A common statement folks have been using to explain the effort needed to feel healthy, and that amount of effort isn’t always fun. For folks who are working in the rehabilitation world, or who are trying use biomechanics to achieve pain free results, the phrase "no pain, no gain” represents a marketing problem. It’s true that it’s a catchy little turn of phrase. But it isn’t a “true” phrase. You don’t have to experience pain to arrive at some benefit. In fact, I’ve made a living helping people achieve positive results in the absence of pain.
Now, if we’re talking about effort, then the phrase kinda works. Sometimes it hurts a little to work hard. Sometimes it’s no fun. But saying “no fun, no gain” doesn’t quite ring in the ears the same way. And it certainly doesn’t inspire people to do things they know they should be doing, like exercise often.
Effort is required to stay healthy. The nature of exercise, and the human condition, requires the human to understand that he/she is in constant need of motion. Motion requires effort. The more effort we apply to motion, the greater chance we have of increasing our mobility and overall health. Maintaining good health requires a constant stressing of the system to keep our condition levels high. If we slow down, our conditioning suffers and we fall into a state of declining health. The goal for most of us is finding the place where we work out just enough, and just often enough, to feel healthy.
This has always been a source of inspiration for me. (I’m a little on the lazy side.) Hey, there is a healthy balance that one can achieve. If I want to live a life free of pain, and live a life with a relatively healthy outlook, I can workout, eat, sleep, walk,…etc in moderation. There's hope for all of us non-workout junkies. I don’t have to abuse myself, in order to feel good. I can say good-bye the the catchy phrase “no pain, no gain” and say hello to the new phrase “live in moderation, and feel great for life”.
Maybe I'll keep working on that one.