One of the most common problems people face is consistent aches and pains in their bodies. It can be a crippling time and play a negative role in the quality of your life.
If you are struggling with certain areas of your body, knowing the root cause of the problem will be one of the most important things you can do to live a healthier, pain-free life. And often, that pain is stemming from some common habits that you have fallen into.
So, what could these habits be? How do they relate to your aches and pains?
Lack of Strength in Key Areas
Many people get aches and pains because they are not strong enough in key areas of their body. It can be common for people to start training ‘abs’ because they want them to be more visible, but then often complain of lower back pain and are more susceptible to injury, especially when playing sport.
If your muscles are not strong, areas such as your lower back tend to take more of the workload in the positions you get into. As a result, most pains come from poor posture due to not having strong enough glutes, quads, hamstrings, shoulders and back. So, training these muscles in isolation will strengthen them and shift the pain away from areas, such as your lower back, that are unable to take the pressure being placed upon them.
Poor Posture
Another common reason why you may be getting aches and pains is due to poor posture. This can stem from a number of things, such as your work, lifestyle and a lack of activity, to name a few. As a result, this can cause an overarching of the back and neck, leading to pain in both those areas, as well as others because it is a very unnatural position for the spine or neck to be in.
Poor posture is a very easy habit to fall into, and a lot of the time, you may not even know it is occurring. So, it is important to be aware of it and adopt strategies to help you overcome this issue. This includes sitting more upright at your desk, not looking directly down into your phone and pulling your shoulders back as much as you can when you walk. This all helps in developing better posture and therefore reducing any related aches or pains.
Insufficient Nutrition
One of the first things you need to address is your nutrition. You will have likely come from a diet that included foods that are highly processed, high in sugar, high in trans fats, and low in nutrition. Not only does this drastically increase your calorie intake, but causes inflammation in the body, leading to more water retention and therefore more body fat being stored.
By cleaning up your diet, you will be able to see noticeable progress in the first one to two weeks due to the lowering of inflammation levels in the body and therefore less water retention. It will also reduce cortisol and improve energy levels, which can lead to better performance. Make sure you are adding high protein options, more green vegetables, and more slow-releasing carbohydrates into your meals. This is a great starting point to relieve less stress on your body and get you off to a great start.
Poor Digestion
One of the first things you need to address is your nutrition. You will have likely come from a diet that included foods that are highly processed, high in sugar, high in trans fats, and low in nutrition. Not only does this drastically increase your calorie intake, but causes inflammation in the body, leading to more water retention and therefore more body fat being stored.
By cleaning up your diet, you will be able to see noticeable progress in the first one to two weeks due to the lowering of inflammation levels in the body and therefore less water retention. It will also reduce cortisol and improve energy levels, which can lead to better performance. Make sure you are adding in high protein options, more green vegetables, and more slow-releasing carbohydrates into your meals. This is a great starting point to get you off on the right track.
Lack of Recovery
Much of the focus goes on the hard work and training when trying to get in shape, but your recovery outside of your sessions is vital. If you are not giving yourself adequate recovery time, you are not allowing your body to heal itself from any aches, pains, or problems you may be experiencing. A mistake many people make when they want to get in shape is over-doing exercise, and as a result they suffer burnout and extreme fatigue.
Adequate recovery involves seven to nine hours of sleep per night, three to four rest days per week and giving yourself downtime in the evening, which can be beneficial, both from a physical and mental perspective. So, have a look at your recovery time as this could be a key reason behind your potential aches and pains.
Summary
So, if you are someone who suffers regularly from aches and pains, there are several reasons why this could be happening. These include a lack of strength in key areas, poor posture, insufficient nutrition, poor digestion, lack of recovery. Have a look at your lifestyle and routine, and identify which areas could be causing aches and pains. Once you do, you are in a much better position to find solutions and live a healthier, more enjoyable life.
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