Pain, No Gain

I've been a pretty active guy for the better of 35 years and if there's one thing I've come to learn through many, many years of exercising and reading about the subject it's that 'no pain, no gain' makes little sense.

Steady and slow is the best method to use in any form of activity.

It always made little sense equating exhaustion or pain to somehow doing the body good. Just like I never understood people who didn't obey their body and played through men as if it's some ancient Spartan ritual.

Hurt? Sit down and nurse the fucking injury. Stop pretending to be a tough guy.

The fact is, if you allow your body to nurse itself by resting early in the injury it will benefit you in the long-run.

Ah, but we don't like 'long-term.' Look at how our politics work. Everything is designed for the short-term- the now!

I used to be restless myself. It bothered me to no end to be pulled off a routine or schedule or to miss a soccer match. It felt like you were wasting time; your life.

But now I see it was in fact good for you. If you feel tired just take a day off. Relax. Let the muscles repair themselves. Catch your breath. Recharge your mental health.

Qui va piano, va lontano. Who goes slow, goes far is an Italian adage worth keeping in the back of the mind while throwing out 'no pain, no gain.'