5 Steps You Can Take to Get Out of Pain

Pain can have many culprits: sitting too long, old injuries, poor posture, even shallow breathing. Trying to figure out where your pain is coming from can feel overwhelming. You might catch yourself thinking:

“Why can’t I move the way I used to?”

“Is this going to end in surgery?”

These thoughts can send your nervous system into overdrive and that alone can make pain feel worse.

Yes, sometimes surgery is necessary, but don’t let that be your first thought.

Our bodies are incredibly resilient. They can take on a lot of stress and still repair themselves. The best thing you can do is give your body grace and start building a stronger relationship with it using the 5 steps below:

“Your body isn’t broken. It just needs the right environment to heal.”

– Coach Dan

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🔹 Step 1: Breathe

Take your body out of its “fight or flight” mode almost immediately.

As much as I hate the word “biOHaCk”, controlling your breath truly is the ultimate one.

You can do this anywhere, but my favorite position is lying on your back with your feet elevated:

• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds

• Exhale through your mouth for 6 seconds

• Repeat for 2–5 minutes, focusing on ribcage and belly expansion

This tells your body: “You’re safe.” It puts you in a collected headspace to start training. A calmer nervous system relaxes tight muscles and improves circulation.

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🔹 Step 2: Myofascial Release

Use: Foam roller, lacrosse ball, or massage gun

Target areas:

• Glutes & hips (foam roller)

• Quads (foam roller)

• Upper back (lacrosse ball)

• Hip flexors (foam roller)

• Feet & calves (lacrosse ball)

The hot spots you feel when rolling out are often overworked tissues that don’t know how to turn off. The ability to relax a muscle is just as important as the ability to contract it.

Goal: Build awareness and increase blood flow to a specific area to support recovery.

Here’s how to do it:

• Relax the muscle and breathe (use the tempo from Step 1), letting it melt into the tool for 30–60 seconds

• Gently contract the muscle, pushing yourself away from the tool

• Hold the contraction for 10 seconds

• Relax and melt into the tool again

• Repeat 3–5 times, staying in the same spot or moving slightly around the area

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🔹 Step 3: Move & Walk

Reintroduce movement, without pain.

Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs):

• Use 20–30% intensity

• Focus on slow, smooth joint circles

• Stop if you feel sharp pain, go back to Step 1

Then, get moving:

🚶‍♂️ Walk 10,000 steps throughout the day.

If walking is painful, choose a pain free option like the stationary bike or elliptical.

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🔹 Step 4: Hydrate

You can’t heal if you’re dehydrated.

• Drink at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day

• Add electrolytes if you’ve been sweating, training, or fasting

Water helps flush waste, reduce tissue stiffness, and deliver nutrients where your body needs them most.

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🔹 Step 5: Sleep to Heal

Your best recovery tool is free.

• Stick to a consistent sleep schedule

• Avoid screens 1 hour before bed

• Try light stretching or breathwork (from Step 1) before sleep

• Take anti-inflammatories only when absolutely necessary

Pain and poor sleep feed each other.

Prioritize deep, uninterrupted rest whenever possible it’s when the real healing happens.

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✅ Final Reminder

Stay calm. Stay consistent.

Build habits that allow your body to recover not just once, but for life.

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👇 Want help building a body that stays out of pain?

👉 Book a Movement Assessment with Coach Dan

👉 Follow @mv.evolve on Instagram

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