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I think that the most important thing I've learned about exercise (and it's taken me most of my almost 40 years to internalize it, and I'm still not great at it

I think that the most important thing I've learned about exercise (and it's taken me most of my almost 40 years to internalize it, and I'm still not great at it by any stretch) is that it's probably the longest game of all. If you're fortunate you're going to keep moving until the day you die, and the volume of work you do over that time between now and that day is so far in excess of the volume you can do on any given day that hurting yourself in an attempt to maximize today's volume is just ridiculous. It's easy to use that as an excuse to not do anything, unfortunately, but it's also a good reminder to slow down when your body tells you to.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
vm 9y ago
Nailed it. I used to do endurance sports (Ironman/triathlon, marathon, etc.) and now my ONLY exercise goal is to move around for at least a few minutes every morning. When I'm busy, it's just quick stretches for maybe 2 minutes. When I have more time, it's a bike ride, jog, lifting weights at the gym, etc. It might sound too simple but that's what made an easy daily habit to start. And it makes me feel good, making me want to eat "clean" to keep feeling good all day long. Maybe some day I'll get more aggressive again but right now it works really well and it's easy.
jordonwii 9y ago
This is great. I've spent a couple years now bouncing between various overuse injuries. For people like me who always feel like they need to do a little bit more/faster/etc., what you said seems like a great way to talk yourself into doing less, when your body is pushing back.