I hear way too often excuses of pain for not moving ones body. This bothers me because I have firsthand experience of whole body chronic pain as an advanced trained dancer of nearly 24 years now. I didn't start having all this pain until I was in my early 20's but even then I didn't give in and not move my body.
Now the whole left side of my body is messed up and in chronic pain daily at age 37. Both of my knees are bone on bone, my left ankle and foot are messed up, my left hip is messed up all around, my low back including a few bulging discs with a tear in one, my left shoulder....need i go on...my neck, etc. etc. etc. Believe it or not dance didn't do this to me. My own body is not aligned and my left leg is longer than my right, etc. etc... When I got diagnosed with thyroid disease we discovered soon after that I had fibromyalgia.
In saying all that my knees and back hurt so much that I can hardly sleep. Walking is ridiculous. On the days I don't move my body it just gets worse. My vertigo even gets worse when I"m not active. If I were to not move I"d gain more weight, I'd hurt more and become stiff. My doctor says I shouldn't dance because of my knees but he also says I need to lose weight. Well that is a contradiction in my book.
How can one lose weight if one doesn't move their body and eat right. I say find a happy balance of movement and rest. For all the people who think laying around and giving up is key to getting the adequate rest and relaxation that is wrong. Get up out of bed, eat clean, drink 12 8 ounce glasses of water a day, exercise atleast an hour somehow a day even at a slow pace...MOVE your body in whatever capacity you can. Your body and your mind will thank you...i bet even your spirit will thank you!
Of course I think about quitting teaching movement of any kind because I do hurt so bad. Sure I wonder if I would feel better physically if i did. I have in fact stopped moving many times and everytime I did I became worse and it was harder to pick myself up and move again.
Point being, DO SOMETHING...start with walking, swimming, stretching...anything different than what your normal routine is. When you get bored mix it up.
I take two days to try to rest. If I take more I have a hard time trying to get back in my routine. My body succumbs to relaxation and lazyiness. Yes, I love being lazy! However, I earn the lazyness by kicking up my endorphins five times a week. Sure teaching Zumba for one hour a day kicks my butt and I am exhausted but no matter what mood I walk in with I come out feeling so much better!
I have noticed many people give in and take prescription meds to function but after experiencing that myself when I was first diagnosed I found that I have more control over my pain when I'm not fighting awkward side effects from medication. My doctor then had me on like atleast a handful of meds if not more and even offered me a medical marijuana card. I didn't take it however the more I think about it perhaps I should have, I just didn't feel like being spacy all the time like the prescriptions made me feel anyways.
Meditation, holistic therapies, animal therapy, art therapy, anything along the lines that include a therapeutic release is much better than masking your pain that will only return regardless.
I have found fleece blankets and lavender soothing, hot baths, aromatherapy, and other trial and errors. I was supposed to wear knee braces on both knees when my knees started having problems and I kick myself because I didn't but in some ways i'm thankful I didn't surrender to something that took away my mobility. That feels controversial to me in some ways because perhaps if I would have maybe my knees wouldn't be so bad now.
I fear not being able to be mobile, not being able to dance, and I know I can't do what I used to be able to do but I'm grateful I can still dance as much as I can. I don't take movement for granted because I don't want to lose what I have and what I have the capacity to do.
Keep on moving in whatever capacity you have...use it, don't lose it!
