4 ms·

If I can get on my soapbox: physical activity is still very underrated, especially by people who spend a lot of time on the computer. I have so many colleagues

by neilk 3y ago

If I can get on my soapbox: physical activity is still very underrated, especially by people who spend a lot of time on the computer. I have so many colleagues with anxieties and other pathologies that would be greatly relieved by even modest physical activity. But there are good cultural reasons why nerds avoid physical activity. North American cultural tropes, especially from high school on up, make out physical activity to be a kind of war. It is supposed to require extreme discipline and a punitive degree of focus. It's supposed to separate winners from losers. Those who are lesser (too weak, too fat, too short, too... whatever) are just embarrassing and should not try to do physical things in public view, unless they are trying to atone for their weaknesses with self-flagellation. Lately I decided I would do physical activity but only when it was fun. I had no goals at all other than fun. I had to do something every other day and then stop when it wasn't fun. Sometimes this meant very short bursts of activity, or going to the gym for ten minutes and then leaving. I also explicitly was not trying to lose weight at all. I was trying to hack my psychology and associate physical activity with pleasure. I think it's working. I'm much stronger and my endurance is much higher. I set myself goals just for fun at the gym or on my bike and then complete them. And, full disclosure, I haven't lost any weight at all (in accordance with my goals!) but my body composition appears to be changing somewhat.

Aurornis 3y ago
> But there are good cultural reasons why nerds avoid physical activity. North American cultural tropes, especially from high school on up, make out physical activity to be a kind of war. It is supposed to require extreme discipline and a punitive degree of focus. It's supposed to separate winners from losers. Those who are lesser (too weak, too fat, too short, too... whatever) are just embarrassing and should not try to do physical things in public view, unless they are trying to atone for their weaknesses with self-flagellation. As someone who grew up as a nerd and only later discovered the joys of sports and fitness: This idea that physical fitness is "war" and excruciating painful and only for jocks is largely self-inflicted by nerds upon themselves. It comes from movies and TV and internet tropes more than the real world. Once you step out of the nerd bubble and try some physical fitness or casual sports you realize it's nothing like the movies. It's also nothing like the fitness influencers who post about their daily Crossfit grind or other social media displays. In fact, your local amateur soccer club or climbing gym is probably full of nerds and even people you might think are "out of shape", but who still have a great time. I run into a lot of engineers at these activities. I think the concept that sports are pain and only for the elite few and/or dumb jocks is a comforting myth for those who want to believe they're making the right choice by not exercising, but it's not true.
- neilk 3y ago
  You're definitely right that the jock/nerd thing is more of a media trope than real. On the other hand, I just attended my nephews' football game. When I went to the bathroom at halftime, I happened to overhear the losing team's coach speaking to his players - the bathroom adjoined the locker room. Speaking? I mean screaming. I was disgusted by the level of toxic masculinity. I shared this with some of my colleagues later and some of them said they had quit team sports to get away from this sort of culture.
  - Aurornis 3y ago
    Physical fitness and competitive sports are two different things, though. It's another nerd trope that physical fitness means you must engaged in competitive team sports or toxic masculinity. Again, step out of these bubbles and you realize that competitive, organized team sports are only a tiny little slice of the physical activities that people do. Also, not all competitive team sports are like this. It's a mistake to think that the toxic masculinity, outraged coach yelling at kids is totally normal. It's not. Many coaches will push their students past their comfort zones and refuse to take any crap, but someone who is just plain toxic will gradually lose their team and get pushed out most of the time.
    - WalterBright 3y ago
      > It's another nerd trope that physical fitness means you must engaged in competitive team sports or toxic masculinity. Oh please. As a lifelong nerd, I've never heard of these tropes.
- fatnoah 3y ago
