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It takes some time to find some exercise that works for you. I hated the gym, running bored me, I didn't really fit in with the fightsport crowd in my city (all

It takes some time to find some exercise that works for you. I hated the gym, running bored me, I didn't really fit in with the fightsport crowd in my city (all started classes were filled young kids, you might have better luck in a bigger city!) but swimming has been awesome so far. I used to stay in shape by cycling to work everyday but over the years I have become fatter, slower, less attractive, depressed and far less sharp. I swim almost an hour everyday and during the weekends I sometimes go for 3-4 hours and it has done wonders for my depression, it also enhances your mental clarity and swimming is a great way to work out those hard recursion or architectural problems. I used to deal with overwhelming negative emotions in less constructive ways, some days I still swim to "destroy", endorphins also work great for emotional pain so after that I usually feel a lot better. I hear great things about climbing from other programmers. If you're depressed find something that you enjoy as a exercise, once you get the basics down it becomes a "flow" not much different from programming :) I also take some St John's Wort, some vitamin D and I replaced most breakfasts with Soylent. So far it has done wonders in fighting my depression.

comrh 12y ago
PSA: Talk to a doctor about serotonin syndrome before trying St. John Wort if you take a SSRI.
joelrunyon 12y ago
> I replaced most breakfasts with Soylent. What were your breakfasts previously?
crimsonalucard 12y ago
Running isn't boring, boring is just an excuse. If you were really running or if you were really exercising you'd be in too much pain to be bored. Running is a form of self torture pure and simple. The people who tell you they enjoy running are really saying that they've disciplined themselves to master the pain. I mean, sure you get endorphins when you run, but the pain component of long distance running is far more intense then any high you can receive from endorphins. In essence people who truly exercise have conditioned themselves to the point where the negative effects of exercise become inconsequential and the benefits begin to outweigh the pain. Make no mistake. Real Exercise isn't about finding something you simply enjoy and love. It is very intense work and something that you need to learn to love; kind of like programming.
- hkmurakami 12y ago
  With that definition, aren't all forms of exercise self-torture? After all, they all destroy your muscle cells.
  - crimsonalucard 12y ago
    Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. But I'm not talking about it in the physical sense where they damage your muscle cells. I'm talking about psychological pain where you get tired, out of breath, and your muscles begin to ache a bit.
    - Dewie 12y ago
      > Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. It seems effective enough for LaurensBER already, judging by all the benefits he/she lists.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  Real Exercise... is very intense work For many of my favorite forms of sport, sure, this is true, but it isn't the case for everything. At least according to Training for the New Alpinism, Zone 2 is the best place for cardio training. [1] Per that book, however, novices don't train there because they share your belief. Zone 2 doesn't feel like intense work, so novices think they are doing something wrong when they train in that zone. something that you need to learn to love Nah. It isn't like brussel sprouts (IMO). I don't think I will ever grow to love the exercises I hate, and the exercises I enjoy I have enjoyed since day one. Or maybe day three- the first couple days of a new sport can be rough as you wake up forgotten, dusty muscles. [1]: Assuming your sport is mountain climbing, or sports with similar cardio demands
  - crimsonalucard 12y ago
    Sure maybe there are things that you hate about certain exercises that are unrelated to intensity or hard-work. But I was mostly responding to how the original commenter said running was boring. IMO it is virtually impossible to be bored with running simply because the pain involved is too high. I find that the people who say running is boring are people who never pushed themselves to the intensity required for effective exercise/running. They probably ran a mile and got bored. I tell them run at least 5 miles on hilly terrain and tell me if you're bored when you're done.
agumonkey 12y ago
Maybe some people are built to live through physical activity. I also function better when my body is under the right amount of pressure. I love the slight pain of afterwork, I love the calm bliss of exercise. I function far worse whenever I go below a threshold. Especially when replaced by day long satsurf session.

comrh 12y ago

PSA: Talk to a doctor about serotonin syndrome before trying St. John Wort if you take a SSRI.

joelrunyon 12y ago

> I replaced most breakfasts with Soylent. What were your breakfasts previously?

crimsonalucard 12y ago

Running isn't boring, boring is just an excuse. If you were really running or if you were really exercising you'd be in too much pain to be bored. Running is a form of self torture pure and simple. The people who tell you they enjoy running are really saying that they've disciplined themselves to master the pain. I mean, sure you get endorphins when you run, but the pain component of long distance running is far more intense then any high you can receive from endorphins. In essence people who truly exercise have conditioned themselves to the point where the negative effects of exercise become inconsequential and the benefits begin to outweigh the pain. Make no mistake. Real Exercise isn't about finding something you simply enjoy and love. It is very intense work and something that you need to learn to love; kind of like programming.

hkmurakami 12y ago
With that definition, aren't all forms of exercise self-torture? After all, they all destroy your muscle cells.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. But I'm not talking about it in the physical sense where they damage your muscle cells. I'm talking about psychological pain where you get tired, out of breath, and your muscles begin to ache a bit.
  - Dewie 12y ago
    > Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. It seems effective enough for LaurensBER already, judging by all the benefits he/she lists.
sliverstorm 12y ago
Real Exercise... is very intense work For many of my favorite forms of sport, sure, this is true, but it isn't the case for everything. At least according to Training for the New Alpinism, Zone 2 is the best place for cardio training. [1] Per that book, however, novices don't train there because they share your belief. Zone 2 doesn't feel like intense work, so novices think they are doing something wrong when they train in that zone. something that you need to learn to love Nah. It isn't like brussel sprouts (IMO). I don't think I will ever grow to love the exercises I hate, and the exercises I enjoy I have enjoyed since day one. Or maybe day three- the first couple days of a new sport can be rough as you wake up forgotten, dusty muscles. [1]: Assuming your sport is mountain climbing, or sports with similar cardio demands
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Sure maybe there are things that you hate about certain exercises that are unrelated to intensity or hard-work. But I was mostly responding to how the original commenter said running was boring. IMO it is virtually impossible to be bored with running simply because the pain involved is too high. I find that the people who say running is boring are people who never pushed themselves to the intensity required for effective exercise/running. They probably ran a mile and got bored. I tell them run at least 5 miles on hilly terrain and tell me if you're bored when you're done.

agumonkey 12y ago

Maybe some people are built to live through physical activity. I also function better when my body is under the right amount of pressure. I love the slight pain of afterwork, I love the calm bliss of exercise. I function far worse whenever I go below a threshold. Especially when replaced by day long satsurf session.