The mind is a powerful tool, but pit the mind and the body against each other and often the body will win in time. When you’re taking a fitness class, going for a run, a walk or doing anything physical, you need to check-in and listen to your body.

Top: Neck Happy/ Middle & Bottom: Neck Sad

If you feel pain, you must pay attention and adjust what you’re doing. I teach Pilates classes every day and I see people working through bad pain.  It’s not a muscle being challenged pain.  I can see their neck straining or their back straining.  I can say “If your neck hurts lower your head,” but sometimes people keep their head up.

It’s not that people are ignoring me (I hope). Sometimes people aren’t checking in and don’t really notice it hurts right away.  Other times people are trying to push through.  We so believe in the “no pain to gain” mentality that we are at times willing to work through the wrong kind of pain.  There is no need to push through neck pain or back pain.  […]