A few months ago I wrote about being 30 & needing a hip replacement. After doing so I had people contact me about it. For the most part it’s not something I’m actively preaching about. But after a few of these conversations I noticed they all followed the same trend: How come you’re still training if your hip is that bad? Does it hurt a lot?
My answers seem to surprise people- yes it hurts a lot, I feel it all the time, but the one that seemed to intrigued them most was my answer to the questions around training, I simply said asked what’s the alternative if I stop training?
For me not doing some sort of training to challenge myself physically and mentally is non-negotiable for a happy life.
I now fall in the category of someone who deals with chronic pain, I have good pain days and bad pain days. Some days I can manage a 20min walk, sometimes a 10min one before I need a break or limp my way back home. Being in pain or discomfort isn’t something you get used to; it's both mentally and physically draining but it’s more something you just accept and deal with.
Without trying to be too stoic I don’t really have a choice but to deal with it, I’ve certainly had to change things in my routine to help manage as best I can. For me training is the anchor that helps me maintain my mental and physical health. If i don’t train, I know things will deteriorate quickly causing other factors in my life to suffer.
Why am I sharing this?
Having been in this industry for over a decade and interacted with 1000s of people, I know for a fact many people give up when faced with a little pain or discomfort and never get to point where they can see benefits of establishing a life around health & fitness to help stave off effects of poor health- aching knees, bad back, depression, weak bones and most importantly I believe, losing the ability to do the activities we love.
Dealing with struggles and setbacks is part of life. I urge you not to give up on your pursuit of health because if you do, at some stage you will suffer from choices you’ve made, one way or another. Find a way to keep moving, do something you enjoy and challenges you and you’ll reap the rewards for life.
