Exercise for healthy individuals is often challenging, and if you have chronic pain, even the thought of exercise can leave you riddled with anxiety and the worry of more pain. In an article recently published in the New York Times, it describes a new neurologic study that finds our brains are wired to tell our bodies to be mostly sedentary. It may be that we are suppose to be less active to conserve our energy.

The study was interesting, examining what motivates us to be active. Most people want to be active but find excuses not to be active. Common excuses we all know, like it takes too much time or that one is tired. Exercise takes commitment and often is at an inconvenient time either early in the morning or after work. Neither time seems enjoyable, especially when you could be doing more enjoyable things, like eating or sleeping.

Exercise Motivations

The New York Times study took healthy young people and then monitored how their brains reacted to visual representations of either physical activity or sedentary things like resting on the couch. The study looked at the brain activity while watching a variety of these images. While watching physical activity, the brain needed to use multiple areas to process the information. When sedentary types of activity, appeared the brain waves were much calmer. The implication was that the brain prefers the calm activities like laying on a couch or in a hammock. The conclusion the authors propose based on monitoring 29 people is that we are hard wired to be sedentary.

Exercise is clearly more work than just sitting around and not being active. The benefits are rarely seen right away and usually are difficult to decipher until time has passed. It is much easier to sit and watch television, sleep or enjoy a big meal. To benefit from exercise one must take a long look at the advantages. For those with chronic pain, exercise keeps the muscles loose and strong, and gives the person the endurance to get through the day. For many, exercise decreases the pain one has overall and keeps them functional in daily activities. The most common response for those who consistently exercise is that I am going to hurt regardless if I do or do not exercise, and without it I would likely not be able to move well at all, so I might as well exercise.

Maybe we have brains that are wired to enjoy restful activity over physical activity. The body, however, is designed for being active. The most appropriate saying that applies is “use it or lose it”.  As a pain physician and someone who does have chronic pain, I can hurt and slowly lose function or choose to be active and maintain as much ability as I can. It is a choice to be active, it takes work, and it is not fun, but it pays off in the ability to maintain function.