The expression “No Pain/No Gain” was popularized by the actress Jane Fonda in a number of workout videos she released in the early 1980’s. Basically, her thought process was that when muscle groups are exercised rigorously to help shed weight and build muscle, the next day muscle pains would occur. This was not a “bad” thing, but rather, the next-day pain indicated the success of the workout.
Diving into the internet, the expression and concept of “No Pain/No Gain” actually dates back to 700 BC when an ancient Greek poet wrote about this concept. Heck, Benjamin Franklin ( by the looks of things, he could have benefited from the Serotonin-Plus Program) also wrote in his 1734 work, Poor Richard: “There are no pains without gains…”.
Okay, now let’s bring this to the weight control arena. There are a number of “pain points” involved in successful weight control:
- Limiting/eliminating high carbohydrate/high sugar food and snack choices.
- Keeping alcohol to a minimum (pain for those people that enjoy drinking)
- Getting up earlier to exercise as opposed to staying in bed
- Shopping/preparing compatible meals when time is limited
- Diverting time to journal/count food exchanges
The above bullet points are sort of “painful” as it is much easier to simply do what feels good on the immediate basis. It is not “painful” to sit on a couch, watch your favorite sports event or show and snack on a bunch of derailing foods/drinks.
There are LOTS of pain points involved in NOT shedding the weight and then suffering from weight-related co-morbidities. There is physical pain AND emotional pain as well.
So, when it comes to weight control. Unfortunately, if there is no “pain” (not physical) in taking the necessary steps outlined above, there will be no “loss” (of weight”. However, the long-term scenario with weight control success will be LOTS less pain.
Jane Fonda’s Video Excersice :
