Suck It Up Buttercup

Hey, there’s scientific evidence that stress is a good thing.

“We’ve become addicted to enhanced recovery, obsessed with erasing as quickly as possible the pain, fatigue, and inflammation that come from a hard workout…stress is a

good thing, because it forces the body to adapt, repair itself, and come back stronger.

…. For example, trainers have long viewed exercise-induced inflammation as an enemy that should be eliminated. But it’s actually a crucial part of the recovery process. Exercise stresses and sometimes damages tissue, and the inflammation afterwards is caused, in part, by white blood cells rushing to the area to help begin healing. So while ibuprofen or ice baths might reduce swelling in the short term, they could also inhibit your long-term adaptation, says Jonathan Leeder, a physiologist at the English Institute of Sport. ‘You need that damage and inflammation for the body to repair itself.’”

So maybe the old way is the best way. Got sore muscles? “Suck it up buttercup” and keep on working out.