No Pain, No Gain

In today’s environment of political correctness and feelings of entitlement, I’d like to revisit the age old adage of “No Pain, No Gain”. Even fitness professionals shy away from this Neanderthal saying that sets off images of muscle-bound men yelling at one another in a dingy gym. We hide behind words like discomfort, challenging, difficult, trying, etc…And even many adults feel deserved of things that they didn’t earn.

The harsh reality is that change can be painful. Whether you’re trying to quit smoking, lose weight or develop a more positive attitude, there isn’t a quick fix answer. It is a never-ending process that does get easier with time. The initial stages of change are often the toughest. But it’s during these times that we can really conquer our demons that are holding us back from achieving something worthwhile.  Rather than run from the pain, embrace it and overcome it! In other words, the pain portion is a necessary part of the process.

The more pain that we endure when we are trying to accomplish something, the more we appreciate our gains when they are realized. Blocking the true barriers out of your mind is only a temporary solution that will result in long-term failure. This is why most people who lose weight gain it back.

In most areas of fitness, people keep trying to reinvent the wheel with gadgets, drugs, questionable diets and workout methods. There hasn’t been any evolution to the human body for quite a while. The heart, lungs, brain, knee joint etc. functions the exact same way today as they did 500 years ago. Let’s get back to the basics in the gym and  follow a basic diet that is nearly absent of processed and fast foods and stop looking for the magic bullet once and for all. As far as your approach and attitude…No Pain, No Gain!