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Does anyone actually enjoy working out? (lemm.ee)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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I can imagine people having fun getting lost in the flow of playing a competitive sport. I've also heard some people experience a post-workout high. But does anyone actually feel pleasure in the moment while lifting weights, jogging, cycling, etc?

If so... what does it feel like? Is there anything the rest of us can do to cultivate such a mindset?

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[–] 107 points 3 years ago (3 children)

Ever bitten into a spicy pepper and enjoyed the burn? That’s what it feels like! Different strokes for different folks, but for me, every drop of sweat is a medal of honor. It’s tough to describe, but it’s about the journey of getting stronger, faster, better. Embrace the grind, my friend, and you might just find that elusive gym rat bliss.

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  • [–] 60 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    That's a good metaphor. Biting into a pepper and enoying the burn. It's like using Linux just so you can say that you use Linux.

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  • [–] 23 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    This made me snort.

    I use Linux.

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  • [–] 16 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I don't think I truly understood why some people don't like spicy food until reading your comment.

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  • [–] 23 points 3 years ago* (2 children)

    As one of those people, they might as well have said "Have you ever stubbed your toe and really enjoyed the feeling?"

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  • [–] 8 points 3 years ago* (2 children)

    Yep, I prefer to taste all of the nuances of the food that I am eating, instead of trying to chemically burn off my taste buds

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    My gf says this. But when I eat spicy food, it doesn't interfere with the taste whatsoever. I also love the taste of really hot coffee when I'm eating something spicy. Something about the double burn really enhances the flavor.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago

    Yes, food that's too spicy for a person can definitely distract from the other flavors and if way too hot even cause numbness, but it's not actually chemically burning your taste buds. It's just tricking one particular type of heat receptor nerve to falsely detect heat. The numbing effect can happen when those nerves are over stimulated, which triggers an inflammation response as if you had just gotten a real burn. Those nerves do get de-sensitized with exposure, but since it's only one type among several different types of heat sensing nerve, it doesn't damage the mouth's ability to feel actual temperature heat. Only mammals have that particular type of sensory nerve, so birds, reptiles, etc. are completely unaffected by it.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    Growing up we barely seasoned food and now I was getting to point were I was getting bored with food, so I started buying black pepper, paprika and chili peppers to experiment and it changed me.

    For me, it's not about the burn/numbness (the first two barely give you any sort of kick anyways), but instead it's about the flavour they add that I had never tasted. It's that flavour that enhances the food, not the hotness. I have no interest is using artificially hot sauces for the gimmick.

    A few years earlier I ate a chili hamburger out of curiosity and two bites into it my lips were absolutely numb, it was ridiculous. It wasn't painfull, but it wasn't pleasing either and it kept me out of "hot" food for a long while.

    So it's not solely about "stubbing your toe on purpose" or stepping on a Lego, but it can also be about experiencing new things like walking on freshly cut grass or wet sand.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    I seriously can't imagine a flavor so good that I would be willing to experience significant (let alone severe) pain in order to taste it. (Nor Have I been able to taste any extra flavors in even mildly spicy food.)

    I don't doubt your experience, but I absolutely can't relate to it, or for that matter comprehend it.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    Spicy food isn't just "it's so hot I can't breathe", it's no different than eating something that's bitter or sweet. Obviously, things that are super bitter or super sweet are equally displeasing for most people. Watered down lemon juice is very different from sugary lemon juice or raw lemon juice.

    Spices and herbs affect the flavour of food, that's why people use it. Same for condiments. For most, it's not about a flaming/numbing effect because they don't put big doses or use gimmicky sauces in the first place.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    I think it's incredible how the internet can connect people who come from different planets like this.

    I mean yeah, if food is more bitter than it is sweet then it's unpleasant to me (even the darkest chocolate has a lot of sugar) but that still doesn't directly stimulate pain receptors like capsaicin does at any level. Very low levels of "heat" (pain) are indeed tolerable to me, but No level above zero is more enjoyable than zero, for any type of food.

    I also don't understand that concept of "too sweet" (for things that should be sweet, I am not talking about pizza for example). The only thing that stops me from just buying sugar in bulk and eating bowls of it at a time is concern for my health/teeth. (Which of course is a strong concern, and so far has managed to keep me from being diabetic)

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago

    I agree with this one. Spicy sauces actually need to have flavor. My friends recommend Tapatio and so I doused that stuff on my food and it was just salty. I much prefer Sriracha or any other spicy sauces with flavor.

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