I have had lingering aches and pains in several joints since I started training, maybe before. At the worst times, it got so that the average doctor would say “just rest, don’t exercise”.
As a sidenote, I also always had sinus issues (my nose basically didn’t work) since as long as I can remember.
After the first time obeying the doc (goodbye to 9 months of training time) I haven’t wanted to do that again. I pretty much accepted that I would always have aches and pains.
In the last few months, experimenting with ‘clean’ food, excluding most foods and only allowing in a few at a time to find out which ones are good for ME and which aren’t (as opposed to eating ‘clean’ foods as dictated by popular culture), I’ve discovered this:
Good food for me basically means berries, brown rice, potatoes, fish oil, coconut oil, olive oil, meat (all sorts) and gluten-free oats, but only after pre-soaking them overnight with lemon juice and warm water like Sally Fallon recommends.
My digestion feels better, I feel on ‘it’ (euphoric and good), stomach is flatter, I wake alert and…
My sinus issues are all gone (while I follow the diet above) as are all the joint pains (most noticeably my shoulder).
For the first time in ages, I can sleep on my side, and i’m fine.My girlfriend can hug me in the night, no pain at the shoulder, which is nice.
Since this is a trial-and-error experiemnt kind of thing, I don’t have science behind this.
but my hypothesis for it is that the whole body, from digestive system on up, has less congestion and inflammation, as I am taking in only what my body can freely use as fuel. There are fewer toxic things in my body, with fewer waste products clogging up my body.
Some things which are often touted by mainstream media as super-healthy, such as whole wheat, absolutely do make my joints ache.
This is real. I do consistent prehab, stretching and weight training, the only variable is the diet.
My suggestion to anyone with consistent bodily issues such as the ones I just accepted for 25+ years, is you could do an elimination diet for a bit and find what’s good for YOU.
Information about elimination diets, which are the trial-and-error process by which you discover if any staple-diet foods fuck you up, may be found anywhere on google. Here’s a start.
I hope you get something out of this