Why "No Pain, No Gain" is a Terrible Fitness Mantra in Menopause

Have you ever heard the phrase "No Pain, No Gain?" Well, that phrase does NOT apply if your goal is to stay strong, healthy, fit, and active in midlife.

One of the MOST COMMON mistakes I see women making when they are on a fitness journey is doing a workout to the point of near-suffering. Too many people don't realize that exercise alone is not what is going to make you leaner, stronger, or fitter. It's the adaptation your body makes in response to the exercise.

Too many people don't realize that exercise alone is not what is going to make you leaner, stronger, or fitter. It's the adaptation your body makes in response to the exercise.

Exercise, itself, is a stress on the body. Just like the sauna, fasting, and (brrr) cold immersion therapy.

And the stress itself is not the point.

The goal is for your body to perceive a stress, then for that stress to be taken away (after a reasonable duration of time/intensity), and then for your body to essentially decide, "WOW, that was hard. If that lady is gonna make me carry that kind of load again, then I guess I better start building some muscle to prepare for the next time she makes me do that."

And then, ideally, you get to work resting, eating, and recovering. Because those are the building blocks your body needs to actually turn all that hard work into new muscle.

But if you interrupt this adaptive pattern with yet another hard workout the very next day, and the next day, and the day after that....your body never gets a chance to fully recover or grow stronger.

It's stuck in perpetual SURVIVAL mode.

You'll know you're in survival mode because your efforts will not lead to great results; you'll feel tired and sluggish; you'll start getting frequent injuries; and you might eventually start dreading your workouts.

In many cases, the magic fix is in working LESS, instead of heaping on more and more volume/intensity/frequency.

This is especially true in menopause when our bodies can't tolerate as much overall workout volume anyways, due to hormone changes that make it harder to recover.

Those same hormone changes make it more likely that inflammation and injury can occur, as compared to pre-menopause.

Of course, if you're currently on the other end of the activity spectrum, and you haven't laced up your sneakers in months, you may not need to do less, you may need to do MORE. But this still doesn't mean that you should push yourself to the point of exhaustion.

The habits that are most likely to be repeated are the ones which feel the best. So if your goal is to become a regular exerciser, you are wise to make the experience as pleasant as possible.

The habits that are most likely to be repeated are the ones which feel the best. So if your goal is to become a regular exerciser, you are wise to make the experience as pleasant as possible (especially at first, as you get back into the swing of things). Don't try to drill-sergeant yourself into doing an exhausting routine.

For many of my clients who are just starting out with exercise (or starting back, after a long hiatus), we start with WALKING. Yep, just regular old walking. It's one of the most under-rated forms of exercise.

Most people can walk, you don't need any special equipment, it doesn't exhaust you, and it actually invigorates you.

Walking can be done anytime of the day that is convenient. You don't have to go to a gym or put on a swimsuit. You can do it every day and you really don't need much recovery from it, because it is considered low intensity exercise.

When it is possible, it is a great idea to pair the walking with a couple days per week of strength training, but even that doesn't need to be strenuous at first.

When you are first starting strength training, it's more important to get the mechanics of the movement, to "feel" the correct form for an exercise, and to practice the fundamental movements until they feel comfortable.

If mobility is limited (often a problem in the hips and shoulders, for many women), doing mobility exercises to improve range of motion is sometimes all we need to start with at first.

Because if you don't have proper mobility, then you WILL get pain after you do enough strength training exercises, because you won't be able to do them with proper form. This can lead to injury.

And as we all know, injury will only set you back on your fitness journey. It's never worth it to take shortcuts when you are starting to strength train. Always get the range of motion (mobility) and stability FIRST....then FORM....THEN add weight. You might be a little sore after your workouts for the first several weeks, but you shouldn't be sore to the point of barely able to walk, or feeling any sharp pain.

 It's never worth it to take shortcuts when you are starting to strength train. Always get the range of motion (mobility) and stability FIRST....then FORM....THEN add weight.

To summarize: There is no instance where more pain is better in menopause. Yes, lifting weights and exercising may feel a little uncomfortable and out-of-the-ordinary, just like any new habit does, but it should not be painful. More pain does NOT equal more gain.

If you are a woman in your 40's or up who wants to get fit, healthy, and toned, without feeling defeated or overly sore, send me a message to connect about my VIP health coaching program.