  My only anecdata as a parent is my son's recent decision to join the cross-country running team at his high school. I've been amazed by the level of positivity and support of the team as a whole. The coach doesn't take any crap, but is amazingly supportive. One of the reasons my son joined was the experience of his very nerdy, overweight, non-athletic in any way, friend that joined the previous year. His friend went from not being able to run more than 500 ft to being able to complete a 2 mile run, with all members of the team strongly supporting him throughout. So far, my son has experienced the same things. It's amazing the effect it's had on these kids. My son is learning how to push himself and how much mental strength translates to the real world. i.e. Are you really that tired? Are you sure you can't make it to the end of the next lap? etc. What makes me sad is how few opportunities kids have for organized sports as they get older. By the time they're in high school, it's basically only for the super-competitive.
raverbashing 3y ago
I agree with your assessment There's too much BS and noise around physical activity. Stuff like "Fitness Magazines" or "The biggest loser" or even the HS tropes, movie tropes, the focus on collective sports, etc and even personal trainers contribute to this
WalterBright 3y ago
> there are good cultural reasons why nerds avoid physical activity Nah. I know quite a lot of nerds who are into fitness. > It is supposed to require extreme discipline ... I don't know any nerds who feel that way.
JohnBooty 3y ago
North American cultural tropes, especially from high school on up, make out physical activity to be a kind of war. It is supposed to require extreme discipline and a punitive degree of focus. It's supposed to separate winners from losers. Amen. Extremely well said. Additionally, as somebody who has always sort of had one foot in athletics and one foot in the world of nerdery: I find that many sedentary types are just uncomfortable with sweating. They find the sensation of sweat on their skin to be super gross and embarrassing and/or are afraid of "body odor" and this is a major deterrent for them. I was this way, kinda, when I was much younger. I definitely see it in others.
icedchai 3y ago
During the pandemic, I started exercising daily (mostly walking for an hour a day.) It did wonders for me. I lost 20+ pounds and I sleep so much better.
kulahan 3y ago
Exercise is the only thing I know of that improves ALL forms of mortality. From cancer, to gunshot wound, to heart disease via plaque in your gums, exercise simply prepares your body to handle stress better. Everything works just a little more efficiently, which pushes the dial in the right direction. Personally, I've started hiking a lot. I've been running for years, but I never really loved it. Once I learned how hard to push myself, I liked it a lot more, but now I just disappear into the mountains for a couple hours a day. I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. It's so easy to work out now, because I'm scrambling up that mountain in hopes I get to see ANOTHER new plant I've never come across before, or get to see another deer and fawn standing in the trail, just 20 yards ahead, or get a moment of actual, real peace and quiet. People, find a method of movement that works for you. It doesn't matter if it won't turn you into an athlete - any movement is better than none. Anecdotally, I used to sweat ALL THE TIME. Now, my body temp feels like it's regulated perfectly. Other people comment how hot it is outside, and I think to myself that it's actually quite cool. Obviously shedding a few pounds helps, but there must be more to it.
munificent 3y ago
> This idea that physical fitness is "war" and excruciating painful and only for jocks is largely self-inflicted by nerds upon themselves. I don't know how many this people generalizes true, but much of this was definitely inflicted on me by jocks. I grew up in the South in a time where bullying was common and allowed. I had the biological misfortune to be a very skinny late bloomer who never put on muscle the way most boys did, even though I was pretty active. I was mocked and bullied constantly in PE and hated every second of it. In high school PE, when we were doing football, they would do the classic move of picking two team captains who would then take turns picking people for their teams. Now, it is understood to be humiliating to be picked last in this scenario. But sometimes a captain would pick me first as a show of bravado. They would literally pick me and then tell they other captain that they were confident they'd still win even with me on their team. I agree with your point whole-heartedly that using your body can and should be fun. But I also know that for a lot of awkward nerds like myself, there is a lot of emotional baggage that understandably gets in the way of it.

