“No pain, no gain.”
This saying tells us that it is necessary to suffer in order to succeed or make progress.
Clients often ask if this adage is true when it comes to exercising and activity.
Most of us have been taught that we should complete an intense workout and it should suck or be unenjoyable because it is to burn off that extra snack we had yesterday or it is the only way to get healthier.
Now if you are in the small population group that loves an intense workout and you find yourself enjoying every second, congrats, that is wonderful and please keep going!
Unfortunately for much of the population, this is just not the case.
Hopefully those in the latter group will be happy to hear that “No pain, no gain” is absolutely a myth! There are a few reasons that this phrase can actually be detrimental to our health.
If you follow this motto, you may cause injury to yourself by pushing to the point of pain.
Yes, sometimes during a movement or workout routine you will feel some light discomfort. This is the lactic acid that your muscles have produced as a byproduct of their energy. This is typically described as a gentle burning sensation or fatigued sensation.
If you are feeling more than this, like a sharp or quick pain, throughout a movement or workout, it is your body sending you a warning signal to stop what you are doing before an injury occurs.
If we do not listen to this signal and “push through” as the adage tells us too, we are regrettably likely to injure ourselves.
Quite regularly we make promises to ourselves that we will start an exercise routine and stick with it. Most of us do give it the old college try but by a few weeks or months into our promise we revert to our old habits.
Why? A big part of this is the way we are going about our exercise routine. Very few folks want to check the task off the to-do list that is going to cause them pain or they are dreading.
Now if we consider the reasons that medical professionals typically suggest exercise/movement to patients; to increase your overall health and quality of life.
It then seems counter-intuitive to try to increase your quality of life by doing something you dread on a regular basis.
There is no reason that your exercise routine should not bring you joy and have you excited to check it off the list.
If you choose a routine that you enjoy while ignoring the myths of “no pain, no gain” or “feel the burn” you are more likely to stick with your routine long-term, in turn increasing your health and your quality of life.
If you are the type of person who enjoys a vigorous and intense workout where you push your body to the limits, amazing, great work!
If you are the type of person who enjoys a dance party in your kitchen or a Zumba class, amazing, great work!
Once we change our mindset from what we think exercise should look like and feeling the need to struggle through it, we open our minds to find exercises that we enjoy, keep us safe and injury free, and keep us sticking to our self-made promises.
Consider meeting with a kinesiologist at your local Family Health Team if you need some help with your home based exercise program!
For more information about any of the free services offered by the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team, visit mmfht.ca or call the Drayton/Palmerston office at 519-638-2110 or Clifford office at 519-327-4777 or follow the FHT on Facebook.