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There were days when I had time to exercise for 2-3 hours straight, and I figured I would save time by trying to write some code or invent some app in my head w

There were days when I had time to exercise for 2-3 hours straight, and I figured I would save time by trying to write some code or invent some app in my head while doing jumping jacks and other workouts. After a few hundred of them, I couldn't concentrate on anything but the counting and making sure my form was okay, and after a while even that took a lot of effort to focus on.

toomanybeersies 8y ago
That's the exact reason that I enjoy going to the gym and exercising, especially intervals and other high intensity exercise without long breaks. It's a great way to shut off from work and other things in life for a while. At least for a while, none of that matters, because you're more concerned about your immediate situation. It's the same reason that I enjoy hiking and hunting. No point in worrying about your bills or relationships or work when you're 12 hours walk from the road, and 4 hours drive back home. It's a much healthier form of escapism than drugs or alcohol.
- mettamage 8y ago
  You have given me new motivation and a plan of attack on kicking off my gaming and media compulsion. Thanks!
- Bartweiss 8y ago
  There was a great moment recently in Alice Isn't Dead. I wanted to chop it down, but I can't do it justice that way: There’s this saying, right, wherever you go there you are. And it’s true, there’s no destination far enough that your own faults won’t follow. But what I think the saying misses is that other cliché: it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Because while it’s you who leaves a place, and you who arrives in a place, right? It isn’t necessarily you in between. The you who sits on the road is a different you, one with far less responsibilities. One whose choices have been narrowed down to which exit to stop at, what music to listen to for the next 100 miles. It’s freeing, being taken out of yourself and replaced by this road version. And yes, it’s tiring when you arrive and your worn out, stressed self has to step back into her place, but those moments in between? Those are worth it. Those road hours are the one bit of freedom we get, and the reason we feel like that is because they take away most of our freedom. Sometimes the less options we have, the more free we feel. I used to be pretty skeptical about the various "constant connectivity is making us miserable!" stories, because my relationship with the various boogeymen listed didn't match the descriptions. I don't compulsively check email, refresh instagram for new likes, or generally let apps send push notifications at all. These days, I think those stories have real merit, except they're too narrow in their view of the problem. For me, the itch isn't "I should check Facebook", it's the simple knowledge that at any time I could pay bills, order a gift, read a textbook, or otherwise get things done. It used to be that if you were at work or the bank, that's what you were doing; now you can cash a check from the office or finish work from the line at the bank. Even while you're being productive, there's no narrowing of scope to relax your thoughts. There are lots of tricks to help that, but nothing has ever beaten hiking and climbing for simply forcing me into the present.
Ntrails 8y ago
I fine rowing on Ergs particularly hard work as cardio goes. There's no momentum stroke to stroke, so every single one requires full effort. When I did this at uni, my strategy for coping was to spend the entire time doing mental maths / projections for how much any drop in rate would impact my final time (and conversely how much could be gained by an increase if kept up until the end). It's not hard maths, but it was the perfect distraction from the problem of dealing with how little effort I had left vs what I wanted to achieve. Trying to think on abstract problems was more than I could achieve. Not thinking about anything but my next stroke wasn't enough. It was (and remains) the perfect strategy for me.

toomanybeersies 8y ago

That's the exact reason that I enjoy going to the gym and exercising, especially intervals and other high intensity exercise without long breaks. It's a great way to shut off from work and other things in life for a while. At least for a while, none of that matters, because you're more concerned about your immediate situation. It's the same reason that I enjoy hiking and hunting. No point in worrying about your bills or relationships or work when you're 12 hours walk from the road, and 4 hours drive back home. It's a much healthier form of escapism than drugs or alcohol.

mettamage 8y ago
You have given me new motivation and a plan of attack on kicking off my gaming and media compulsion. Thanks!
Bartweiss 8y ago
There was a great moment recently in Alice Isn't Dead. I wanted to chop it down, but I can't do it justice that way: There’s this saying, right, wherever you go there you are. And it’s true, there’s no destination far enough that your own faults won’t follow. But what I think the saying misses is that other cliché: it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Because while it’s you who leaves a place, and you who arrives in a place, right? It isn’t necessarily you in between. The you who sits on the road is a different you, one with far less responsibilities. One whose choices have been narrowed down to which exit to stop at, what music to listen to for the next 100 miles. It’s freeing, being taken out of yourself and replaced by this road version. And yes, it’s tiring when you arrive and your worn out, stressed self has to step back into her place, but those moments in between? Those are worth it. Those road hours are the one bit of freedom we get, and the reason we feel like that is because they take away most of our freedom. Sometimes the less options we have, the more free we feel. I used to be pretty skeptical about the various "constant connectivity is making us miserable!" stories, because my relationship with the various boogeymen listed didn't match the descriptions. I don't compulsively check email, refresh instagram for new likes, or generally let apps send push notifications at all. These days, I think those stories have real merit, except they're too narrow in their view of the problem. For me, the itch isn't "I should check Facebook", it's the simple knowledge that at any time I could pay bills, order a gift, read a textbook, or otherwise get things done. It used to be that if you were at work or the bank, that's what you were doing; now you can cash a check from the office or finish work from the line at the bank. Even while you're being productive, there's no narrowing of scope to relax your thoughts. There are lots of tricks to help that, but nothing has ever beaten hiking and climbing for simply forcing me into the present.

Ntrails 8y ago

I fine rowing on Ergs particularly hard work as cardio goes. There's no momentum stroke to stroke, so every single one requires full effort. When I did this at uni, my strategy for coping was to spend the entire time doing mental maths / projections for how much any drop in rate would impact my final time (and conversely how much could be gained by an increase if kept up until the end). It's not hard maths, but it was the perfect distraction from the problem of dealing with how little effort I had left vs what I wanted to achieve. Trying to think on abstract problems was more than I could achieve. Not thinking about anything but my next stroke wasn't enough. It was (and remains) the perfect strategy for me.