Injury never starts in the body; the body is where it shows up when we aren’t listening. Whether we like to admit it or not, many of us can think of an injury or major sickness we have experienced and connect it to a stressful event in our life. This is because the body cannot differentiate between mental, emotional, and physical stress.
Believe me, as an athlete and CEO I would prefer to think that if I train correctly, eat the right way, meditate, and stay strong I won’t get injured or sick. But that is simply not how it works.
It is important to recognize two things:
Emotions, mental health, and life events (good or bad) impact the ability to train and perform well in sport and life
The body can accommodate many things, but if you don’t listen, eventually it will break down.
For athletes, planning a target race when you are about to get married, have a baby or switch jobs is not ideal. The stress your system undergoes from these life events makes it difficult for the body to accommodate for increased, intense physical activity. For professionals and entertainers working for hours and hours day after day then planning a weekend full of parties or family events will only get you sick.
One of the many things I have learned over years treating athletes, professionals and entertainers is that pain, fatigue and overwhelm are all warning signs that the body is in trouble. Pain is like the obnoxious neon sign screaming at us to pay attention – so why do we keep ignoring it?
“My back hurts, but I am going to finish my workout.” – every athlete at some point
I cannot tell you how many versions of this statement I have heard over the years. This is one of the most common issues that drives injury and poor health in athletes and professionals. This idea and feeling that we need to keep pushing ourselves regardless of the signs the body is showing us.
Performing at a high level is all about balance- learning to balance working hard enough to reach our goals and resting enough so we can perform at our best. Our culture teaches us at a young age that the body should bend to our will – that more is always better. Unfortunately, that is not the case. You are not your body. The body is just a vehicle and sometimes it gets a flat tire.
When we push through pain, fatigue, and overwhelm we are doing more damage than good. The nervous system becomes overloaded. When the nervous system is overloaded for prolonged periods of time imbalances show up.
Think of the nervous system like the commander and chief of the body. It oversees movement, heart rate, the release of hormones, digestion, muscle contraction, breathing, sleep and so much more. When it is balanced, we can roll with the punches. We feel good, we concur the world, break records, build companies, shatter our goals. When the nervous system is pushed it can accommodate, to a point. Then it begins to send us signals to slow down and give it a break. If we listen all is well, it recovers, and we continue to crush it. If we don’t listen, then all hell breaks loose. Injury and illness show up.
Its time you recognize the pattern and change it. Take my online course and reclaim your health.