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?
I do light workouts at home, and it’s honestly a hassle, but I enjoy the benefits of it (especially walking just to take my mind off of things). So I kinda just suck it up lol. I’m still working towards making it a habit (if not already), so what I do is also watch videos during sessions.
I find that being active along with having a balanced diet makes me feel energized throughout the day, and also make me sleep better at night.
I also look forward to cheat days. I work hard and in return, reward myself with something good. Whenever I find myself feeling lazy, I try my best to push through with it. Feels kinda bad to skip tbh so I try to make it up the following day.
Wow, this thread has been really eye opening. As someone who completely hates exercise (I honestly can’t imagine many other things that are more unpleasant), it had never really occurred to me that people exercised because they genuinely enjoyed it. I always just assumed that everyone else hated it and just forced themselves into it.
no matter how fundamentally and universally hated you think something is, there’s always some individuals, communities and/or cultures who enjoy said thing.
the same opposition goes for things you assume everyone loves.
it’s amazing how incredibly complex and diverse humans are.
When you pump large amounts of iron in rapid succession at the gym, it makes you feel unstoppable, like you could take on the world. It’s an absolutely wonderful feeling to have, and I think it can be chalked up to the testosterone boost. The way to cultivate this mindset is
Simply work out. The body releases the “unstoppable” chemical when you do Chad shit.
Have more faith in your own capabilities. This will naturally happen if you surround yourself with positive reinforcement and if you do step 1.
I definitely do. My dumb-dumb brain doesn’t really get the whole neurotransmitter thing, but as stingy as it is with dopamine and nor-adrenaline, as generous it is with endorphins. Oh, you’re 5 minutes into your cardio warm-up of your hour long work-out? Enjoy this heap of endorphins for the next 2 hours. I feel good, it’s extremely meditative because thoughts are just on pause, I love getting stronger and more in shape, and I always go in the sauna at the end of my work-out which is a huge motivator before going and makes it all even better at the end. I always walk out of the gym completely zen and satisfied.
If you don’t get such an easy endorphin rush, I don’t know what to do. I can imagine it would suck in that case.
I’ve been lifting weights daily since I was 15, and I’m 33 now. I enjoy it in that it makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something more than I would be if I just sat on my ass at home. It feels good to push yourself physically and ‘feel the burn’ and work up a sweat. Humans were meant to use their bodies and if you don’t there’s a very good chance that that is the reason you feel like shit all the time.
But also no because I find weight training to be exceptionally boring. This is easily mitigated though because once you have the flow of your workout solidly built into your head, it’s simple enough that you can turn your brain off and focus on the podcast you’re listening to. 30-50 minutes will pass by in a flash.
I still have days where I dread my workout, and I have to really push myself to complete them. Generally, if I go straight home from work and sit on my couch, I will not get back up.
Yes, I feel pleasure when lifting weights. It’s good to feel powerful, and it’s good to feel like I’m getting stronger. I also get pleasure from knowing I can do it and that I’m dedicated and can keep up the routine. So I suppose it’s mostly mental pleasure, but physically having that feeling of power is great at the very least.
Those count 😊 , but I guess I was mostly talking about indoor workouts like cycling, jogging on a treadmill, lifting weights. Something that you do purely for fitness sake.
For me it’s deeply relaxing. You basically get into full machine-mode and stop thinking, just flow forward, for a few moments everything in the world is not important anymore. Feels like active meditation.
That’s what si used to love about running when I did it; t was time to put my thoughts together and just mentally prepare for my day, as I would run at like 5:30 am In the summer to avoid heat.
I switched the cycling due to it feeling much better on my body but cycling is a much more active workout of needing to actually pay attention but I do feel like I enjoy cycling much more. More to see and a strong sense of accomplishment plus it burns s lot of calories which doesn’t hurt.
I actually enjoy cycling if I’m not doing it for exercising. More like joy riding. I find it relaxing the same way the post you’re commenting on said. But running… Never. 🙃
I’ve always had sporty hobbies so at least I’m somewhat in shape. Over the years I did karate, parkour, bouldering, football, volleyball, and ive been deeeep onto hema for a long time now.
