No Pain, No Gain

Sometimes I think the reason I have struggled with obesity is because I cannot embrace the "no pain, no gain" philosophy that is so prominent in the fitness world. I've heard it as long as I can remember, especially in the gym. Over and over we're told to exercise past the point of pain. That's not in my DNA! My brain tells me to avoid pain at all costs. This pain avoidance syndrome contributes to my struggle beyond pushing myself in the gym because I also use food to numb out emotional pain.

The place I want to get with this pain threshold is the middle ground. I want to push myself out of my comfort zone, but I don't want to push so hard that I injure myself and get put out of commission for weeks. That is exactly what happened a few weeks ago. I was working out on the treadmill with my daughter beside me, who is Jillian Michaels junior! She lives by the "no pain, no gain" motto and doesn't feel like she's worked out if she's not hurting somewhere. I just don't get that.

Anyway, we were on the treadmill and she was giving me her usual lecture about how I needed to get my heart rate up and how I wasn't working out hard enough. So, ramp up I did. I took the incline from flat to the max (level 15 I think) and increased the speed from a 1.5 to a 3. Needless to say, I was "feeling the burn!" I dropped the speed down and left the incline high the rest of our workout. Well, that was three weeks ago and the arch of my foot hasn't stopped hurting since. I've been limping around in pain every day. Where is the gain? The gain for me shows up on the scales!

I understand what my daughter was intending for me to do, to ramp it up a little so I'm a bit winded at least, but that doesn't work for me. I would never make it on the Biggest Loser because I don't like being told what to do and when I am pushed, I tend to go to the extreme - beyond the point of pain to injury!. I think pain avoidance is why I've always been drawn to individual workouts like walking, swimming, and home exercise programs. I'm not competing, showing off my strength/endurance, or trying to keep up with with anyone. I'm just being me, going at my own pace, and doing an exercise I enjoy.

I have always believed that when it comes to exercise, something is better than nothing and pain is not part of the equation. That philosophy kept me healthy for many years. Yes, I was overweight, but I had abundant energy and I didn't get sick. It wasn't until I started using junk food to self-medicate that my health went downhill with a quickness. I've learned my lesson there too, for the most part. I still have moments of weakness that I call being human, but most of the time, I eat clean.

So, while I'm working out around the foot pain, I am reminded once again that "No pain, No gain" is so retro, at least for me. Live and learn!

Kathy