“I am inevitable.” -Pain
(And let’s get this out of the way now…)
Warning: If you're afraid of pain and effort, this book is NOT for you.
Day 1: Good Pain vs. Bad Pain
This you vs. you dynamic is strongly influenced by the interplay of comfort, pain, and fatigue, as pain dances the fine line between good and bad pain.
The brain cannot feel pain because it lacks pain receptors. (“Headaches” occur in areas outside the brain.) The best the brain can do is evaluate and process signals from the body, producing what you experience as the emotion of pain.
How you perceive the pain you feel is up to you, as pain comes in four forms…
Medical pain: Discomfort resulting from an acute injury, surgery, disease, or chronic long-term condition (also known as the “weakest” form of pain).
Athletic pain: “Productive pain” that can stimulate the release of all six flow hormones, especially adrenaline, endorphins, and anandamide.
Bad pain: Associated with pathological or emotionally harmful pain that can move you into a less human state of being.
Good pain: Athletic pain resulting from real effort that serves as a sign of progress and adaptation to strength gains as you become more human.