Asklemmy

I enjoy working out. I look at it as “me time”, listening to a podcast, doing sets. Also the community at my local gym is great - nice people.

I had to drag myself out of the house for strength training once a week at first. It took a while but I actually started enjoying it to the point that I go to the gym almost every day now. I think it helps a lot that the gym is like a 2 minute walk though.

It depends on the workout for me. When I'm in shape of course, if I'm not in shape then it's hell.

Running 4-6km is very neutral, nothing special

Running 6-10km is kinda enjoyable

Running 10-15km feels really good for some reason

Then everything above 15km is hell (I only ever ran a half marathon at once)

I find running a bit like meditation, or I just let my mind wander wherever. I can't really put to words the experience, but I would definitely describe it as enjoyable. Especially in winter, I absolutely love it when the cold bites my skin as I start running, and then when you warm up you don't feel it anymore.

Working out is about discipline, not pleasure imo. I’m sure there are some folks who really enjoy working out, but for most of the general public, it’s about sticking to a routine and seeing yourself improve, regardless of how it makes you feel

It becomes enjoyable when you are fit. When you are not, your body will hate you, until you are fit enough.

Fuck no

I get the natural endorphins "runner's high." Music sound beautiful and all is well. And the cardiovascular exercise is good for me.

I don’t really enjoy these activities on their own, but I do enjoy some activities that I can do in conjunction. Listening to music or podcasts can be done at the same time as almost any workout. If you are working out at home, you could even watch tv or something. I enjoy being able to play a game or browse the web on my phone if I’m using a stationary bike. Basically what makes it tolerable for me is what I can do at the same time.

I did a few of those things, jogging, cycling, lifting weights. I rotated between them because I actually didn’t like any of it in the long term. I did some if these indoors (fitness center) and outdoors, in small fitness centers and large ones. The longest streak was about 3 years of intensive cycling outdoors.

In the end I started climbing / bouldering and stuck with it. The mental component is far more engaging.

I enjoy it but different people prefer different types of exercise and sometimes try the wrong one for them then give up. Some people really do love cardio, some feel amazing when they lift weights and get stronger, some prefer a group class or sport. If you're doing something solo though I HIGHLY recommend adding in music or an audiobook or podcast, especially if you're feeling like it isn't for you. That can help if you're getting bored. Then, switch it up. If you didn't like the elliptical, try a weight lifting session. If the weights weren't your cup of tea, try a yoga class or a free yoga video if you just want to try it at home without so much expense and commitment.

Is there anything the rest of us can do to cultivate such a mindset?

For cardio it's basically "go slow". The main source of discomfort is the exertion.
An easy long run with good music is quite meditative and enjoyable.
When your legs hurt and you're wheezing your lungs out, not so much.

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I do light workouts at home, and it's honestly a hassle, but I enjoy the benefits of it (especially walking just to take my mind off of things). So I kinda just suck it up lol. I'm still working towards making it a habit (if not already), so what I do is also watch videos during sessions.

I find that being active along with having a balanced diet makes me feel energized throughout the day, and also make me sleep better at night.

I also look forward to cheat days. I work hard and in return, reward myself with something good. Whenever I find myself feeling lazy, I try my best to push through with it. Feels kinda bad to skip tbh so I try to make it up the following day.

For me Brazilian jiu Jitsu got me in great shape and the grind of it helped me get into hard workouts too. I don’t enjoy lifting or doing cardio but I love the after reward. Jiu jitsu definitely helped me know I could push past what I thought was a limit.

I enjoy lifting, especially very heavy weights that are near a single weight. I also enjoy a lot of the Crossfit type of workouts that we do. It's just me against the old me mentally. I'm doing shit in my late 40s that I couldn't imagine doing when I was 20.

Most days it just has me in a good mental state where I'm enjoying life and pushing myself. There's just something to enjoy about doing things that you think you can't

It's similar to brushing your teeth. You know you have to do it and feel bad if you missed it. For the last 2 years and a half it became a habit for me, I have to go every 2 to 3 days, but no I still don't see it as a source of pleasure. Instead, I'm relieved once it's done.

I enjoy being in a roll with a good gym schedule, seeing the progress, and the sense of having put the work in.

Otherwise it really depends on the exercise for me : I dislike those that make it hard to breathe. But leg presses, and bicep curls alfeel empowering.

It for sure takes time to reach a point of fitness where exercise feels good. Starting out totally untrained is really tough, and most people don't stick with it long enough for exercise to feel good.

It's also helpful to find something you like or think is cool in the first place. Many people fall off the workout grind because they think it's mandatory for them to suffer through steady state cardio for an hour or insert thing that you in particular don't like.

For me, powerlifting was the perfect balance of measurable, incremental progress, plus there's time between sets to get focused for the next one. I literally can't do steady state cardio without wanting to blow my brains out, but lifting weights and being strong? Yes please. With how I feel outside of the gym because of it? I'm in this shit for life.

Listen to music and https://youtu.be/j0B7bzP-Gog

It's dependent on how my day was and the music/podcast I'm listening to. If both are good, I can enjoy my workout with a better mindset. If not, I just remind myself that my body will thank me later on and I generally have a better attitude after working out regardless.

I cycle for adventure and experience, it's also why I prefer gravel and offroad cycling to road. That gravel crunch in the forest, smell of the trees, sound of birds and absolutely no traffic is pure bliss. Ok sure there is some suffering during climbs, but the feeling of accomplishment when you finally get on top and the descent that follow are worth it.

I join one gravel competition a year, but I go for the event, not to actually compete. I like riding with one friend, on paths where we can ride side by side and chat, and I don't see a point in group road rides where you just stare at the butt of the rider in front of you the entire ride.

