Day 3 Eating My Veggies

I’ve begun resuming exercise activities in a relatively normal way. These range from lifting weights and standard cardio to yard work like mowing the lawn. I’ve never been a gym rat, but I exercise for the same reasons I eat my vegetables, and I buy the “motion is lotion” concept. I find myself embracing the Sarno notion that all of the “Be careful about this and that, sit this way, get your posture this way, no bending this way” rules are stupid. The back is inherently strong. I believe that.

Overall, exercising makes me feel good. I’d walk forever if my back didn’t start aching, or if I had the time.

The one exception right now is pull-ups. A few years back, I started working on doing pull-ups, because I couldn't do one. I got to the point where doing 8 or 9 in one set was pretty easy for me. That felt like a huge accomplishment for a guy in his mid-40s who is "bottom-heavy" physique.

Unfortunately, as I've tried to reincorporate pull-ups, I find that I feel a lot of stress on my back, and at times it can feel painful. Maybe that means I need to lean into doing them more regularly?

I would do anything to just feel normal at this point, normal enough to exercise without fear.

Also, the last time I mowed the lawn, the action felt good, but afterwards I was in a good bit of pain.

For those who have had success, what is your perspective on using things like heat or ice to make things feel better when you have a flare-up? I know it's not the solution to the root cause, but those flare-ups suck.

 

Assuming that strength isn't an issue, then I think so on the basis that there is nothing wrong with your back. The rule is to be as natural as possible (as if nothing is wrong, because it isn't), so if you have to build back up to strength (as you would after a period off, pain or not), then that's perfectly fine.

My view is I'd rather someone didn't, but if it provides relief and is necessary then there's nothing wrong with it, so long as you're reassuring your subconscious brain that we are doing this for relief only (it may be a placebo) and we know that there's nothing wrong with the specific area - it is all the brain

 

Thank you Adam!