willpower but a matter of remembering until it’s become a habit.
PS: Because I know that sometimes it’s hard to remember exactly the what and the how, I make short videos for my clients to help them remember.