A Bulletin from Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious has some things to say today.  She would like to remind us that things that feel good in the moment are not necessarily good to have as habits, that things that feel a lot less good in the moment might make good habits, and things that hurt are to be avoided.  (It is OK to stop reading now; the rest is just unpacking this part a bit.)

So:  things that feel good in the moment.  Some of them, like massage, are fabulous habits to have.  If I ever have more money than I know what to do with after saving the world and feeding all the hungry people and all that, I’ll be getting a massage every day.  There are plenty of things in this category, like getting enough sleep and hugging people and petting puppies and hot showers.  However, there are some things that feel good in the now that are not that great long term.  I’m giving the side-eye to Haagen Dasz right now.  While I’m eating all that sugary dairy deliciousness, I feel fabulous.  Later, when my innards react to all that dairy and I’m headachy with a sugar hangover, not so much.  It is all right as an occasional indulgence, but a pint a day is just too much for my health.  When we’re stressed, it can be challenging to choose something that feels good and is good for us in the larger sense.  It’s worth trying.

 

As for things that feel less good in the now, my whole career is based on those.  My job is to get people to do stuff they don’t want to do for their own good.  Tough workouts are tough.  We may not enjoy them.  We may feel sore and grumpy afterward.  And yet, in the long term, those very workouts make us healthy and strong to live long and enjoyable lives.

 

That last category of things, the things that hurt, should be self-explanatory.  Sadly, the no-pain-no-gain crowd is way too popular.  It’s a Mean Girl of a motto, ready to abuse us at any time.  We do not need that kind of negativity in our lives.  We want our workouts to be enough work, but not so much that we actually hurt ourselves and suffer.  When I was studying flexibility and stretching, the course had to emphasize again and again that pain is counterproductive to improving mobility and flexibility.  No pain is a Good Thing.

 

Now go play.