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Also I just googled the couch potato to 5k program I trained with when I was a kid and they don’t recommend the program for kids under 11 because it’s considered “too intense.” And I just found a picture from when I finished my first race in 2012 when I was 9 years old which is…. younger than 11.
So yeah maybe also don’t put your children on adult exercise regimens that are not designed for their tiny bodies lmao what the fuck
So fun fact when I was a kid my mom decided I wasn’t active enough. So she bought me absurdly expensive running shoes I did not ask for, dragged me out in the below freezing east coast weather, and started me on this “couch potato to 5k” challenge.
Every day after school, we ran. First it was 5 minutes a day, then 7, then 10… you get the gist. I think after 2 months we were running about an hour every day. By the time I quit running when I was 10, my mom and I had run 3 5ks together over the span of a little over a year.
A little after stopped running, I noticed some pain in my right knee. It got a little bit worse, and a little bit worse, and a little bit worse… and then five years later, when it had gotten to the point where I couldn’t pay attention in geography class because I was in constant pain from having to sit all day, I finally went to the doctor.
They told me the cartilage under my kneecap was worn down from overuse. It’s called chondromalacia patellae—also known as “runners knee.”
The thing is: When we were in races, and I was overwhelmed, I told my mom I wanted to stop. I told her I was in pain and I needed to slow down. I told her I didn’t like running.
And you know what she said to me?
“Suck it up.”
And I’m not saying “don’t tell your kids to exercise.” Your kids SHOULD exercise—not because of any bullshit weight reason or anything, but because they’re kids, and it’s good for them. Good for their bones, or whatever.
And I’m not saying “don’t exercise WITH your kids” either, because again, they should be exercising a little. And if you being there helps them stay motivated, that’s great.
What I am saying is: Listen to your kids. Trust that they know their own limits better than you do. Even if you think that they’re being over dramatic, or whiny, or whatever—don’t take the chance.
I’m 20 years old now. My knee still hurts. I have a whole suite of other, unrelated chronic conditions that would be improved if I exercised more. And I try to, I really do. But it’s kind of hard to do squats when just one makes your knee feel like it’s on fire for the rest of the week.
Listen. To. Your. Kids.
So fun fact when I was a kid my mom decided I wasn’t active enough. So she bought me absurdly expensive running shoes I did not ask for, dragged me out in the below freezing east coast weather, and started me on this “couch potato to 5k” challenge.
Every day after school, we ran. First it was 5 minutes a day, then 7, then 10… you get the gist. I think after 2 months we were running about an hour every day. By the time I quit running when I was 10, my mom and I had run 3 5ks together over the span of a little over a year.
A little after stopped running, I noticed some pain in my right knee. It got a little bit worse, and a little bit worse, and a little bit worse… and then five years later, when it had gotten to the point where I couldn’t pay attention in geography class because I was in constant pain from having to sit all day, I finally went to the doctor.
They told me the cartilage under my kneecap was worn down from overuse. It’s called chondromalacia patellae—also known as “runners knee.”
The thing is: When we were in races, and I was overwhelmed, I told my mom I wanted to stop. I told her I was in pain and I needed to slow down. I told her I didn’t like running.
And you know what she said to me?
“Suck it up.”
And I’m not saying “don’t tell your kids to exercise.” Your kids SHOULD exercise—not because of any bullshit weight reason or anything, but because they’re kids, and it’s good for them. Good for their bones, or whatever.
And I’m not saying “don’t exercise WITH your kids” either, because again, they should be exercising a little. And if you being there helps them stay motivated, that’s great.
What I am saying is: Listen to your kids. Trust that they know their own limits better than you do. Even if you think that they’re being over dramatic, or whiny, or whatever—don’t take the chance.
I’m 20 years old now. My knee still hurts. I have a whole suite of other, unrelated chronic conditions that would be improved if I exercised more. And I try to, I really do. But it’s kind of hard to do squats when just one makes your knee feel like it’s on fire for the rest of the week.
Listen. To. Your. Kids.
My face is having uncontrollable spasms. Great. It hurts really, really, really bad.
I think part of why I have trouble explaining pain to the doctor is when they ask about the pain scale I always think “Well, if someone threw me down a flight of stairs right now or punched me a few times, it would definitely hurt a lot more” so I end up saying a low number. I was reading an article that said that “10” is the most commonly reported number and that is baffling to me. When I woke up from surgery with an 8" incision in my body and I could hardly even speak, I was in the most horrific pain of my life but I said “6” because I thought “Well, if you hit me in the stomach, it would be worse.”
