At 26 years of age, Carey had significant knee pain was diagnosed with chondromalacia*. She was told by her doctor that she would never be able to run, hike with a backpack or ski for the rest of her life.

She initially listened to the doctor’s advice and stopped running. She chose instead to ride her bike and walk on mostly flat surfaces rather than hiking on uneven or hilly terrain.

I met Carey when she was 39 years old and she still suffered from knee pain at that time, especially if we chose to hike for more than 30 minutes. She also told me that she didn’t work out with weights or do any structured strength training.

This year Carey turned 60. She runs 30 - 60 minutes a couple of times per week, she hikes for hours at a time at whatever elevation she chooses, and she has spent years skiing, ALL WITHOUT KNEE PAIN.

So how did she do it?

In her 40’s she started strength training with both her body weight (squats and lunges) and dumbbells. She learned how to strengthen her legs, glutes and core so that her kneecap would track correctly and her stronger glutes and core muscles could help support her legs.

She also learned to foam roll and stretch properly and did so on a consistent basis. The tight muscles, tendons and ligaments that were pulling her kneecap out of alignment relaxed and released and allowed her knees to move without pain.

When she began running again (in her 50’s), she learned how to do so with good form.

• She kept her body aligned properly so that her skeletal system could help support her body and her leg muscles didn’t have to do all the work.

• She relaxed into this alignment and learned how to get power from her core and arms while rotating her hips.

• She also relaxed her legs and lower body and learned to literally “lean into” her running while maintaining her good posture.

Like most of us, Carey wasn’t super excited about strength training when she first started. She didn’t like lifting weights and struggled to maintain a consistent routine.

What she did like however, was being able to engage in whatever activities she wanted without feeling her knee pain. And, she was smart enough to realized that she needed to stick with the strength training, foam rolling and stretching if this was going to remain a reality.

Today her workouts are part of her healthy lifestyle and if she goes more than a day or two without exercise, she starts to crave it. She lives without pain and engages in whatever activities she wants.

Action Step:

Think about where you are in your “exercise habit”. Do you exercise enough that you’re able to engage in the activities that you love without limitation?

Don’t judge yourself for being wherever you are. Just think about what (if anything) you might like to do differently to be able live without pain (or with as little pain as possible) as you go about your life.

NOW, commit to one thing that you can do that will help you to accomplish the above statement. It doesn’t need to be anything grand. It can be as simple as:

• Stretching on the foam roller for 5 minutes per day

• Take a 15 minute walk rather than sitting at some point in your day

• Stand up and sit down 5 times the next time you get up from a chair or the couch

• Put a set of weights by the side of your couch and do a few strength exercises during commercials or just when you feel like it while watching a show.

It doesn’t matter what you do. Just do something that makes you feels good, stronger, and able to move better!

*Chondromalacia is a condition caused by deterioration of the cartilage underneath the surface of the patella (kneecap). It’s also referred to as “runner's knee.”