After my marathon training series post on running, cross training, mindset, and nutrition I feel it is worthwhile and important to touch on this phrase we hear so many times, "No Pain, No Gain". I get the message of this phrase and understand what is meant to be said; however, it is and has always been a message that always made me raise one eyebrow thinking....be careful, be very careful.Pain is a feeling that can often be an indicator of some greater harm to come. It should always be used as a warning sign that if you keep pushing forward, something bad could happen.
Let's put it this way. Just yesterday I was at the dentist getting a filling repaired. The dentist gave my tooth a local shot and told me to raise my left hand if I felt anything. He started drilling and yikes, I felt that! Hand went up, second local dose, more waiting for it to really sink in and drilling started once again and this gal was nervous and ready to raise that hand. I felt something as my hands were cringed but doubted if I really felt what I felt and then again, yep, I felt that! My hand was up quicker than anything and the dentist stopped and went to plan B. Two massive shots that left me numb for hours...and still aching today.
You see, in the scenario above you should feel pressure and hear that awful sound but no pain. And when I "ignored" that twinge of pain because I doubted its significance, I ended up in greater pain. The same lesson and message applies to our active lives.
We should pay attention and listen to those early warning signs before they develop into anything greater. Sometimes those greater pains can leave us sidelined longer than we would have wanted and leave us wondering, "Why oh why didn't I pay attention?"
You don't have to be in that place of regret and can, and should, move forward in your fitness goals.
But this is the catcher. That doesn't mean DON'T push yourself because that is the gist of the message they are trying to get across. To get stronger, fitter, faster you do need to put in the work and cross that normal, cozy comfort zone you have grown accustomed to but it shouldn't be pain. Like the pressure of the drill (and that annoying sound), you should feel something but not PAIN.
In today's morning cross training, I felt something. I felt my heart rate increase, I felt my muscles burning, and when that burn got so intense that it could start impacting form, I took a nanosecond to shake it out or stepped back to the modifier level. I was getting it down within the discomfort zone, not the pain zone. And at the end of it all, my body had the happy ache of a good workout. A workout where I can and will grow stronger but I didn't enter into the pain zone where I risked muscle damage and/or injury.
So yes, 'No Pain, No Gain" rhymes and sounds nice but it is still a phrase, and will always be a phrase, that makes this running mom want to cringe.
Push on, be strong, but don't injure yourself!
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for streaming radio stations that can keep me informed and delighted while I forge ahead in data entry, etc. in my full-time job.
Daily Bible Verse: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7
