“How do I get rid of constant inflammation and body ache? I’ve had it for years from improper lifting and sports in my youth. I can barely move these days!” – Jack
Unfortunately, this is quite common.
I remember talking to a friend of mine who had gotten into competitive bodybuilding. He was saying that our joints would be “destroyed” in older age, but he was willing to pay that price.
At the time, I didn’t agree…but wasn’t quite clear as to why so I bit my tongue. Nowadays I know and I’ll get to that in a second.
Inflammation is going to be largely dietary. Some of the common culprits are wheat, diary, eggs, although there can be many others too (nightshades, nuts, all grain, etc.)
Just sugar and the ultra-processed foods that masquerade as food these days tend to contribute to inflammation.
Therefore, diet is honestly the best place to start. An elimination diet is the best way to test this out and find what triggers inflammation for you.
In addition to what you cut out, it can be helpful to add things in. Turmeric and CBD are trendy items right now that work well for inflammation, but there are lots of other ones too.
Omega 3 fatty acids are important which most people are deficient in. An excess ratio of omega 6’s is pro-inflammatory.
Magnesium is another critical nutrient most people are deficient in and this too has anti-inflammatory properties.
Then it can be helpful to look at movement.
Whereas certain movements can aggravate inflammation and aches, other movements are likely to be able to help. Things like mobility, yoga, various forms of bodywork, are good places to start.
Many people dig themselves into the ground because they repeat the same exercises over and over again that caused problems in the first place.
To do this well you need a wider library of movements and learning how to listen to your body. As I covered recently these are covered in depth inside of The Indestructible Body and Intuitive Mobility, respectively. Each of these is over 50% off right now.
To recap:
1) Cut out or down on inflammatory foods
2) Increase anti-inflammatory foods and/or supplements
3) Do movements that get you out of pain instead of into it
There’s definitely more that can be done then these three steps, but these alone will take you a long way!
Even better news is that for those currently not in pain, all these things are excellent to do prophylactically to keep you out of it. Start young and your older years will not be so difficult.