If you deal with chronic pain or even if you just pull a muscle, you don’t want to let this pain get in the way of keeping your health maintained. But when is it time to take a rest day and when is it okay to push through the pain when it comes to exercise?
Take a Rest Day
Form Changes
If you notice that your pain or an injury is causing your form to change when you work out, you need to take a rest day. Having good form is what prevents you from getting injuries and keeps you safe while you work out. If your form is compromised, you can end up hurting yourself even more.
You’ve Been Pushing Through
You’ve been working out the past few days, and the pain is still there. You’ve been working hard, but your body still seems to hate you. This is a good time to take a rest day. While pushing through can help you build muscle, it can also cause you to become at a higher risk of injury if you don’t let your body heal.
Types of Pain
Several types of pain should keep you from working out. While a mild burning or tense muscles can be painful, they aren’t a reason to take a rest day. If you have any of the following pain types, you need to take a rest day:
- Sharp stabbing pain
- Pain that involves swelling
- Localized pain
- Pain increases when you work out
- Painful pops in your joints
Push Through
Muscle Fatigue
Muscle fatigue is a natural thing that happens when you are working out. If you are running on the treadmill and your muscles start to burn, this is the time you want to push through. Your body is going to fill you with feel-good chemicals, reduce your sensitivity to pain, and you’ll get a great workout. There is a myth that this soreness means that the workout is working, but this isn’t true. This is a type of pain you can work through, but you don’t have to.
When You Sleep Wrong
I’ve slept wrong to the point I walked around like I was in a body cast and any movement was horrendous. Luckily, exercise is known for its ability to reduce pain and stretching is great for tense muscles. Loosen yourself up with some stretches, as lifting weights or hard exercising could be hard on your tense muscles. But doing yoga or light exercise can help your muscles get back to normal, relieve your pain, and help you stay on track with your physical fitness.
Inflammation
Inflammation is painful, no doubt. But exercising is a natural remedy that can help bring your inflammation down a notch. In just twenty minutes of exercising, you can start to notice a reduction in your symptoms so push through!
When Your Should But You Can’t
You should push through your pain, but sometimes pain isn’t the only thing that is stopping us. Anxiety and depression on top of discomfort can make exercising look like an impossible feat. Try using CBD oil as a pre work out supplement, helping to boost your mood, reduce your anxiety, and reduce your pain so you can keep your body active. You can put it on your muscles as a topical for pain or inflammation, or take it orally to have additional mood boosting and stress relieving effects. Stop by our shop today to get yours!
