Happy Tuesday All! Today I’m tackling another topic in my series about What It Means to Move Well. This is the one that we all hope we can avoid but in truth, a lot of us won’t. Being in pain is not something anyone wants to deal with, but moving and exercising can help if we let it.

Every single one of us will experience acute pain (short term and attributable to something concrete) due to illness or injury during our lives. In the US, about 1 in 5 of us will experience chronic, or long term, pain. Pain that may to have an attributable cause or from a condition that requires long term management (like arthritis).

These are two different scenarios, so let’s tackle them separately. If you are dealing with acute pain, this is usually a more straightforward situation. You hurt, you rest and take some anti inflammatory, you recover. You will most likely need to come back to exercise at a reduced capacity, but if you recovered well, you’ll be able to overcome that fairly quickly. It’s frustrating, sure, but it’s temporary.

If you are dealing with chronic pain, on the other hand, that’s a whole different beast. And I use that phrase on purpose. Anyone who has dealt with chronic pain will tell you that every day is different. There are times you think you’ll be fine and your body has a separate idea. The opposite is true as well; some days aren’t near as difficult as you assumed it might be. And sometimes there is absolutely zero rhyme or reason for why or what triggered a flare.

So what does it mean to move well if you are dealing with chronic pain? In my humble opinion, it means staying consistent in the face of challenge. I want to be clear, consistent in this case means moving period. In whatever way feels tolerable to your body on the day.

Consistent in the case of chronic pain is more of a mental state than physical dedication. We trainers love to talk about being consistent with exercise and programs so that progress continues. While it is important to understand what the physical body can withstand at any given moment, the mental gymnastics associated with varying levels of pain and tolerance is much more difficult. Constantly adjusting plans and tweaking routines is mentally draining.

Recognizing that your body might be asking for something far less intense than you wish you could give it is a huge mental battle. The sheer number of clients I’ve worked with over the years who are so frustrated that their body doesn’t want to cooperate is staggering. Rather than trying to force your body to cooperate on any given day, you’ve got to be willing to play the really long game.

You have to have the mental fortitude to say, this is what I can handle today and that is okay. Even if that means you walked to your mailbox or the corner five times and had to call it a day. Any movement on days when your body is hurting is a win. It’s so hard to view it that way, and that’s why I say the battle here isn’t physical, it’s mental.

Just like we do for the physical, we want to set ourselves up for more successes that failures from the mental side of things. Having a mix of exercises that you enjoy is helpful. There may be some days that walking isn’t in the cards but your body might be up for a short bike or swim. Commit to trying new things when you feel physically strong. Finding things you enjoy mentally will give you more options when your physical body wants to fight back.

In the same vein understanding how to scale exercises, especially strength exercises, is important. Squats are amazing. But with chronic pain, weighted exercises may be out of the question some days. Knowing that body weight squats, wall sits, or using a physioball to assist with wall squats all work the same muscles but with much less stress may make a short workout more mentally doable and tolerable.

While building up these wins is important, it’s equally critical to learn to give yourself grace when your boy isn’t cooperating. There is no need to beat yourself up for only doing 10 minutes or taking a less stressful exercise option. That’s counterproductive. You did what you could and that’s awesome.

There will also be days when the discomfort is too much or you don’t have the mental bandwidth to fight through it. That’s okay. You are dealing with more from a physical sense that someone who doesn’t know what chronic pain feels like. Rest and recovery are important and your body needs a bit more. Being gentle with your mental needs will actually aid in your ability to come back to physical exercise sooner.

If you are dealing with chronic pain, the most important thing you can do is to stop comparing. Don’t worry about what anyone else is or can do. Don’t worry about what you were able to do last year or even last month. Release the guilt over what you think you should be able to do and focus on what you can do now.

Remember, our mental and physical wellbeing is linked. By mentally letting go of what you can’t control and having good options for different situations, you’ll set yourself up for stronger long term outcomes.

Until next time, move well friends!

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