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Good morning. I forgot when writing last week that I’d be on a work trip all this week. That means limited capacity, but I still wanted to get something to you. It’ll just be shorter than usual. *and the crowd sighs in relief*

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The Power of Pain

Pain obviously doesn’t feel great. That’s kinda the point. Not all pain is good; not all pain is bad.

This past weekend, I competed in an indoor rowing event called Erg Sprints. I was surrounded by some pretty incredible athletes. Only having been into rowing at all for about five months, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to compete closely with those who’ve been doing this for many years.

Regardless, I was excited to give it my all and see where I stood. Despite coming in last place in the 2k in my division (there were only five of us, okay! And they were all in rowing clubs!), I still rowed a PR by a pretty significant margin!

It was painful. My legs and lungs were burning. I was not comfortable. But it was good for me, it was fun, and I’m better for it. Not to mention the cool people I met because of the experience! I’m proud of myself.

It’s important to listen to your body and know when pain is telling you to stop or be careful (e.g. when your back is killing you when deadlifting or squatting with poor form).

Caveats aside, sometimes pain—or perhaps a better word would be discomfort—can be good for us.

Modern life is built around comfort. For most of human history, we had to seek comfort, and usually work hard for it. But today, for most of us, comfort is the default. Unless we take action to make ourselves uncomfortable, we can live all day every day in relative ease.

This week, I came across an article that reminded me that pressing into pain is usually what unlocks life’s greatest experiences. “When you take on a challenge, there are only two outcomes: it succeeds, or you learn something. Both of those are excellent outcomes.”

There are many types of pain and discomfort we can press into. Physical, mental, social… all sorts of challenges can ultimately lead us into becoming a better person. It’s hard to achieve greatness or even success, however you define it, without pressing into pain.

I recently heard on a podcast that a specific area of our brain literally grows and strengthens when we do something we don’t want to do that’s ultimately good for us. It hardens our resolve and fortifies our will.

My best friend is a teacher who keeps “I can do hard things,” plastered on her wall in large letters. This article mentions yelling (or, fine, just saying to yourself), “I LOVE PAIN” before doing something painful.

Whatever your mantra, courageously diving headfirst into difficulty could be the very jolt you need to take your life to the next level.

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: Identify an area of your life that’s too comfortable. How can you consciously choose to lean into difficulty more?

Level 2: What goals do you have? Define success in those goals. Figure out how you’re going to have to get uncomfortable to make them reality.

Level 3: Full send. Next time you’re about to do something good for you that’s going to be incredibly difficult, yell, “I LOVE PAIN” and embrace that crap.

✍️ Drew's Picks:

• Ouch: Didn’t have time for other picks this week, but enjoy the article mentioned above on pain!

See y’all next week!

Don’t forget Valentine’s Day is coming up! If it’s too late for reservations at your favorite restaurant, it’s not too late for a meaningful (or maybe just sweet-tasting or sweet-smelling) gift. 💝 

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).