If you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s you have almost certainly heard of the Jane Fonda workout videos. I inherited a set from a family member but can’t say I ever really used them much.
Why do I bring this up? Well, because in those videos, she made the phrase” No Pain, No Gain” very trendy. This idiomatic expression was not her creation (its origin is actually much much earlier than that), but she definitely made it popular.
The idea behind the saying is that if you don’t feel pain when you are working out, then you aren’t working hard enough. But is that really sound advice?
I am no longer comfortable with the word pain to describe that. Maybe we could agree that a better word would be discomfort in those instances. After all, great athletes are not developed without many hours of “discomfort” on their way to success.
It is true; that as you do conditioning, lift weights, or jump up and down bleachers you are going to tear muscles and the body will lay down more cells to repair them, making the muscles stronger. I definitely experienced this in all my early morning stadium workouts.
However, many times we take this a step too far and encourage athletes to “play through the pain”. Because of this mentality often players, to protect their playing time, make that decision themselves.
If I had followed that advice, I probably could have avoided some consequences later in life. Crying after a practice because I had so much pain in my back or joints should have been a warning sign for me to heed. But I had goals and I thought I had to push through the pain to achieve them. When my gut started sending me messages I shouldn’t have ignored those pleas for help either.
When I became a “wellness warrior” over 15 years ago, I started paying attention to the pain and being kinder to my body. I searched for and found natural remedies. I began to whittle away at the damage I had unknowingly inflicted in the past. And I got rid of products I was using that were toxic to my body. It is an ongoing process for sure.
Your body is a miraculous, healing machine. Your health depends on how well you care for it, how well you listen to it, and who you partner with to help keep it balanced.
So in my younger years, “no pain, no gain” was my mantra, but now……. I’m in it to win it!
If you find yourself on a similar path, looking for a change, you may want to check out my free guide to 3 ways to a Healthier Home
