After 3 weeks of training nearly every day, I found myself having to take a week off from the gym.
It wasn't what I wanted, but it was what my body needed.
You see, it was a Thursday and I decided to grab two 30 lb dumbbells.
I was standing in front of the mirror looking down at the ground.
I bent my knees, made sure my back was flat and stable.
I grabbed a 30 lb dumbbell in each hand.
I started to bring my hips forward, moving the dumbbells above my knee.
The weight felt okay - not too heavy.
And then it happened, my lower back decided to holler at me.
In other words, I tweaked my back.
I put the 30 lb dumbbells back and then moved on to lying hamstring curls because I couldn't JUST leave the gym so abruptly - who knows who was paying attention and what they would think of my extra short workout.
[legit so silly of me to even think this! it would have been okay to just leave. I didn't owe anyone any explanation.]
So I did a few reps on the lying hamstring curl machine - my back was quiet during them.
I then walked myself home.
That night I barely slept. My back wanted to really chat.
The pain was annoying - so much so that I decided to take Advil to help with any inflammation.
Yes I did put ice on my back the first day.
The next day I started putting heat on it - may I say heat helped the most for me.
Anyway, let's talk about the point of this article.
Living in pain.
Tweaking my back reminded me of how miserable I am when I feel pain and have to live with the pain.
It reminded me of how I used to walk around being in pain all the time and not fully knowing it.
Physical pain is something I was always accustomed to.
It is what you get used to as an athlete - you jam a finger, sprain an ankle, get a bruise, pull a muscle - you kind of just keep it moving. The desire to get back in the game over powers any pain.
Welp the game to get back into isn't here and this 30 year old body is still learning its limits and how it feels.
Experiencing a pulled back reminded me why I live my current lifestyle...
to feel GOOD everyday.
It is that simple!
So let's dive a bit more into pain.
There is physical pain from exercise and accidents.
There is physical pain from food choices.
There is emotional pain from growing up and living life.
What I have learned on this journey is life is 100x more challenging when I am experiencing pain.
Pain affects me in several ways:
1. it keeps me from getting a good nights rest
2. it leaves me feeling MOODY
3. it makes me impatient
4. it makes me antisocial
5. it zaps my energy
6. it slows down my ability to manifest
... and so much more.
Life is DIFFICULT for me when I live in pain.
At one point I accepted my pain.
It was what I knew.
It was what I was comfortable with.
The idea of seeing a doctor or changing my diet was way scarier.
I didn't know if those things would work out.
I wasn't sure if it would actually get rid of my pain.
Would it be worth it?
I then realized what do I have to lose?
I can stay feeling miserable or I can take a risk and see if it works out.
If you're experiencing physical pain here are a few ways you can work through it
- keep in mind most of these are not quick fixes.
1. see a chiropractor
2. get adhesion removal done (I highly recommend Barefoot Rehab in Denville NJ)
3. go to an acupuncturist
4. receive reiki healing
5. see a doctor who specializes in what you are experiencing pain in
If it is food related then I suggest seeing a functional medicine doctor and doing an elimination diet.
The body changes all the time, but sometimes we need a break from foods that are keeping us inflamed.
If you are living with daily bloating, heart burn, acid reflux, or other physical ailments then please look into your food choices.
A few simple changes can be life changing!
So let's talk about emotions.
There is a wonderful book by Don Miguel Ruiz called The Mastery of Love where he describes a world where everyone has a skin disease that hurts when touched and for thousands of years people have learned to protect their wounds in order to relate to others.
The description he shares shows us how we are full of emotional wounds.
When we are holding on to old pain we are easily triggered and it negatively impacts our relationships.
Think of it this way, when you don't resolve something then anytime it is mentioned you have an emotional reaction to it being mentioned.
When you work through your pain you can get to a more neutral place so you aren't as easily triggered.
Here are some ways for you to work through your emotional pain.
Keep in mind forgiveness is always FOR YOU.
You can heal pain or forgive someone else without ever having to talk to that person.
This is your life and your emotions.
You have the power to choose.
1. write, write, write - whatever feels good for you - one of my favorite techniques is writing a letter to someone or writing what it is I need to hear to feel better
2. family constellation session
3. talk therapy
4. meditation
5. reiki session
What I want you to know is you can heal yourself.
You can decide to work through your pain.
In my mind, life is too short to live in pain.
While I am here on Earth I want to feel good and enjoy it.
I hope this episode inspires you to start to look for ways to really work through your pain.
I know how enticing a quick fix may be, but it won't be worth it in the long run.
Start slow.
This journey is your own.
Remember, you can let go of the pain.
You can live a life that feels AMAZING!
If you want to learn more, check out the podcast episode I did on this topic:
