“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”–Lance Armstrong
Pain is a natural perception in the body. It is a message. It is there as a protective measure.
Pain prevents injury. It is part of our neurological wiring and is part of the fight or flight response. Genetically and psychologically, we all have differing pain thresholds. Understanding our pain is, thus, important.
There are differing views among exercise professionals on the phrase “no pain, no gain”. Some say that one “should not feel pain when they are exercising.” To a degree, they are correct. However, if one is not feeling some level of discomfort—i.e., “pain”—one is not overloading the system. Pain, after all, is telling the body “This is more than we are used to doing. Be careful! We don’t want to get hurt.” Nevertheless, we are in control of our pain tolerance. Yes, we don’t want to push ourselves to the point of injury, but, unless our brain is “wired” to have an extreme tolerance to pain, it will shut us down before we push too far. (Of course, this excludes stupidity when it comes to training technique and/or exercise selection. If there is a breakdown of technique because of fatigue and one begins to feel pain, pushing the body further lacks common sense.)
Pain is known to be modified by our emotions. Athletes, in particular, have a greater capacity to endure pain. Competition intensifies this ability. On the other hand, stress can make greater worriers of some, thus lessening the tolerance for pain.
Pain during exercise is natural, and one’s tolerance can be improved with training (the overload principle applies). Pain, after all, is an “experience”. Signals are sent to the brain, and the brain decides how to respond. There are genetic factors and sensitivities to neurotransmitters to consider, but, individually, we are (almost) all capable of improving our pain threshold and, thus, push our levels of tolerance.
This is one of the many benefits of youth sports. As my son’s coaches have often told the boy’s: “There is a difference between having an ‘owwie’ and being ‘hurt’.” The kids learn to tell the difference. They also learn, in the process, to deal better with adversity and the “pains” in life. Some will call it “mental toughness.” Young athletes also learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
I think of when my children were toddlers. When they fell, or bumped themselves, they would almost always look at us for a reaction. If we reacted with fear, they responded by crying. If we controlled our reaction, they would usually get up and go on their way. I still see the look in my children as they have grown older. It is still a process of teaching them. Without allowing them the opportunity to get bumps and bruises, they might never learn to deal effectively with “pain”.
The spectrum of what causes us “pain” is broad. We need to let ourselves experience pain so we can effectively deal with it. Otherwise, we have a long list of terms we can use for what we might become.
Pain in life is inevitable—unless we avoid it. Pain, however, is one of the first signs that we are growing (or about to grow).
In this post, I have written more to the Physical dimension, but discomfort must be felt Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially, if one is to grow toward “well-centeredness”. Shielding ourselves or our children in “bubble-wrap” does no one any good. We must let “pain” happen.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
“There is no coming to consciousness without pain.”–Carl Jung