As I watch the Summer Olympics, I can’t help but think about the amount of training that these individuals do in order to compete on the international stage. I am particularly impressed by the young athletes, like the gymnasts, who have devoted their entire childhoods to practicing for the events that they are now competing in. I can only imagine the pain that their bodies have pushed through in order to be able to train to compete at this level.

I remember reading a book about female gymnasts and figure skaters at one point which researched the type of chronic pain management that these girls were dealing with. They often had neck pain, back pain and other types of physical aches just from working out so hard and so often. Their back pain solutions ranged from taking handfulls of pain killers to using alternative healing techniques like magnetic therapy. They did what they had to do to deal with the pain.

There are many negative things that can be said about the choices that these young folks (and their parents and coaches) have made over the years. Many will say that they sacrificed too much of their youth to training for the Olympics. But as we watch the amazing tricks that they perform this summer, it is impossible to deny that these young people serve as an inspiration to all of us.

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