I had to totally accept pain in order to be able to have some time without it.

I wouldn’t call my life pain-free now. Pilates has made a huge difference, but if I have to abstain for a week (like when I had my wisdom tooth pulled out and stitches in my mouth, or when I had a totally congested nose) it all comes back.

It’s important to not be resentful when pain comes back in all the familiar places. And yes – I am done with this! 3 years ago

is one cool invention!
It IS possible to exercise hard and not be in pain!
Who would have thought? 3 years ago

that if I want to get fitter, I will be in (even) more pain!

For the last 7 years (since I had vein stripping surgery), my life has been a tug of war between exercise and pain.

Countless times I started exercising to get fitter (and leaner), but then it gets too painful, so I stop until the pain subsides, and by the time this happens I’m back to square 1 – unfit and prone to pain when I start exercise again.
It seems totally unfair, when the majority of exercisers enthusiastically describe how exercise means to feel LESS pain.

There is no way to ease into this. I need to take a plunge, knowing that I will be in a lot of pain for a long time, and then MAYBE it will become easier. 3 years ago

My next goal is to not let pain dictate my mood. 3 years ago

A very important decision I made some time ago is to not let pain interfere with my activities.
I now have a weekly routine, that says what I’m supposed to be doing, every morning and every afternoon of the week (a general theme, if you prefer).
So I just do what I need to do. 3 years ago

I used to think that I must be doing something wrong to be in pain most of the time, and if I just figured out how to do it right, I’d be able to fix this.
But now, I’m ready to acknowledge it’s a part of my life, and I can’t escape from it. 3 years ago