Oppose Repetition: Same moves, same problems
When I started to analyse the way I’d been moving before I was injured, one of the key things that jumped out was how much I was doing the same things, the same way, every day.
It was all the small things I did on autopilot; I realised I was always crossing the same leg over the other, carrying my bag on the same shoulder, starting to put on trousers with the same leg every time, even stepping off the curb with the same foot first. My body had become a creature of habit, running on autopilot. And I didn’t realise those habits were quietly shaping how my body worked and felt, and ultimately leading me to a path of pain.
When I started experiencing pain and stiffness, well before I got into pain, I thought I just needed to stretch more and add some specific exercises to my workouts. But what no-one told me was that I also needed to start move differently in my daily life.
The trap of modern repetition
Our bodies love patterns, because they make us efficient. But when that efficiency comes from repetition on autopilot, the opportunity cost is adaptability that keeps us supple and strong.
Modern life makes it easy to fall into this trap.
We sit in the same chairs for long periods, take the same route, and often even exercise in the same predictable ways, and our bodies are constantly adapting to what we do with them most often.
The problem is that when we only move within the same movement comfort zones, we stop exploring the rest of our available range. Muscles that aren’t used enough weaken, joints that rarely use their whole range become more rigid, and our posture can start to reflect the positions we live in most.
When that happens, even something we’ve always taken for granted, like gardening, carrying a suitcase, or getting back up from the ground, can feel unexpectedly awkward or even start to feel risky.
“Movement frequency alone isn’t enough.” — Move Well for Life, Chapter 6, p. 121
Why variety is your superpower
Opposing repetition isn’t just about chasing novelty for the sake of it (although, I’m all for that too!). It’s about reawakening your movement literacy; reminding your body that it’s capable of many directions, not just forwards and backwards.
“Without variety, we become specialists in certain ways of moving, at the expense of the ones we neglect.”
— Move Well for Life, Chapter 6, p. 121
When you move in varied ways, you keep your body adaptable and responsive. Muscles switch on that haven’t worked in years. Balance improves. You start to feel more coordinated and less creaky, not because you’ve added intensity, but because you’ve added options.
The more movements you practise, the easier it becomes to live comfortably in your own body.
How I began to change things
Once I started noticing my patterns, it felt almost impossible to ignore them. I began with the smallest things.
I swapped sides when I picked up my bag. I stirred my tea with my non-dominant hand. I tried getting dressed or brushing my teeth standing on one leg. It felt strange at first, even clumsy. But slowly, my body began to wake up in new ways and it felt playful and fun. I was able to laugh with myself with each attempt.
It was about challenging my body’s patterns to teach my brain that there was always a choice. And the more I varied those little daily actions, the more ease I noticed in the movements that used to feel tight or limited.
Try this today
Notice one repetitive habit you do automatically; maybe always leaning on one leg, sitting cross-legged the same way, or holding your phone in your dominant hand.
For the rest of the day, consciously switch it. It might feel awkward, but that’s the point; you’re reintroducing variety.
Or, set yourself a mini “movement challenge” to mix up your movement norms:
Take a different route on your next walk.
Sit on the floor for five minutes instead of your usual chair.
Change the patterns, and your body changes with them.
Freedom comes from variety
When we think about movement, we often imagine getting stronger, fitter, or more flexible. But there’s another goal worth chasing: becoming adaptable.
By opposing repetition, you stop narrowing your world of movement and start reclaiming the one your body was built to enjoy.
This idea; Oppose Repetition, is the second principle of my Move Well Wheel, the framework I share in my book Move Well for Life: Unlock the Life-Changing Power of Everyday Movement. It’s a reminder that your body thrives when it’s used in many ways, not just one. Chapter 6 includes a host of ideas to help you mix up your daily movements and to help you move with more variety, there are Movement Moments describing movements at the end of every chapter.
Next week, I’ll explore the third principle; Vary Levels, and why doing so builds the kind of mobility and strength that lasts.
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