No Pain No Gain

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to talk to you about the old fitness cliché “No pain, no gain.”  Although this is a classic saying to remind you that hard work and sweat are needed to see results in the gym, I would like to add a slightly different perspective to help you stay motivated.  For a large number of people who have a hard time reaching their fitness goals, it’s the staying committed part that is the pain.  Most people struggle with other time commitments due to school, work and family responsibilities.  They find it hard to find the time to get to the gym, or prepare healthy meals.  Sticking to a commitment and maintaining the responsibility of working on your own health is the “pain” for so many people.  But if you want to see the “gain” in the form of increased strength, decreased body fat, improved body image, and an overall better sense of being, then you have to put that time in.

Teddy is a Jr. High wrestler who I have trained over the last couple of years.  Last year was his junior year of high school and was an important one for college recruitment.  Starting in the summer prior to the school year, Teddy trained with me once a week at best to prepare for the season.  When I told him he should be training more often, he said he had other commitments such as playing on the school soccer team during the fall season, and attending wrestling clinics during the week, and maintaining his social life.  Although Teddy said wrestling was his number one commitment, he didn’t sacrifice enough to be in the gym.  He didn’t have enough “pain.”  He wound up having a moderately successful season, placing in the county tournament, but failed to make the state tournament.  Being disappointed with the result, Teddy now has committed fully to preparing for next year’s season now.  He trains with me at least twice a week, and works out at another gym a few more times a week.  His goal is to wrestle at a heavier weight class next season so he doesn’t have to “drop” as much weight.  Since he made this new commitment, he has increased his maximum bench press by 25lbs. and has gained several pounds of muscle mass in a few short months.  Making the “painful” sacrifice of choosing one sport over another and giving up some of his social engagements to make time for his workouts has allowed him to see some early and significant gains.

Although Teddy didn’t have to sacrifice time from work or family obligations that many of us face when trying to find time for the gym, the sacrifices that he did make were significant to him.  He still had to have a pain in order to see a gain.  The commitment to improve your health can seem painful, but in order to see the gains you are striving for, you must make that commitment.  Maybe you have to start making your cup of coffee at home in the morning and sacrifice the store-bought cup in order to afford your monthly gym membership or personal training session.  You might have to give up an hour of television to find the time to go to the gym.  Could you sacrifice a half hour of sleep and wake up a little earlier to go out for a jog in the morning?  Results don’t come easy.  True, it may seem that some people see gains much faster than others, but you have to ask yourself if you are doing what you can to reach your goals.  What can you sacrifice to help you see the results you seek?

            I have told many clients that it’s called “working” out for a reason.  It is not called lounging out.  There needs to be some pain in order to see the gain.  For most of us, the pain might be more of a sacrifice to maintain that commitment.  Dedication to your goals, even at a painful cost, is what is needed to see the results that allow you to be a fit new you!