Exercise is important for people with chronic pain and can improve or, in some cases, get rid of some of the pain you are experiencing when it’s done correctly. Some people with chronic pain are not able to exercise, but a vast majority of people can, and sometimes the reason you have joint pain is that you don’t exercise enough. I highly recommend people with chronic pain who are able to exercise to make it part of their routine, but exercise is more difficult when you live with pain because you can’t push yourself to the extent someone without chronic pain can without negative consequences. I live with chronic pain and exercise regularly, but my pain affects how much exercise I am able to do without negative consequences, and there are days when my pain is high, and I have to take a rest day, that I was not planning. How do you know when you should take a rest day? In this post, I am going to share things I ask myself when my pain is elevated to figure out if it’s safe to exercise or if it’s not.
Can I modify exercising to accommodate my pain levels– When I have higher pain levels, sometimes it’s not safe to exercise, and I have to take a rest day, but I don’t always have to take the day off. Some days I have higher pain levels than I normally would, but I still am able to do some kind of movement, and often it helps. The first thing I ask myself before taking a rest day is, “Can I modify exercises to accommodate my increased pain and still feel good”? People with chronic pain do not always have the same level of energy every day, and sometimes you have to modify your workout to avoid more pain. You don’t want to push yourself too hard when your pain levels are elevated because pushing through pain is not like pushing through a tough workout, and you will make it worse. If you aren’t feeling great and normally would attend a weightlifting class, consider going for a light walk instead. You may not burn as many calories if you do something of lower intensity, but that shouldn’t be the focus. Fitness isn’t about what you can’t do, but about what you can.
Will you feel better or worse after exercise?- Exercise should improve your energy levels, but when you live with chronic pain, sometimes it makes you feel worse. If I have elevated pain levels, the first thing I ask myself before exercising is “will my routine make me feel better or worse?” Exercise can support chronic pain and has a lot of benefits, but it’s not worth it if it causes your chronic pain to flare so badly that it leaves you bed-bound for a week. If you think you are going to feel worse after your workout than you did before you started exercising, take a rest day or try a different form of exercise because exercise should not make you miserable.
How will it impact my energy levels?– People with chronic pain often do not have as much energy as someone without chronic pain because pain can drain your energy. When you have chronic pain, often you have to pick and choose what activities you want to do because you may not have the energy to do everything on your to-do list, like someone with chronic pain would. Exercise gives most people energy, but when you have chronic pain, a lot of the time it can drain your energy, so you can’t do anything the rest of the day. How is your exercise routine going to impact your energy levels? If you have a lot of other things to do and exercising is going to deplete all your energy so you can’t do those things, it might be a good idea to skip it. On days that you don’t have to do anything, it might be okay to exercise and use up all your energy, but on those days you need more energy, doing high-energy tasks like exercising might not be the best choice.
Is your heart-rate elevated- People with chronic pain often have higher rates because when you are in severe pain, your heart rate elevates. Before I start exercising, I always check my heart rate, and if my resting hearing rate is significantly higher than it normally would be, I take a rest day. Exercising is only going to elevate your heart rate even more, and it can become unsafe. You should never exercise if your heart rate is much higher than normal, whether you have chronic pain or not, because it can be a sign you are fighting something or have a heart issue that needs medical attention. It is so important to pay attention to your heart rate because knowing your numbers will help you be able to know when something is up before it becomes urgent
Is your exercise routine going to make you ill?– Exercise is supposed to help improve your metabolism so you don’t get sick as often, and if it makes you ill, it’s a red flag. Regular exercise should not cause you to vomit, pass out, or give you a migraine, and if it does, you are probably pushing yourself too hard and should stop doing it. I have endometriosis and usually will not exercise the first day or two of my period because I have more severe cramps and tend to get dizzy, and exercising is not safe most months. Never will you see me force myself to exercise when I am not feeling well because that is your body’s way of telling you to take a rest day. You will not ruin fitness progress by taking a day or even a week off, and it is so important that you listen to your body and know when to push yourself and when not to. Exercise should not make you ill, and if it does, lower the intensity because exercise that makes you sick is doing more harm than good.
Exercising with chronic pain is important and can support your pain, but if you don’t listen to your body and trigger more pain, the risks will far outweigh the benefits. People with chronic pain have to think about things when they’re exercising that someone without chronic pain would never have to think about. No one knows your body better than you do, and it is okay if you have to take an unplanned rest day; sometimes it’s necessary. Skipping your workout when you are not well is not laziness, and it’s self-care because forcing yourself to exercise when you should have rested is not a badge of honor but dangerous. Exercising is harder when you have to do it in pain, and you should try not to compare your fitness to someone without chronic pain. You are doing the best you can, and that is all you can do! If you live with chronic pain, how do you determine if you should push yourself or take a rest day? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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