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 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.
I rock climb and do conditioning for it. Sometimes I trail run and there is a weird mid action addrenaline i get from it. Same when I am on a high wall. I know I am not gonna fall, but it’s up to me to commit and finish this challenge.
I ride BMX for fun. It’s evenly split between hour long rides and hour long trick sessions. It feels good to go fast on the bike or to explore what’s around the next corner. Feels amazing to nail a new trick or improve consistency with old tricks. Then afterwards I get LSD flashbacks looking at the popcorn ceiling while catching my breath. Fun all around.
I do, or moreso I should say I enjoy the feeling I get while working out. Seeing my body with a pump, feeling like I just put everything into that last set even if it wasn’t the strongest I’ve ever been on that exercise or the best form I’ve ever had.
It’s not the “runners high” for me, but an appreciation that no matter what I get done that day (or not) that I went to the gym and maintained/progressed my physical training. It’s like coming from a hard day at work and looking at a well made bed, knowing no matter how shit your day was that you’ve put effort in and will see it returned. It also turns out that when you work out more often than not that you’ll eventually notice you feel “off” when you don’t. You feel happier and less like a blob of a human even if your body composition still reflects it. You can feel the muscle a little bit firmer and theres a bit more pep in everything you do. Like you’re more capable of just moving around in day to day life.
I’ve been a consistent Mon-Fri gym goer for about 11 years now and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I don’t lift as heavy as I used to because I’m trying to keep my joints in good health when I’m older, but with mind/muscle concentration and controlled movements you can trigger hypertrophy even with weights that won’t end in knee replacements by age 45.
It’s a fun form of fitness, and I like it more than running. While I mostly enjoy it for the way it makes me feel after the gym, there’s nothing like looking at yourself in a mirror with an extra 50 pounds of lean muscle than you started with and the ability to put more weight over your head than you could originally deadlift.
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.
Nah, it’s definitely a delayed gratification in my case. I don’t dislike working out per se, I just like doing other things more. Hence why I do a couple of physically demanding sports.
I used to, but I fell out of the habit. Mostly with strength training, kinda hated cardio haha. The only way I liked cardio was to hop on an elliptical and tune out to a show while I “ran”.
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 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.
I hate working out because it’s super boring. Like just standing there, not moving and just lifting weights… Or running in a circle on a track… Or even cycling with no where to go. It all seems pointless. However lately I have been rock climbing, specifically bouldering. It’s everything I want in working out. Problem solving, working my body in weird ways, and it’s very acceptable to socialize while you do it. After, my body is screaming at me, but I had a great time so it’s good!
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