Working Through The Pain

After the “An Appreciation For Pain” entry, I must clarify the pain I am referring to are the “sacrifices” one must make to achieve the results he/she is after and the blissful pain of muscle fatigue. It is painful to your comfort zone to make a sacrifice- it should not be painful to your body to exercise.

The “No Pain, No Gain” mantra that generally accompanies a workout program is true- to a point. That point comes with common sense. It is not only sadistic to “work through the pain” if it is a pain that continues all throughout the exercise and worse yet, throughout the day when you are not exercising. It is foolish and asking for trouble.

Exercise done right should never be painful (except for the slight burn of lactic acid in the muscle that is natural when pushing the muscle to fatigue). Pain is an indication that something is not right in your body and your body’s way of telling you to “Stop!” Pain is there to protect you. Therefore, if you are experiencing pain (such as sharpness, pinching, twinges, or radiating pain) that is not normal muscle fatigue, STOP what you are doing.

If you are working with a professional fitness trainer, communicate with them immediately that the exercise is painful. I strongly encourage my clients to let me know if an exercise is painful. Whether I believe it’s an exercise they can “work through the pain” with or not, I respect they know what their bodies are saying and the exercise is over for the day. If there’s a pattern to the pain reoccurring, I will advise that a professional medical opinion be attained. Most often, there is a reason for the reoccurrence and a medical professional can diagnose that reason and prescribe proper care.

While an intense workout may create slight discomfort, it should never get to the point where you are in actual physical pain.

So yes, appreciate the pain of sacrifice to attain the results you desire. Also appreciate the “warning” pain that your body gives you. When you heed that warning pain, you allow your body to move for you another day. Remember, you only get one body in this lifetime.

~Exercise Your Passion For Life!