You explain an exercise nice and simpleâclear instructions, easy language, even a full-on demo. Thereâs no way anyone could mess this up, right? But then you scroll through Instagram and see all those reels of people totally butchering exercisesâbelieve me, the struggle is real. The truth is, a lot of patients just donât have the body awareness to nail the movement. The kicker? They donât even realize it.
I see this all the time with my students. They teach an exercise exactly how they learned it: simple words, clear demo. And still, the patient just doesnât get it. So, they explain again. And again. Frustration buildsâfor both sides. They try everything: verbal cues, visuals, hands-on tweaks. Still, no click.
Hereâs where I pull out my two favorite hacks.
First, I make the mistake even worseâon purpose. Sounds weird? Stick with me.
A patient was struggling with lunges. Every time he stepped forward with his left leg, his right rear leg would rotate outward. His kneecap pointed sideways instead of straight down, and that made his injured ankle hurt.
I told him to keep his kneecap facing downâbut since he couldnât see it, he had zero clue where it actually was. In his mind, everything felt fine.
So, I switched gears. I attached a Theraband to his rear knee and pulled it further outwardâway beyond his usual mistake. He nearly lost balance, and thatâs when his brain fired off: Whoa, that feels wrong!
Right away, he self-corrected. His kneecap faced straight down, his leg aligned, andâjust like thatâhis ankle pain eased and his balance improved.
If making the mistake bigger doesnât do the trick, I have another trick: I mimic their incorrect movementâbut exaggerated. When they see me doing it, the mistake becomes obvious. Their brain goes, Wait… thatâs what Iâm doing?
Hereâs the catch: to pull this off, you need solid body awareness yourself. If thatâs not your thing, no worriesâjust record their movement and show it back to them. Bonus points if you use their phone for privacy.
I actually picked up this trick as a ski instructorâwhere body awareness is often pretty terrible and the slippery snow only adds confusion. Lots of people feel somethingâs off but canât pin down what. Seeing it makes all the difference.
Once they get what youâre asking, the next step is to create a checklist together. Help them focus on the essentials, especially for tricky exercises. You probably have a mental checklist of common mistakes to watch forânow, help them build theirs.
But hereâs the secret sauce: keep it positive. Instead of saying what not to do, say exactly what they should do. Our brains are wired to remember the negativeâevolutionarily, it kept us alive.
The tricky part? Even when we try to focus away from something negative, our brain canât completely erase it. You know that classic exercise where I say, âDonât think about an elephantâ? Yep, now youâre picturing a big, gray elephant even though I told you not to! Thatâs because our brain canât not think of the thing itâs told to avoid. So flip the script and frame instructions in a way that sets them up to win.
Keep that checklist short and upbeat.
And guess what? This isnât just for exercises. It works everywhere.
Got a housekeeper? (Or a house guyâitâs 2025, after all.) Instead of nagging about whatâs wrong, give them a clear checklist. How else would they know what you want?
Same for a team member prepping a presentation, or the person mowing your lawn. Clear communication saves you so much headache. Tell people exactly what you want, and youâll get way better results.
Now that you know why simply repeating instructions doesnât always work, letâs explore some hands-on ways to help patients truly understand and own their movements.
đ§Ș Letâs Experiment
Help others truly get it by making mistakes visible and clear
âdonât just tell, show and let them discover.
We all know how frustrating it is to repeat instructions without seeing progress. What if thereâs a better way to make your message stick and boost understanding?
đŻ Try This:
Next time someone struggles with a movementâor even a taskâtry this: exaggerate the mistake on purpose so they can feel whatâs off. If you canât do it physically, show them a video or mimic the error clearly. Then step back and let them adjust on their own. This shifts the learning from passive listening to active discovery, building their body awareness and problem-solving muscle.
For other parts of lifeâlike delegating workâdonât leave expectations hanging in the air. Write a short, clear, and precise checklist. It saves confusion, saves your sanity, and gets you the results you want without endless back-and-forth.
đ§ Final Thought:
Understanding deepens when we engage actively, not just passively hear. Whether itâs rehab or handing off tasks, help people see the path clearlyâand watch confidence and success grow.
Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learningâyouâve got this.
Take care,
Carina đŠ