Day 100 of 365 - No Pain, No Gain?
If you were involved in fitness classes, especially aerobics, in the 80's, you would have heard the phrase 'no pain, no gain'. It was popularized in the Jane Fonda aerobics video workouts, where she urged her students to 'feel the burn' to motivate them to work harder during class.
I went to aerobics classes at the Y in the 80's and used to overexert myself, especially in one 90 minute class that I sometimes attended. Those were the days when I probably could only get to one class a week, so it had to count.
The other day, in our small Pilates class, one of my friends wanted to share about an interview she had heard on a science show on public radio. The guest was explaining why our muscles feel sore the day after a workout. It is due to microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. In the body's way of healing those tears, the muscle bulk is increased and strengthened.
So, the 'no pain, no gain' exhortation has some validity in terms of building up muscle bulk and strength. We have probably all experienced how a day or two after exerting ourselves in any way shows up in aching muscles. At first we may wonder why, and then we remember what we did.
However, the concept itself, of no pain, no gain arose much longer ago in the past, in Puritanical religious philosophy that there is no reward without suffering. It was preached as a general way of living, not just in reference to physical activity. It also referred to success in work or business.
That sounds arduous, and not much fun, right? It seems to me that lots of people have crashed and burned from taking this concept too far.
But, to get back to my simple life as a senior, I want to refer again to exercise activity. For example, this morning's NIA dance class was very large and the energy was high. We were also learning new choreography which was fun and the music was great. In that scenario, it is easy to overexert if I am not mindful.
I've been going to that class for almost twenty years now, and I certainly used to go 'all out' frequently, and loved doing it. That's no longer the case. If I did that now, I would be worn out for the rest of the day.
Yes, as seniors, we still need to challenge our bodies. We can still certainly build muscle, strength and flexibility. But, our healing and recovery time will be longer and we are more prone to injury from overdoing with abandon.
I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, but I'm also aware that my organs and systems are made up of older tissue that does not bounce back as fast as it did before. I wonder sometimes if many seniors give up on exercise of any kind because of aches and pains. That is understandable but unfortunate.
We all need to keep moving in some way to maintain strength and flexibility into our elder years. It's a matter of finding a pace and form that works for you. I still love the energy of my NIA class and can fully enjoy it without moving the way those half my age are doing. It's a matter of listening to your body and knowing your limits.
So instead of 'no pain, no gain', my motto would be 'keep moving, have fun', at least in that kind of class.
I went to aerobics classes at the Y in the 80's and used to overexert myself, especially in one 90 minute class that I sometimes attended. Those were the days when I probably could only get to one class a week, so it had to count.
The other day, in our small Pilates class, one of my friends wanted to share about an interview she had heard on a science show on public radio. The guest was explaining why our muscles feel sore the day after a workout. It is due to microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. In the body's way of healing those tears, the muscle bulk is increased and strengthened.
So, the 'no pain, no gain' exhortation has some validity in terms of building up muscle bulk and strength. We have probably all experienced how a day or two after exerting ourselves in any way shows up in aching muscles. At first we may wonder why, and then we remember what we did.
However, the concept itself, of no pain, no gain arose much longer ago in the past, in Puritanical religious philosophy that there is no reward without suffering. It was preached as a general way of living, not just in reference to physical activity. It also referred to success in work or business.
That sounds arduous, and not much fun, right? It seems to me that lots of people have crashed and burned from taking this concept too far.
But, to get back to my simple life as a senior, I want to refer again to exercise activity. For example, this morning's NIA dance class was very large and the energy was high. We were also learning new choreography which was fun and the music was great. In that scenario, it is easy to overexert if I am not mindful.
I've been going to that class for almost twenty years now, and I certainly used to go 'all out' frequently, and loved doing it. That's no longer the case. If I did that now, I would be worn out for the rest of the day.
Yes, as seniors, we still need to challenge our bodies. We can still certainly build muscle, strength and flexibility. But, our healing and recovery time will be longer and we are more prone to injury from overdoing with abandon.
I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, but I'm also aware that my organs and systems are made up of older tissue that does not bounce back as fast as it did before. I wonder sometimes if many seniors give up on exercise of any kind because of aches and pains. That is understandable but unfortunate.
We all need to keep moving in some way to maintain strength and flexibility into our elder years. It's a matter of finding a pace and form that works for you. I still love the energy of my NIA class and can fully enjoy it without moving the way those half my age are doing. It's a matter of listening to your body and knowing your limits.
So instead of 'no pain, no gain', my motto would be 'keep moving, have fun', at least in that kind of class.
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