WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD?

People always ask the question ‘Why does exercise have to hurt?’ I’d like to answer with two questions of my own: ‘Why would it not hurt?’ and ‘Do you think you actually got something out of it if it doesn’t?’ In order to get a better understanding of exercise and why it has to hurt in order for the body to make effective changes, let’s define it. Rather than go into a lot of technical jargon, I’ll sum it up for you. It’s simple: Exercise is a stress. When most people are exposed to stress, there is an innate desire to do three things: A. remove it, B. remove ourselves, and C. overcome it. Depending on your personality, you will perform one or all of the three. Maybe you are the type “A” personality that takes stress on full speed. In this case, you make consider stress a good thing; something that you use as a springboard to success. But, the type “B” personality may back down from stress. You may gradually move through one of the three typical responses, find success occasionally, but then back down after a series of failures. That’s life, we have to deal with.

But let’s face it; the majority of folks avoid stress like the plague, believing that stress is never a good thing. It’s the great equalizer of men and women. Blindly resisting stress without a game plan, purpose or mindset, ultimately sets you up for failure. It’s like the parent that throws the child that can’t swim into a 15 foot pool and asks them to survive or the mother bird that launches it chicks from the nest and waits to see if it can fly.  Summary: Stress challenges individuals to adapt. If the stress is too overwhelming, most people cut out before they get a chance to overcome it. Just like they do in exercise.

Fatigue, pain, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, sweat, and sometimes tears, are all responses to stress (exercise). Trying to go for those last three repetitions can be agonizing, especially if you are one who likes to avoid the burn. Therefore, you’ll play around in the gym for 1-2 hours or so and walk out feeling just fine. You’ll get into your car, go home, probably eat and your body will thank you for not making it work too hard. Not adaptations will need to occur and you will never get the results you were hoping for.

That’s too bad, because you could do so many other better things with your time! So let’s get right to the point. Exercise has to hurt, because your body has to ‘feel’ stressed in order to make the changes necessary to reduce the painful responses. That burning you feel in your chest when doing cardio, that’s your lungs gasping for air. But guess what, they will produce more contractile smooth muscle around those bronchi, sprout more capillaries to carry oxygenated blood and learn how to efficiently improve your cardiovascular response. That burning in your arms and legs after a good bout of strength training, that’s your muscles fighting off lactic acid build up. The will split muscle fibers, generate new muscle fibrils, and thicken up those muscle bellies and tendons so that you can lift heavier weight. Your body knows what it needs to do. It actually has a mind of its own. If I were to walk up to you and give you a swift punch to the stomach, you’d tense up or avoid me the next time you see me coming in the distance. Think of your body in the same sense. It will make these changes instantly because it assumes that you it will be challenged with a similar bout of exercise in the near future. And your body hates to fail. It strives to be phenomenal at everything, regulating its internal environment to maintain stability. A process known as Homeostasis. My suggestion: Provide the stress (exercise), the body will attempt to adapt. If the stress is too great, the body may shut down. But it’s okay. It’s only for a season. Dust yourself, modify the exercise program and try it again. The key is to understand that it has to hurt or your body will not make the appreciable changes that it needs in order to get results.

I love what the Apostle Paul says in the bible in 1 Corinthians chapter 9: verses 26 and 27: Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave…so that I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. He knew that there is only gain with hard work. Never do something aimlessly, just to beat the air. Fight like a person that wants to win the race and collect the spoils of your hard labor. Otherwise, you’re better off just sitting in the gym and watching someone else do all the work. Start today! Be blessed folks!