In general I experience joy the entire bike ride, it's like my therapy, a couple of hours without a phone, outside, just me and silence. I guess the fitness that comes with it is good too.

Usually, but there's a lot of hard days. My main motivator is that I know I will always feel great after exercise. When I've done the regular gym sessions and jogging, I feel like I have the energy to do all the things I want and my brain feels 20% smarter. I've seen that some other people seem to function without exercise just fine, I don't understand how. But I can't...

I mainly do just gym and jogging. Jogging is the easy one for me. I usually feel instantly good when I start my run and the barrier to go is low: keep running gear at hand and just go out of the door. There's hardly ever any pain or unpleasantness. I've done this so long that my body sort of runs on its own. Or that's what it feels like.

Gym is harder. I've got some random pains in my muscles from doing it. Some pain is completely normal of course but I don't really enjoy pushing my body when it hurts or if there's a fear of some real injury. But it can be very pleasurable and motivating as well. On a good day, I feel strong and lifting feels good without pain. And there's progress also.

Anyway I'm quite excited about current progress at the gym. I genuinely feel better and more energized than before.

But answers to question about how to feel good: Jogging: go regularly for 20+ years and it will feel nice almost all the time... Gym (weight lifting): i would like to know this myself, it seems there are some good days but a lot of bad days as well

Yes. I wholly enjoy working out these days. The noise @ 6am irritates my neighbors like their smoke irritates my lungs @ 12am.

Yes! I've had to fight like hell to enjoy working out. It's taken years. But now I deeply enjoy it. It kind of feels like competetive sports - it's just really cool to see how far you can push your body, and to see it grow and get stronger over time.

I had to start by just getting into really basic routines doing things I wouldn't hate. Little jogs, light weights, etc. Eventually you stop dreading going to work out. As you get stronger it gets easier and more enjoyable.

I do classes, 1hr of body combat to go hard and then it's done. The music, instructors and feeding off the energy of the ppl around you make it enjoyable.

I find gyms insufferably boring.

I play an intense competitive sport which burns easily 5000 calories a week, keep a reasonable diet, and do stretches/cooldowns according to my Dr and physio. Then at home I do a pretty basic routine of squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and stretch band exercises. I don't smoke and barely drink anymore either.

I'm 38 and that keeps me in great physical condition, healthy weight, nice muscle tone; plus I'm energetic, and mostly injury free. I've also noticed I'm aging significantly better than my stagnant friends and colleagues.

Find a sport you enjoy and go all in on that.

I love CrossFit, but I'm not culty about it. I don't really care for the community aspect of it, and in fact, I prefer to go during "open gym" instead of normal classes.

But I like it because someone else sets the workout, it's different every day, and every movement is scalable to my needs. Add on to the fact that I'm seeing noticeable progress in my strength, conditioning, and physique, and sometimes I do actually enjoy the work in the moment.

I also enjoy running because I'm one of those weirdos.

I used to hate lifting. Now I look at it like a meditation, and look forward to it (mostly) every day.

for me, yes, when cycling. its a form of meditation to me and you can always back off if it gets too hard or exhausting. im working on my climbing now which is definitly challenging me but its also good for building that mental fortitude of 'head down, just peddle dont think'. its done wonders for me mentally, as well as physically

I really enjoy it when I have something I'm aiming for. The accomplishment of hitting a new PR (1 rep max of otherwise) gives me a major dopamine hit. It's going to be different for everyone though, I dispise cardio even though I do it for example. I usually have to trick myself to enjoy it like turning on a TV show or podcast or audiobook I'm really interested in. Recently the Pre-work out Ive been using has had a major positive impact in my mood as well. Not just because of the addition energy but I almost feel euphoric during my whole session.

I love it. I was a fat kid, lost a ton of weight at 30. Got really into biking which gave me strong legs but made me look like an alien. So I started lifting weights to balance that out (and improve my biking). I also started running without any break-in period because my bike fitness carried over to running well enough.

Now I love all three sports for their own sake. I have gone through phases focusing on each one and have developed training methodologies for each. I especially love biking in the summer, lifting in fall and spring, and running in the snow.

The key as I understand it is to set goals and start small, work your way into it. Also go slower on cardio; learn what zone 2 is and spend 80% of your time there. It is better to be slow and enjoy it than go too fast, burn out, and suffer.

Lifting weights feels like a routine. As someone else said, there is purity on watching your body work, looking at your form, and pushing for PRs. I highly recommend Wendel's 5-3-1 program.

Biking is very freeing, you can go anywhere with enough time. Very calming, in your head time.

Running is shorter and more intense, even at an easy pace I don't usually want to go more than an hour. But it also feels good for the rest of the day, and there is something charming about getting all sweaty from doing awesome things.

Does swimming, yoga, biking and gardening count as exercise, or are we strictly taking about big muscle workout?

Yeah, but no.

I've been lifting weights daily since I was 15, and I'm 33 now. I enjoy it in that it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something more than I would be if I just sat on my ass at home. It feels good to push yourself physically and 'feel the burn' and work up a sweat. Humans were meant to use their bodies and if you don't there's a very good chance that that is the reason you feel like shit all the time.

But also no because I find weight training to be exceptionally boring. This is easily mitigated though because once you have the flow of your workout solidly built into your head, it's simple enough that you can turn your brain off and focus on the podcast you're listening to. 30-50 minutes will pass by in a flash.

I still have days where I dread my workout, and I have to really push myself to complete them. Generally, if I go straight home from work and sit on my couch, I will not get back up.