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I'm a former competitive cyclist, but even back then I was against any rigorous quantification of my training. Exercise should be fun. That's what really gets y

by cultus 6y ago

I'm a former competitive cyclist, but even back then I was against any rigorous quantification of my training. Exercise should be fun. That's what really gets you to stick with it. If Strava makes it more fun for some people, then that's absolutely fantastic. However, I see a lot of people (new cyclists in particular)that want to micromanage all of their exercise, and it seems like it causes them anxiety. I lift weights, and as someone who is not bulking (nor have I for a few years), I don't keep track of my lifting. I just lift in the volume and weight that feels good to me. Exercise science is kind of a wasteland anyway, so detailed data on one's workouts isn't even particularly useful information.

MinusGix 6y ago
How do you get exercise to be fun? I occasionally try doing more exercise than normal, but it eventually breaks down as I find it tedious and boring. The only exercising-esque activity I've really enjoyed was swordfighting (literally just with wooden swords with friends), but that's not really something to practice on my own, nor is there that many who I can do it with. I should just stick with some form of exercise, but when I feel like I'm wasting my time (being bored), that really kills my motivation.
- ohazi 6y ago
  > I occasionally try doing more exercise than normal This has never worked for me. The extra push is exhausting, and then I use that as an excuse to skip the next day, and eventually the habit breaks. Don't overexert yourself, do only the amount that feels good and keep it easy so that you're not turned off when you need to do it again the next day. Once you've built up a habit, you can slowly ramp it up, but trying to go too fast has always caused me to stop altogether. If you go slowly enough that you don't notice the additional exertion, you're much more likely to keep your habit. Contrary to popular soundbytes, you actually can improve without pushing yourself too hard. It's weird going from barely being able to run half a mile to running five miles without getting seriously winded, but it does work, and you don't ever need to feel winded in the process. If you start to feel bad, stop. Don't beat yourself up if you didn't get as far as you did yesterday, just do it again tomorrow. I was only ever able to do this slowly. Overexerting myself always failed. As for fun... Eh. I've gotten to the point where I feel restless if I haven't gone running, so then I go run and shower, and then I feel great. But the restless itching feeling is the habit that makes me want to go, not fun in the moment. Maybe running is weird.
  - acheron9383 6y ago
    Second this whole thing. Wasn't a runner growing up, recently ran a marathon which was fun, now I am back to just running 5 miles for regular exercise. Honestly got into it as a mental break after work, took to listening to podcasts and audiobooks while running. Don't go too fast, don't go too far each time, the act of having done something is the only thing that is important, even if you walk half of it. Exercise is there to make you feel better, mentally and physically.
- coupdejarnac 6y ago
  You might check out Arma or some other Hema-type martial art. Olympic fencing is fun and intense as well.
- rosywoozlechan 6y ago
  > How do you get exercise to be fun? Find something you like! It can be any activity that requires some exertion! Canoeing! Trail hiking! Boxing! Street hockey! Soccer? Bouldering! There's so many different forms of sports and activities and there's going to be one both fun and challenging for you enough to make it part of your daily life. That's what you need.

by cultus 6y ago

MinusGix 6y ago

How do you get exercise to be fun? I occasionally try doing more exercise than normal, but it eventually breaks down as I find it tedious and boring. The only exercising-esque activity I've really enjoyed was swordfighting (literally just with wooden swords with friends), but that's not really something to practice on my own, nor is there that many who I can do it with. I should just stick with some form of exercise, but when I feel like I'm wasting my time (being bored), that really kills my motivation.

ohazi 6y ago
> I occasionally try doing more exercise than normal This has never worked for me. The extra push is exhausting, and then I use that as an excuse to skip the next day, and eventually the habit breaks. Don't overexert yourself, do only the amount that feels good and keep it easy so that you're not turned off when you need to do it again the next day. Once you've built up a habit, you can slowly ramp it up, but trying to go too fast has always caused me to stop altogether. If you go slowly enough that you don't notice the additional exertion, you're much more likely to keep your habit. Contrary to popular soundbytes, you actually can improve without pushing yourself too hard. It's weird going from barely being able to run half a mile to running five miles without getting seriously winded, but it does work, and you don't ever need to feel winded in the process. If you start to feel bad, stop. Don't beat yourself up if you didn't get as far as you did yesterday, just do it again tomorrow. I was only ever able to do this slowly. Overexerting myself always failed. As for fun... Eh. I've gotten to the point where I feel restless if I haven't gone running, so then I go run and shower, and then I feel great. But the restless itching feeling is the habit that makes me want to go, not fun in the moment. Maybe running is weird.
- acheron9383 6y ago
  Second this whole thing. Wasn't a runner growing up, recently ran a marathon which was fun, now I am back to just running 5 miles for regular exercise. Honestly got into it as a mental break after work, took to listening to podcasts and audiobooks while running. Don't go too fast, don't go too far each time, the act of having done something is the only thing that is important, even if you walk half of it. Exercise is there to make you feel better, mentally and physically.
coupdejarnac 6y ago
You might check out Arma or some other Hema-type martial art. Olympic fencing is fun and intense as well.
rosywoozlechan 6y ago
> How do you get exercise to be fun? Find something you like! It can be any activity that requires some exertion! Canoeing! Trail hiking! Boxing! Street hockey! Soccer? Bouldering! There's so many different forms of sports and activities and there's going to be one both fun and challenging for you enough to make it part of your daily life. That's what you need.