Comment on How do you beat post-work floppiness?
I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 6 hours agoHere’s a little thought experiment: If someone offered you a magical pill that could keep you healthy and fit and you never had to work out again, would you take it?
If the answer is yes, then it’s because while you may like the results of working out; deep down you know the actual act of working out fucking sucks. If such a pill existed, you wouldn’t keep lifting weights or running on a treadmill just for the hell of it.
It’s fine to like the results of working out. Hell, I like the results. I like being healthy. I like not having heart problems. But I’m not going to fucking delude myself like a gullible idiot and say that what it takes to achieve those things is somehow enjoyable. Because it’s not. Working out is fucking awful. Just because it’s the only option doesn’t mean I have to pretend to like it.
blarghly@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
I mean, certainly I would take it. But I would still keep working out because I have other goals I want to achieve - I want to look good, hit certain athletic goals (like 2xBW dead), and tick certain party tricks (like a one arm handstand). But sure, suppose the pill created all the physiological changes I wanted.
Well in that case, I would still do some sort of skill training (handstands aren’t just pure muscle). And also, I find that some short amount of somewhat heavy lifting primes my body for other sorts of exercise - it makes me feel warm and snappy. But fine, maybe there’s a pill for that too.
And then - well great! I could stop lifting weights and pounding pavement, I suppose. What would I do instead? Well, I would spend more time doing my hobbies, which are exercise based. I would play more ultimate frisbee, go rock climbing, go canyoneering, go mountain running. I would cycle cross country, hike long trails, learn to surf, get into acrobatics, and become a breakdancer. I would landscape my back yard, build houses, experiment with crazy weird diy ideas that are probably a bad idea. Also, imagine if you got two people who took the pill together - the sex would be craaaazyyyy!!! I would use my athleticism as I use it now - to meet new people with a common interest, have fun with friends, explore new places, push my mental limits, and create artistic statements of my lived experience.
And I will refer back to what I said before - the way to like exercise is to make it fun, easy, and social. It doesn’t have to mean 3 sets of 8 on the leg press and running until you hate yourself on the treadmill. I didn’t get into exercise by going to the gym. I just had a vague notion that exercise made you not fat, and started playing pickup ultimate frisbee because the people were friendly, I had fun doing it, and a group met every day during lunch.
And if I may be so bold - I think this concept will work for you, too. But only if you can entertain the notion that some forms of exercise might be enjoyable. Because if you always show up to every new thing you try with the attitude that it is definitely terrible and you will hate it… then you will.