Physical Pain: The Third Symptom That Stands Between You & Your Dream Lifestyle

To create an Executive Athlete, we need to start with the basic skills of movement. We need to ensure that the executive makes it to the end of every exercise session. They must possess the freedom of movement that the athlete enjoys if they are going to become an Executive Athlete.

The unhealthy executive lives with constant or nearly constant pain. This is the inevitable result of a weak frame that is supporting far too much weight.

Imagine a rope bridge that stretches across a river. Its wooden planks and beams seem to be in good enough shape. The ropes are a little frayed but look strong enough. You step onto the bridge. As you near its centre, you can feel the rope tighten in your hands.

You can hear it begin to groan with the strain. By the time you reach the middle, the bridge itself is twisting and has distorted out of shape.

Finally, as you watch, the rope snaps.

Think of the rope as your muscles, the wood planks and beams as your bones. When you become weak and heavy, the same thing that happens to the bridge happens to your body.

Muscles tighten, bones creak and ache, posture gets bent out of shape. It’s only a matter of time before something snaps and you find yourself facing a painful injury, one that might forever affect your quality of life.

For the physically inactive executive this process also follows a predictable pattern:

·      Tight calves, hamstrings, groin, hip flexors, lower back and thoracic spine

·      Poor posture (shoulders come forward, excessive pelvic tilt)

·      Pain in the knees, lower back, shoulders and neck.

The longer the executive is physically inactive, the weaker and heavier they become.

Tightness, poor posture and often excruciating pain get worse. Natural movements like walking and running that combine velocity with full body weight damage joints that suffer from bad biomechanics.

Moving hurts.

Constant pain is a mental distraction. Physical discomfort significantly reduces one’s ability to pay close attention or to retain information.

Long days behind the desk or at the boardroom table are sources of tremendous discomfort. At the end of a long day of sitting, the unhealthy executive needs to lie down to get relief.

Constant pain saps mental, physical and emotional energy.

It derails nutrition and exercise plans and makes it harder to engage with others, affecting personal and professional relationships. Worst of all, it drains resilience, making it harder with each passing day to push through setbacks.

The executive who is in pain is hanging on by a thread. It’s only a matter of time before the rope snaps.