I started getting stress pain in my shoulder from a pretty young age. An overload of anxiety and a perfectionist personality have only made the pain remain persistent. I’ve even had a massage therapist tell me that my shoulder was unusually tight. Nothing has ever really made it go away, that is, until I started going to the gym in the mornings.
Now, a disclaimer: I have never claimed to be an expert in fitness, nor do I want to present myself as that. I simply want to share my experiences in the hopes that maybe someone can relate or see themselves in me. That’s all. Now, with that said, let’s get onto my fitness journey.
I’m in my second year of college now and am really just now going to the gym super consistently. Growing up, I always played sports, so I never really needed to go to the gym, and I never played competitively enough to have to go to the gym. My family members are also just not big gym-goers, so I never really learned that it was a good habit to have. Whenever I’m home from college, I usually go to Pilates with my mom 2-3 times per week, which is a newer habit that she’s picked up, and it feels really nice to do that. Maybe that’s why I don’t usually get shoulder pain on breaks, but it could just be from a lack of stress, as well.
I’ve been going to the gym consistently for 3-4 weeks now, which I know isn’t that long, but this type of consistency is something I was never able to achieve last semester. I would go at night last semester because I usually had work earlier in the morning, but I was never able to go super often because I found that, whenever I went at night, I had a hard time falling asleep, as exercise can increase your energy levels. So, I basically never went. But now, in my free time (which is admittedly few and far between, I find myself actively wanting to go to the gym instead of dragging myself there. It’s become an activity that I enjoy. Not necessarily because I love lifting weights or doing cardio, but because it’s me time that makes me feel stronger and better about myself. I can move at my own pace. It feels relaxing.
I mean, cardio is still something I have to struggle through. First of all, it’s so boring. Second of all, it takes so long. Lastly, my brain thinks too much during it because, unlike weightlifting, I don’t really need to pay attention or be intentional about my movements. I just kind of walk, run, or do the stair master, and it’s the same movement over and over again. My most recent strategy for getting my mind off cardio while doing it had been watching this show called Veep. It is the perfect combination of comedy and intrigue, and it has kept me invested. However, I can’t find the login to my HBO Max account, so I’ve switched to educational but interesting YouTube videos. The one I’m currently watching is about how Iran became a theocracy. It’s become a way to combat the problems TikTok has given me while also doing my least favorite exercise.
And don’t even get me started on how much I love the sauna as an after-workout treat. I don’t know if there are any health benefits associated with sitting in a sauna for fifteen minutes after working out, but it makes me feel so relaxed as I wind down from exercising. The whole routine of going to the gym in the morning then following it up with a trip to the sauna gives me a sense of relaxation and peace that usually lasts the rest of the day. I feel less stressed and more able to handle the things that come flying at me throughout the day. My shoulder pain has been essentially nonexistent these last few weeks. This is something that works really well for me, and I encourage everyone to find something. It doesn’t have to be exercise; really anything that will make them feel as chill as I do after the gym works. My fitness journey hasn’t been necessarily special or unique, but it’s been mine, and that’s all I need.