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submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I've been an athlete since a child so in some weird way I guess I've been raised to just enjoy the discomfort of working out because I know the reward is tenfold of whatever discomfort I'm feeling while working out. So basically don't raise sedentary kids, give them a love of working out so they can live a healthy and happy life.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I'd rather hang upside down under water and smack my face with fast moving rocks than work out in a gym

Cuz I kinda do that

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Working out is pain and suffering, but you can get so used to it you don't notice/mind the pain.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I lift weights a few days in the week and it's just routine now. I don't find working out to be fun, but seeing friends at the gym and and chatting is fun.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Yes, I love it. I feel that enjoying it comes with a few factors: knowing what you're doing is correct and maximizing each workout, and a shift in mindset that the "dread" of it doesn't actually have to be dread, which takes time to shift your head into. Of course, there are days where I'd rather not go, but showing up for the ritual is what matters, at that point.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

It’s more the feeling of satisfaction and less a feeling of pleasure.

Working out is not a pleasurable thing, it’s hard, tiring, and painful.

But you see positive changes in your body, you feel better day to day and you know you are adding years on to your life.

This is what makes it enjoyable. But it will not be like this on day one. It will be like this maybe after 2-4 weeks of doing it consistently.

Also you have to eat right. If your just eating junk you may not feel as good.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Yes, I love running. I also go hiking and do body weight exercises.

To answer your question, the only way to cultivate the habit is to start something and sticking to some plan. I know it’s easy so say but it’s the only thing that works.

I do follow some runners on Instagram and YouTube for motivation.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I find working out to be an intensely boring experience. I ended up doing martial arts to stay fit because the work out ends up being incidental and the activity itself is engaging. I recommend trying something like judo or boxing depending on whether you would be more comfortable with grappling or striking.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I compete in powerlifting and it’s a lot of fun. You just need a good goal and you’ll end up loving the process of getting there.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I always dread doing it but once I've started and after I've finished yes

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

It depends. Running and lifting I enjoy the results but the activity is boring, I never got runners high.

Jazzercise was fun fun fun though, any sort of dance aerobics like that is perfect because have to pay just the right amount of attention to it - enough that I can't think about other things, but not so much that I really have to think hard about the movements. I wish there were still classes by me.

Yoga is fun too, in a different way. It takes concentration, always adjustments to posture, and it's very empowering to be able to do handstands or other arm balances, it's challenging in a good way and the reminders to coordinate your breath with movement is helpful.

So for me it depends on what the workout is but sure, I like moving physically, enjoy it and don't do it only for results.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I have a love hate relationship with it. I absolutely love it when I'm consistent with it. When I fall off the wagon, I hate trying to get back into it. Its hard and I could easily just go and do anything else.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I love lifting weights/using machines at the gym but absolutely despise doing the exact same things at home alone (or at an empty gym for that matter).

There is something about being surrounded by others that also workout that really motivates me at the moment, gets me into the mood of working out and giving it my best.

Then, while lifting/using a machine, it becomes a game of how much i can manage today, how much have i progressed, how much i lift compared to some other random person. There is also thr good natural feeling you get while working out, and when i give it my all, i can really feel it.

I still heavily dislike cardio at the gym, such as using a treadmill. I try to turn it into a game though - manage to run exactly 1 kilometer in exactly 5 minutes etc. It somewhat helps for short runs.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I enjoy it when I'm eating at a modest surplus - it's trash on a deficit

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

For me, it's the feeling of knowing that I can do something that I know for a fact I wouldn't have been able to do before. I've been lifting dumbbells since January and one thing that I've loved about doing so is feeling my arms exert effort without being tired, at least for awhile. Focusing on that is one of the highlights of my day.

And it translates to my everyday life too! Whenever I lift something heavy, I surprise myself when the part of my body that holds me back is something else completely, my arms don't complain at all.

Back at February, my uncle gave us an elliptical that no one uses at his house. I've been using that 15 minutes a day, and about 2 weeks into doing that routine, I've noticed that my stamina has become noticably better. The one change that stuck out to me the most is that I can run up the stairs at my school without needing to gasp for air. Imagine that, a big fat guy being able to run up and down three storeys without wheezing a sound like that of a creaky door. No way I could have done that a month prior.

I don't know how well you or the other folks here can relate to that, but to me, it's what makes me continue my routine even if I don't end up losing as much weight as I'd like, nor looking for fit as most would assume from doing this type of stuff.

Pardon for the little story I've typed up, just felt passionate at the moment and really wanted to get my thoughts out. and just to clarify, I havent gone to the gym so my workout is only composed of just me, what I've got in my house and some advice that I've heard from friends, family, and tidbits I read off the internet.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

It’s worth pointing out that you don’t need to go overboard with exercise. A brisk 20-minute morning walk and a few minutes of body-weight exercises (push ups, squats) is all you really need to do for physical health. To lose weight, eating healthier is the only effective option — no fad diets, just more whole foods and less junk.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I absolutely love lifting heavy shit and I can't imagine my life without it at this point. The feeling you get when hitting a new PR is incredible. Knowing that you actually pushed yourself feels great to me.

The rest period are also weirdly meditative for me.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I personally don't unless it's an interactive activity. Examples are rock climbing, swimming, badminton and tennis. Otherwise, workouts feel boring.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I, for one, am disappointed in our evolution. We should be able to control every cell in our body by now and not have to exercise. But I guess this is the end of the road for our evolution lol. This is as good as it gets, folks.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I love it, I listen to music and it's like meditation. The pain of muscle fatigue for me feels good and bad at the same time.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

It depends on the exercise for me. Weights/ strength training I struggle to enjoy but going for a run is my jam. It can get pretty rough on the longer runs but every time when I finish and catch my breath I generally feel a lot happier about myself and find dealing with life a lot easier.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I have recently started to enjoy taking bike rides. I used to do it before with friends and didn't mind it but it was not super enjoyable. It likely had to do work the fact that they would always do 40 mile bike rides that had a decent amount of hills. None of us have time for bike rides that long anymore. But a nice 10 mile bike ride is a nice but of time to just clear my head and enjoy looking one way and seeing the Cascades and looking the other way and seeing the Sound and the Olympics.

I have heard of runner's high and read a good explanation for it that I don't remember. Regardless, I don't get runner's high and honestly hate running. Even with a podcast in, I can't get myself to like it. It might be a bit better if I did it more often but that is a big hump to get past.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I do enjoy it more from the sense of breaking and detaching from my working day. I don’t really do anything too intense (if I had that approach it would kill the fun for me I reckon) and have a few set exercises I do but it feels good to get a bit of fitness in during the day.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I forgot to add, it's good to have a goal. Whether it's losing weight or building muscle, and have a plan to achieve it. Keep at it, it takes time for new habits to form.

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this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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