Walking, Pacing, & Breaks
Hello Break Free community,
Another blog update from me to share some musings I’ve had around pacing and taking breaks.
Our society is inundated with constant messaging that we need to go-go-go! That means no stopping, continuous motion, no breaks. There’s almost a stigma for some around taking things at a slower pace. This can be seen as unproductive, insignificant, and limiting. However, I wanted to share some things that might help you this summer—especially if you’re recovering from an injury. This inspiration was a tortoise that my son and I stumbled upon crossing a path during our hike. I’ve named him Turbo for the sake of our discussion.
Turbo had slowly made his way across a paved path in 28-degree Celsius weather and paused in the middle of the walkway. He took about 20 seconds to rest - which felt like an eternity. But following that period of rest, Turbo was able to push through and make it to the other side, gliding into cool green grass before heading downhill toward the river below the bridge.
His quiet determination stuck with me.
Why share this little story? Because I think Turbo gets it. As a cold-blooded animal, he doesn’t have the luxury of internal temperature control. He had to pace himself, rest strategically, and only then could he finish the journey. There’s wisdom in that, especially for those of us healing or managing pain.
Turbo the Tortoise finishes crossing the pathway in the summer heat after a short break.
⚠️ Pain Has a Purpose
Pain isn’t just discomfort—it’s communication. It’s your body’s signal system telling you, “Hey, something needs attention.”
Our first reaction to pain is usually frustration. It feels like something’s blocking us from what we love or need to do. But as a physiotherapist, pain helps me help you. When pain shows up during a clinic visit, it becomes our guide. It points to specific areas that need care, allowing us to build a targeted plan for recovery.
If the pain isn’t present and can’t be reproduced, it becomes trickier to identify. In many ways, pain is illuminating: it shows us where a problem might lie and offers clues on how to solve it.
Whether it’s a muscle being stretched in a new way, or a joint being moved beyond its normal range, your brain relies on sensory input to protect you. Remember when you accidentally touched a hot pan? Your reflex to pull your hand away kicks in before you even think.
Pain is the body’s protective mechanism—it helps prevent further damage.
🚶 What Pacing Can Teach Us
Pacing helps us decrease the chance of straining ourselves past our limits. Whether you’re an athlete training for a marathon, a gardener working in the yard, or someone simply going for a walk after injury—pacing can help you go farther with less pain.
Think about Turbo—unable to regulate his body temperature on the hot cement walkway. He paused, recovered and completed his journey. Our bodies have that same capability. By allowing breaks or decreasing intensity, before moving forward and faster again, we conserve energy and improve endurance.
One great example of pacing is a running technique called “Jeffing.”
“Jeffing” is a run-walk-run method created by Jeff Galloway. It involves a pacing strategy by providing walking breaks between exertion phases. It may start with 30 seconds of running followed by 30 seconds of walking.
This method helps runners last longer, reduce injury and recover better. Personally, I’ve used it with my own ankle injury – it lets me run longer with minimal pain by the end of my sessions.
We can apply this concept to day-to-day activities like gardening. Many of my clients are avid gardeners who become so immersed in what they’re doing that they lose awareness of their body mechanics. Time flies—and the strain creeps up. Lower back pain is common in regular gardeners due to the stress of constant forward bending. Breaks are often forgotten, leading to a painful evening, week, or month. Taking frequent breaks allows your body to recover and change position, which can lead to extended time in the yard with less discomfort.
🚨 How Do I Know If I’ve Pushed Myself Too Far?
A runner taking a moment to recover after pushing their body too far.
Although there is no clear answer, there are some signs that the pain you are feeling is something to get looked at. There are three things that can help you find out if your injury is something that needs to be looked at by a healthcare professional:
Duration: How long you’ve had your pain can indicate that something is wrong. Generally greater than 48 hours, if you notice that your pain has not changed or has worsened, you may be dealing with an injury. If your pain dissipates, it may have been post-exercise muscular soreness. The fancy exercise physiology terminology for this is delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS).
Constancy: If your pain is constant, this likely indicates an inflammatory process that will need 7-10 days to improve. This often is a sign of recent injury, signalling that this inflamed tissue needs rest in order to heal. If your pain comes and goes, this would indicate that the severity of the injury or tissue damage may be less.
Intensity: Lastly intensity, relative to what you have experienced, can indicate the severity of your injury. A pain that is a 10/10 versus 1/10 speaks for itself; a higher level of pain is the most common factor that leads people to seek help.
| 🔎 Indicator | 💬 What It Means |
|---|---|
| ⏱️ Duration | Pain lasting more than 48 hours without improvement may suggest a deeper issue. |
| 🔁 Constancy | Persistent pain might signal inflammation that requires rest to heal. Pain that comes and goes may suggest less severe injury. |
| 📉 Intensity | A high pain level (e.g., 10/10) often signals a more serious concern worth checking. A lower grade of pain indicates less irritation of tissue. |
If your pain meets one or more of these criteria, don’t ignore it. It may be time to consult a physiotherapist.
Physiotherapists are skilled at determining the severity of injury and giving you the tools to manage pain effectively. Through a detailed history and tailored tests, we’ll help you avoid aggravating movements and offer exercises that promote healing.
👉 Click here to book with a physiotherapist at Break Free Physiotherapy.
🛠️ Tips on How to Pace
If you’re unsure how to pace yourself, here are a few suggestions that could help you prevent injury and enjoy what you’re doing longer:
⏲️ Put a timer on: An audible reminder can keep you on track. Set your phone to go off every hour. If pain kicks in earlier, set it to 30 minutes. If you’re fine going longer, bump it up to 2 hours.
🧘 Listen to your body: Pain is a built-in tool to prevent injury. If something hurts, stop. Adjust your position or move around. Especially if you’re recovering, pushing through might cause more irritation.
🔄 Get up and move ←→ Sit down: Staying in one position—whether sitting or kneeling—for too long strains the body. Movement boosts blood flow, lubricates joints, and activates muscles, all of which help reduce pain. On the flip side, constant movement can fatigue your muscles, shifting stress onto joints and tendons. Taking breaks helps reduce this strain until your muscles adapt. Over time, you’ll build endurance and move more efficiently—with less discomfort.
How Will You Take Control of Your Pain?
When something limits your ability to do what you love, it can feel frustrating. But here at Break Free, our goal is to give you the knowledge and movements that get you back to what matters most.
If you’re looking for insight into improving your health or recovering from injury, book with one of our physiotherapists today.
Corey Kim
Physiotherapist
Hey, my name is Corey, and I’m a co-owner of Break Free Physiotherapy and Wellness. I was born in Seoul, South Korea but grew up in London, Ontario. I finished both my Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and Master of Physical Therapy degrees at Western University. I’m passionate about helping people find pain relief through movement and believe in self-empowerment by sharing knowledge of the human body and its ability to heal. [full bio]
