Exercise is an important pain management tool because when it is done correctly and safely, you can sometimes lower your pain levels. Doctors often recommend that people in pain exercise, and the only time they may not encourage it is if you have a medical condition that can be worsened with physical activity. Most people in pain can do some level of movement, but it is more difficult for people in pain to be consistent with their exercise routine than it would be for someone without pain. People in pain sometimes don’t want to exercise because the last thing you want to do is worsen your pain. I exercise regularly because I have found that I have less pain when I keep moving, but the way I approach my workout has changed. I can’t exercise at the same intensity that someone without chronic pain can without significantly increasing my pain levels. Exercise is important for people in pain, but you want to make sure you are doing it safely so you can get the most out of your workout. I approach fitness differently, and there are some things you will never see me do during exercise because of pain. What shouldn’t you do when exercising with pain? In this post, I am sharing a few things you will never see me do during exercise because of pain.
Pushing myself to the absolute max- It is important to challenge and push yourself during exercise because change does not happen without challenging yourself. Some fitness enthusiasts will push themselves to the absolute max and won’t stop lifting until they reach failure and aren’t able to do one more rep. I push myself during exercise, but unfortunately, I am not able to push myself to the absolute max like someone without pain can, and not significantly increase my pain levels. People in pain often have less energy than people without pain do, and going hard at the gym sometimes is not smart because you can use all the energy you have for the day in one hour. Before I lived with chronic pain, I pushed myself to the absolute max, but now I don’t do that and exercise in a way that feels good to me. I would rather exercise less and have energy after my workout than go super hard and not be able to do anything the rest of the day. A hard workout is not worth it if it is causing you to be bed-bound for days afterward.
Lifting heavy on bad days- Most people in pain do not lift weights because it causes a lot of tension and is not always the best choice for people with chronic pain. I am fortunate that my pain has not prevented me from weight-lifting because it helps make my life easier as a physically disabled person, and it’s important to have strong joints. I have been lifting weights consistently for about a decade, and most days I am able to lift twenty pounds, but when my pain is flaring, sometimes I can’t lift as much and have to drop the weight slightly. On bad days, I will never force myself to lift heavy, and sometimes I will drop the weight I am lifting to fifteen pounds instead of twenty because forcing myself to do hard workouts when I am not well is only going to make things worse. Weight lifting has a lot of benefits, but it can be unsafe if you aren’t feeling well because your form tends to be off when you have agonizing pain, which can cause avoidable injuries. I never force myself to lift heavy on bad days because weight-lifting causes a lot of tension, which can worsen pain, and it’s better to take the day off or lift lighter to prevent worsening pain.
Beat myself when I can’t exercise- People in pain sometimes struggle with being consistent with exercise because pain can sometimes prevent them from being able to exercise. I try to walk a minimum of four days a week and strength train three days, but sometimes that doesn’t happen because I have an unexpected pain flare that forces me to rest. Pain flares are frustrating, and I hate when I have to take unplanned rest days, but sometimes they are necessary for improving pain levels. Exercise is a form of self-care, and one of the things you will never see me do is force myself to exercise when I should have been resting or beat myself up when I can’t exercise. It is so important to remind ourselves that most people do have pain to consider when they exercise, and you aren’t being lazy for skipping your workout. Rest days are important for recovery, and not taking them can cause increased pain levels.
Try to exercise like I did before pain– When I first started experiencing chronic pain, I tried so hard to exercise in the same way, and the only thing that did was cause me to have more flares. People in pain sometimes have to make modifications in the workout to accommodate their pain levels because you can’t exercise like people without pain can. I still do a lot of the same exercises, but I no longer try to exercise like I did before pain because it didn’t work for me and only made me more exhausted.
Exercise is important for pain management and prevention, but it can be difficult because exercise can trigger more pain if you do too much too soon. Some people in pain are able to exercise, but not everyone can, and it is okay if you aren’t able to exercise because nutrition plays a major role, and you can stay at a healthy weight by eating healthy. Listen to your body and don’t try to force yourself to do exercises that cause more pain because it’s not worth it and is probably doing more harm than good. Move your body in a way that feels good to you and listen to your body because it’s okay if your exercise looks a little bit different than everyone else. Pain doesn’t always improve with exercise, but often it does, and your lack of movement could be the reason you have more pain. You don’t have to go super hard to get benefits from exercise, and if you live with pain, you might want to stick to low-impact workouts. What do you think people should not do when exercising with pain? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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