No Pain No Gain?

I have seriously been contemplating my mortality these days. An unwanted major surgery will do that to you I guess. It has been about ten weeks since my hernia surgery (notice how I count the weeks like a new parent counts the weeks of their new born. . .) and I am still uncomfortable with the fact that I had surgery. I'm kind of grossed out by the idea of someone that I don't know cutting me open and putting their fingers inside me while I'm SEDATED. All of my lady parts on display. . . Oh the vulnerability! Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for how everything turned out. I am healthy and alive, so I am blessed. However, I can't help but think of all of the ways that this could have been prevented. I had a very physical job as a baker in a commercial kitchen. Long and short of it, I was baking for a lot of people, for a long period of time, lifting very heavy things for 8 hours a day. I loved what I did. So, when I had aches and pains I would just "work through it." Tingling in my right hand, persistent pain in my shoulder, wrist, and elbow, and the hernia of course. I never felt rested and I was ALWAYS achy all over. When the pain in my stomach went of for months I finally broke down and saw a doctor. It took a general practitioner, two med students and a gynecologist, and a surgeon to convince me that I needed surgery. It sounds far fetched, but this is all more common than you think.

Lately, I have been coming across more and more people who have lead very active and physically demanding lifestyles, and are suffering the consequences for it in their later years. I have seen backs that ache incessantly, hands so riddled with arthritis and joint damage that they can't grab things, hearing damage and ears that ring with tinnitus. You are probably thinking that these are elderly cases but they aren't. Often times many of these issues rear their heads in your late thirties and precipitate from there. What are the catch phrases that we grew up with:

I haven't got time for the pain.

No pain no gain.

Pain lets you know that you are alive. . .

There are so many ways to twist these sayings into something meaningful to keep you going, but the reality is that the human body for all of its strength is also very delicate, and it has a LONG memory. (That broken wrist at 10 will come back to haunt you at 40). So what accounts for this psychosis? This "work 'till you drop," Super hero fantasy has permeated our culture for decades. It permeates our conscience through every commercial, movie,and athletic event that we see. It feeds the capitalist machine. Work until you are broken and then surgeries and/or medicate until you die. It sounds horrible even as I write it, but sadly, it is true.

Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. It is not an invitation to show how strong you can be by ignoring it. Now don't get me wrong, some pain is inevitable, but it is important to take preventative measures along the way to prevent total body breakdown in the future. Life is long, and often times our younger bodies are writing checks that our older bodies simply can't cash. Take the time to fuel your body well. Make time for some kind of regular massage, or myofascial release, acupuncture, or just get a foam roller and roll watching your favorite movie. Get plenty of sleep and water, and make necessary changes in your workouts or on the job to prevent injury. Take Epsom salt baths regularly, as it is one of the best ways to ease sore muscles, and take in a healthy dose of magnesium. Most importantly: listen to your body. There are no prizes for putting your health and well being on the line.