by neilk 3y ago

Aurornis 3y ago

> But there are good cultural reasons why nerds avoid physical activity. North American cultural tropes, especially from high school on up, make out physical activity to be a kind of war. It is supposed to require extreme discipline and a punitive degree of focus. It's supposed to separate winners from losers. Those who are lesser (too weak, too fat, too short, too... whatever) are just embarrassing and should not try to do physical things in public view, unless they are trying to atone for their weaknesses with self-flagellation. As someone who grew up as a nerd and only later discovered the joys of sports and fitness: This idea that physical fitness is "war" and excruciating painful and only for jocks is largely self-inflicted by nerds upon themselves. It comes from movies and TV and internet tropes more than the real world. Once you step out of the nerd bubble and try some physical fitness or casual sports you realize it's nothing like the movies. It's also nothing like the fitness influencers who post about their daily Crossfit grind or other social media displays. In fact, your local amateur soccer club or climbing gym is probably full of nerds and even people you might think are "out of shape", but who still have a great time. I run into a lot of engineers at these activities. I think the concept that sports are pain and only for the elite few and/or dumb jocks is a comforting myth for those who want to believe they're making the right choice by not exercising, but it's not true.

neilk 3y ago
You're definitely right that the jock/nerd thing is more of a media trope than real. On the other hand, I just attended my nephews' football game. When I went to the bathroom at halftime, I happened to overhear the losing team's coach speaking to his players - the bathroom adjoined the locker room. Speaking? I mean screaming. I was disgusted by the level of toxic masculinity. I shared this with some of my colleagues later and some of them said they had quit team sports to get away from this sort of culture.
- Aurornis 3y ago
  Physical fitness and competitive sports are two different things, though. It's another nerd trope that physical fitness means you must engaged in competitive team sports or toxic masculinity. Again, step out of these bubbles and you realize that competitive, organized team sports are only a tiny little slice of the physical activities that people do. Also, not all competitive team sports are like this. It's a mistake to think that the toxic masculinity, outraged coach yelling at kids is totally normal. It's not. Many coaches will push their students past their comfort zones and refuse to take any crap, but someone who is just plain toxic will gradually lose their team and get pushed out most of the time.
  - WalterBright 3y ago
    > It's another nerd trope that physical fitness means you must engaged in competitive team sports or toxic masculinity. Oh please. As a lifelong nerd, I've never heard of these tropes.
fatnoah 3y ago
My only anecdata as a parent is my son's recent decision to join the cross-country running team at his high school. I've been amazed by the level of positivity and support of the team as a whole. The coach doesn't take any crap, but is amazingly supportive. One of the reasons my son joined was the experience of his very nerdy, overweight, non-athletic in any way, friend that joined the previous year. His friend went from not being able to run more than 500 ft to being able to complete a 2 mile run, with all members of the team strongly supporting him throughout. So far, my son has experienced the same things. It's amazing the effect it's had on these kids. My son is learning how to push himself and how much mental strength translates to the real world. i.e. Are you really that tired? Are you sure you can't make it to the end of the next lap? etc. What makes me sad is how few opportunities kids have for organized sports as they get older. By the time they're in high school, it's basically only for the super-competitive.

raverbashing 3y ago

I agree with your assessment There's too much BS and noise around physical activity. Stuff like "Fitness Magazines" or "The biggest loser" or even the HS tropes, movie tropes, the focus on collective sports, etc and even personal trainers contribute to this

WalterBright 3y ago

> there are good cultural reasons why nerds avoid physical activity Nah. I know quite a lot of nerds who are into fitness. > It is supposed to require extreme discipline ... I don't know any nerds who feel that way.

JohnBooty 3y ago

North American cultural tropes, especially from high school on up, make out physical activity to be a kind of war. It is supposed to require extreme discipline and a punitive degree of focus. It's supposed to separate winners from losers. Amen. Extremely well said. Additionally, as somebody who has always sort of had one foot in athletics and one foot in the world of nerdery: I find that many sedentary types are just uncomfortable with sweating. They find the sensation of sweat on their skin to be super gross and embarrassing and/or are afraid of "body odor" and this is a major deterrent for them. I was this way, kinda, when I was much younger. I definitely see it in others.

icedchai 3y ago

During the pandemic, I started exercising daily (mostly walking for an hour a day.) It did wonders for me. I lost 20+ pounds and I sleep so much better.

kulahan 3y ago

Exercise is the only thing I know of that improves ALL forms of mortality. From cancer, to gunshot wound, to heart disease via plaque in your gums, exercise simply prepares your body to handle stress better. Everything works just a little more efficiently, which pushes the dial in the right direction. Personally, I've started hiking a lot. I've been running for years, but I never really loved it. Once I learned how hard to push myself, I liked it a lot more, but now I just disappear into the mountains for a couple hours a day. I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. It's so easy to work out now, because I'm scrambling up that mountain in hopes I get to see ANOTHER new plant I've never come across before, or get to see another deer and fawn standing in the trail, just 20 yards ahead, or get a moment of actual, real peace and quiet. People, find a method of movement that works for you. It doesn't matter if it won't turn you into an athlete - any movement is better than none. Anecdotally, I used to sweat ALL THE TIME. Now, my body temp feels like it's regulated perfectly. Other people comment how hot it is outside, and I think to myself that it's actually quite cool. Obviously shedding a few pounds helps, but there must be more to it.

munificent 3y ago

> This idea that physical fitness is "war" and excruciating painful and only for jocks is largely self-inflicted by nerds upon themselves. I don't know how many this people generalizes true, but much of this was definitely inflicted on me by jocks. I grew up in the South in a time where bullying was common and allowed. I had the biological misfortune to be a very skinny late bloomer who never put on muscle the way most boys did, even though I was pretty active. I was mocked and bullied constantly in PE and hated every second of it. In high school PE, when we were doing football, they would do the classic move of picking two team captains who would then take turns picking people for their teams. Now, it is understood to be humiliating to be picked last in this scenario. But sometimes a captain would pick me first as a show of bravado. They would literally pick me and then tell they other captain that they were confident they'd still win even with me on their team. I agree with your point whole-heartedly that using your body can and should be fun. But I also know that for a lot of awkward nerds like myself, there is a lot of emotional baggage that understandably gets in the way of it.