Is it really "no pain, no gain"?

Once upon a time there was a girl who decided to run for exercise/weight loss. She had always bought cute athletic shoes before as they were only used for walking around and light physical activities...and lets just emphasize that this girl really loves shoes! So after she had run for a few weeks and knew she would stay with it, she decided to buy some real running shoes. She went to the local sporting goods store and bought the brand of shoe that her mother (a real runner for many years) had said were her favorites.

Now these shoes weren't the prettiest, but they did the job. This girl ran many miles in these shoes until one day there was absolutely no tread left at all. So, being the shoe enthusiast as this girl was, she was excited to go back to the sporting goods store and this time buy prettier shoes. She settled on a new brand of shoe that would match her new running outfit and made her legs look good.

A little while after the girl got her new shoes, she experienced some pain. First in the knees here and there, then in the heels. She bought knee bands and gel insoles, but still there was pain. The knee pain was sporadic and wasn't too much of a problem, but the heel pain was terrible and once even caused her to limp for a few days afterwards. She saw doctors, talked to other runners, read articles...nothing really solved the pain. She had figured out how to manage it when the tread started falling off the cute running shoes.

Back to the sporting goods store she went, this time determined to buy the first brand of shoe no matter what they looked like just to see if this helped the pain at all. It has been weeks since the girl got her new, not as cute but comfortable shoes and she has yet to experience any kind of pain. The end.

Moral of the story: Working out isn't about being cute; you exercise so you can be cute later! Forget shoes and outfits and gadgets that make you look good- stick with what works! Check with sporting goods stores as some have policies that let you try out shoes (in real situations, not just walking around the store) and still return them. Make sure you buy shorts that don't ride up or that your legs won't rub together or in...go ahead and look silly and take a lap around the store- it sure beats hurting later! Pain isn't always good- pushing yourself is great, but real pain means something is wrong. My doctor told me that when you have pain it is your body's kind way of letting you know something isn't right. Learn to know the difference in your own body between getting sweaty and pushing yourself and an injury...only you can know.

We aren't supposed to be gorgeous when we exercise- we should sweat, turn red, breathe hard, make weird noises. Don't be afraid to get dirty...that is why there are showers (sorry Katie- get over it and shower!)

You can look like a 5 all the time, or you can look like a 3 when you are working out and look like a 10 later when you get cleaned up...it is up to you! I challenge you this week to have at least one workout that really pushes your limits, either mentally or physically. Go get 'em!

P.S. Did anyone try my simple trick from last week? I focused on it this week and am down one pound- woohoo! Plant foods, here I come! :)