When to Learn from Pain and When Not To

I’m not a fan of pain.  I have a certain amount of appreciation for soreness; it usually means that something has been accomplished.  Pain, on the other hand, tends to imply that something has gone wrong.

That said, there are things to be learned from pain.  When we are in the midst of an activity and something hurts, assuming it is not the kind of intense pain that means Stop Right Now Or Else (see below), we have an opportunity to check out our form.  Maybe the knee pain we are feeling can be avoided if we pay attention to how we place our feet or how we align our hips.  Maybe our lower backs would enjoy what we are doing a lot more if we remember to use our abdominals or adjust the position of our pelvises.

We can also use pain as a marker for when to ease up on something.  Try a slower speed or a lower weight or a longer warm-up or additional stretching before, during, or after.

Sometimes pain means that we skipped a few steps, like drinking enough water or eating appropriately before the workout or taking appropriate safety precautions or using proper equipment.

If we are doing something and we have intense pain, we need to stop.  Pushing through pain can often lead to more serious injury.  It is not failure to stop when we need to stop.  It is important to seek medical advice when appropriate.  The ideas above are about adjusting to minor pain and if the pain persists, it is just good sense to stop until we figure out what is causing the problem.  Be smart, loves.