And I don’t mean to addict to drugs or alcohol. But what are you addicted to in your life?
Like your sport (like me) your music, your dog, your job, your favorite foods, your car or your kids.
I got to thinking about this because I went to see a massage therapist last night for my plantar fasciitis.
My feet are really sore and I need to get better to keep running and training.
So my coach recommended trigger therapy for my feet but warned me the pain is intense.
She even recommended taking ibuprofen before I go to help ease the intensity.
Then she says, when the therapy is done, the pain stops.
So I went.
Danielle the therapist started with my legs which were pretty tight. I have never had deep tissue massage or trigger point therapy and I am here to tell you it hurts. They claim it’s a good hurt cuz it will feel better later but it hurts.
As she started with my feet explaining what the fasciitis is and how it works, I start to grimace with pain.
I said starting with my legs was just to throw me off. She says if I had started with your feet, you would have walked out. She was right.
And it hurt like a son of B.
The six ibuprofen (I’m a baby for pain) before I got there did not help much.
I was sweating
It was not good pain.
And it lasted for a long time.
I asked her how bad my feet were on a scale of 1 to 10. Fully expecting her to say a 7 or 8
She says a 4. I told you I’m a baby when it comes to pain.
And she recommends getting this done every 2 weeks during the training season. Yeah sure!
As we’re winding down I ask why athletes endure this kind of pain for their sport.
She says very simply, they’re addicted to their sport. They simply won’t stop.
Why would they (and now me) endure this kind of pain just to compete?
It’s an addiction. Not a bad one but an addiction none the less.
And that got me thinking what else am I or are we all addicted to in our lives?
It could be sports, or your music or your food, or TV or sex or cigarettes or your kids or your spouse or your religion or your work.
You name it. It’s different for everyone.
And everyone “Gets” something from their addiction or they wouldn’t do it.
So the question to ask yourself is what are you getting from your addictions?
And could you stop if you had to or wanted to?
Now sometimes stopping is not a good idea. Being addicted to your kids is not all bad but at what cost to the rest of your life?
Yes, you can’t live without food but are you addicted to some foods.
Do you eat to live or live to eat?
I admit I get a lot out of being a triathlete and most of the time the pain of training is worth it.
I get a sense of accomplishment. I get bragging rights. I get to weigh less and stay strong. I get to hang out with like-minded triathletes. I get to compete with some pretty cool para-triathletes. And so on.
But it also takes time away from my spouse and my work.
So what are you addicted too? Is healthy? Or not so good?
And more importantly, what do you “Get” out of it? Now be honest with yourself. You get something or you wouldn’t do it.
Share your thoughts.