How will your pain affect you? There are two types of pain in the world: Pain that hurts you and pain that changes you! As we start a new camp I can assure you that whether you are a new member or a returning member, you will experience some form of pain. I like to say the pain you experience when you first start to exercise is your muscles screaming, “Thank you for waking me up again”. Although I like to call it that, it does have a real term called, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This describes a phenomenon of muscle pain, muscle soreness or muscle stiffness that occurs in a day or two after exercise. This muscle soreness is most frequently felt when you begin a new exercise program, change your exercise routine, or dramatically increase the duration or intensity of your exercise routine. Although it can be alarming for new exercisers, delayed onset muscle soreness is a normal response to unusual exertion and is part of an adaptation process that leads to greater stamina and strength as the muscles recover and build hypertrophy. Even though this pain is normal for many, this pain causes fear. Fear is stressful and can, in turn, cause pain. It is a vicious cycle. When you’re fearful, you may avoid situations and events that you think will cause you to hurt. In the long run you will begin living a life of avoidance. You must face your situation in order to overcome it. Not all pain is physical, some can be mental and mental pain can stop you from achieving your goals. One of my favorite quotes is, “Your mind will quit a thousand times before your body ever will”. We spend a large amount of our time worrying about things, most of which never occur. How we feel is not based on our situation, it is based on our reaction to that situation. My first year running track I would never give it my all until the end of the race for fear of not being able to finish, running out of breath or being in pain. After my coach and teammates got in my “behind”, I trained harder and realized that I did have enough to finish and even started to win a few races. It was all mental for me. Pain from exercise (not including injuries) whether it is physical or mental is a good thing. It’s all up to you whether you let it hurt you or change you. I suggest you chose change. No Mess….Can I Get It?
