Communication

Good Morning ladies and gents,
Today's thoughts are actually the product of a conversation I had yesterday afternoon with "Dooley Noted's" Surgeon General.  She is the premiere medical advisor coming to us from deep in the heart Boston at Brigham and Women's E.D. (means Emergency Department, at first I thought it was Erect... nevermind what i thought)

So I had some discomfort in a few of my muscles yesterday.  Being a massive hypochondriac I immediately summoned my expert medical professional and I got the battery of questions.  Where does it hurt? On a scale of 1 to 10 how bad?  how long does the pain last? Then came the one that always knocks the wheels off my bus... "What type of pain is it?"

What type of pain is it????  I like to consider myself an educated man.  I like to think that I have some areas of expertise, but I realized in this conversation that a question that does not have specifically tangible answers is actually difficult.  If you ask me to describe a tree.  No problem.  Describe a sensation??  Needless to say we had some bantering and then determined it to be a dull constant pain that lasted less than 2 minutes and could be reproduced.  These clues allowed her to slooth out that it was muscular. 

I mention this, because all of our fitness training comes with a cost.  Most people I know were athletes in some sport at one time in their life.  Anyone partaking in a sport or training for an upcoming physical challenge knows certain pains.  The bumps, bruises, aches, and pains of life are usually just that... part of life. 

I can say from personal experience again, that aches and pains should be monitored closely.  In 2008 I thought I had bad indigestion and since I'm a "tough guy" I tried to walk it off.  Literally, I went for a walk and a swim and pounded antacids like a champ.  This was all to find out that I had been having a heartattack for about 14 hours.  Don't worry I bounced back like it was a just a splinter.

Today's moral of the story is (not to sound like the disclaimer at every fitness club in america) that everyone who is taking an interest in working out, training for an event, or just getting a little healthier should consult a medical professional early on.  I am not saying everyone needs a physical or even the stern look of dissapproving self righteousness you get from the doc when they ask how often you drink... no no no.  I am recommending that people should seek out advice on how to determine what is an ache versus a pain, what is joint discomfort vs. a torn miniscus, etc.  If you're new to the game it is important that you know that some pain is good because it means your building muscle, and if you're a "tough guy" a.k.a "numbskull" like myself it is good to know what pain you shouldn't just "rub some dirt on, and walk it off." 

And so endith the blog.

Be safe out there guys and girls... work hard... and have a healthy and happy weekend.