I just love having an activity that is basically “playing” but very physical. Even when i feel like I’m not progressing, I’m still having a good time and get to completely exhaust myself once a week.
Rock climbing and bouldering combine the fun of a puzzle with a workout and very real goals/improvements you get to work towards. It’s also not just “I did 5 more pounds!”
For me I hate a squat rack or bench but climbing never really feels like working out.
Couldn’t agree with this more. I started climbing a month ago and I’m fully obsessed, it’s like a sport designed for people who like video games. Each route is a level that needs completing and the initial progress is so fast and rewarding that you just want to come back and beat that grade that you couldn’t get a week ago.
I have a 6c which I fall asleep thinking about right now, the crux seems so doable from the ground and then feels impossible when I’m there. I bought a hangboard to train finger strength so I can beat it faster, and that is definitely more akin to working out, but I see it more as grinding or overlevelling to beat that piece of shit boss you’ve died to 10times in a row.
Bouldering is like a phone game, each level is less than a minute long and requires a specific skill to be unlocked to beat it, over time these skills combine to allow you to beat a harder problem without you even realising you’ve levelled up. Top rope is like a console/pc game where levels take longer to complete and rely on managing resources and your strats.
It also helps a ton that I feel 5x healthier already and am stronger than I’ve been in my life. Climbing is seriously awesome.
I hate being in a gym, all those people around, not being able to see outside, stationary…yuck.
I picked up cycling and try and ride my bike frequently. I used to be much more into it, but that was also as a stoner kid and it was a great way to get out some energy before work and calm down after work.
Now it’s more of an effort but I like to reward myself with a beer and some food. I try to ride about 14 miles every other day. It takes an hour or two at my pace but I can spend that time thinking, listening to music or a podcast. It can be really meditative and it feels good to have my muscles tired.
I rode my bike exclusively on the hardest hills known in my city. Like hills that took 2h and had inclinations that would make it extremely hard to start if you stopped pedaling.
RIP your legs, I have freaking trunks. It’s stupid how big they are, I can’t get both hands around just above my knees. I would rather have chicken legs.
Climbing is the first time I had fun working out - the problem solving aspect of it is fantastic, and no route is the same. I even started training specifically to be come better at it. Now the trick is to not get injured when you get too psyched
It keeps me nice and slim, and is my way of dealing with stress and any thoughts I may have swishing around in my head. I live in an area that allows me to walk anywhere I want (ie. not America) and I don’t need a car at all, luckily.
And I do push it a bit. I walked 36km which is around 21 miles on Sunday, and 32km on Saturday. My legs were starting to hurt like hell nearing the end of it but I always keep going. It feels good to push past what I thought was my limit and keep going. I don’t think there’s any real conscious thought behind it, it’s just how I am. And as I’m in the office today, I’ll be walking there and back too (5 miles each way), no bother at all.
Running and weight lifting though? Not my thing. Too much rushing around for the former and not enough moving around for the latter!
Edit: realised my conversion to miles is off. It’s early. Turns out according to Google maps I walked 21 miles Sunday…! Took just under 5 hours. And I did get a bit sunburnt, but otherwise fine as usual
I used to. Lifting weights helped me in many aspects of my life. Particularly in regards to making goals and seeing them through. It was difficult to get into but once I started seeing results (pretty quickly) the gym became my second home for years. And then my daughter got sick and I got depressed and now it’s been 5 years and god I miss it but just haven’t been able to get back
Have you tried cycling for cardio? I used to be just like you but riding a bike fast is such an enjoyable experience to me that I forget I am doing cardio in the first place.
I don’t have the resources to get an actual bike at the moment but I have been eyeing the exercise one at the gym as a more enjoyable way of doing cardio, I’ll give it a go!
At the gym the rowing machines were always my least hated cardio machine. The exercise bikes there don’t do cycling any justice because you obviously don’t get a sense of speed
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