You reach up to grab a glass from the cabinet — and there it is again: that sharp, nagging pain in your shoulder.

We’ve all heard it: movement is medicine, motion is lotion, and so on. We know movement is good for us—but that doesn’t erase the real barriers plus-sized people face when trying to access traditional fitness spaces. We all experience these issues but how often do we openly talk about them? Let’s break that silence. As Brené Brown says, “Shame only lives in isolation—it cannot survive the power of community.”

I get this question at least once a day. I think it is normal to wonder if you should see an orthopedist and/or get imaging.

Pain gets a bad rap. Most people are quick to assume it is there to make life harder. It is actually there to protect us.