Fat and Lazy

[danalwyn]

I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that I'm going to become fat and lazy.

This is because everyone around me seems to find something in physical activity that I don't. I mean, all the other people at work go out and have fun playing tennis, or running 50k, or going on day long bike rides (although why you need a Mountain Bike in Illinois is beyond me. Don't they have a Prairie Bike or something?), whereas I have enough trouble doing a regular exercise routine at all. Part of it seems to be that while they get a rush out of all this, as do some people on my FList, whereas if I run for an hour, I just get tired. I think things would be so much easier if I could say that "I feel good" afterwards instead of just "I'm tired and I hurt".

This is clearly not fair. Obviously I need to sue somebody, but I'm too lazy to figure out who. And find some place to work that's not filled with health nuts.

Comments

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

It's also a case of experimenting and finding something you like. For some people it's running/hiking/climbing/some martial art. You might want to try some things you haven't tried before, and see if there's something you find is totally *fun*. Then even if you can't do the fun thing all the time, you'll be motivated to work out so that you can keep your skills at the fun stuff.

[danalwyn.livejournal.com]

I really do wish I could get the endorphin rush, or whatever it is, with something or anything. It seems a bit weird that other people can get it, but I don't.

Hiking might be nice, but it takes up a bit too much time. On weekends I can end up walking ten or fifteen miles a day already, and that doesn't feel much like exercise. I don't think there are longer paths around here; obviously I have to look farther afield. Maybe I'll go back to a martial art once my carpal tunnel eases some.

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

If you have reasonable access to decent pool facilities swimming is a good intense full body workout that doesn't take a great deal of time. And if you haven't tried it you might want to try climbing (once your carpal tunnel resolves, obviously). If you find you don't get a rush from running, etc. climbing might be just the thing, because you get to look down and go "Oh! Cool!". Then again, I'm biased. ;)

[danalwyn.livejournal.com]

Huh, climbing, and heights in general were never much my thing, but I may try swimming.

I bet swimming burns a lot of calories once the water temp around here drops below freezing again.

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

I bet swimming burns a lot of calories once the water temp around here drops below freezing again.

It also offers non-surgical options to men who desire gender reassignment.

Seriously, I wish I had a simple answer to give you, but it's so much a matter of personal preference that I can't do more than offer some suggestions. Climbing (even on a climbing wall) is great for distraction, because you become so intensely focused on working out your route and how you're going to maneuver that you don't have the leisure to either zone or think about other things. Unfortunately it's the only sport I can think of with this type of stimulus done solo. Everything else requires at least a partner (i.e. fencing), or an instructor who can correct your forms (various other martial arts).

[danalwyn.livejournal.com]

Chicago is famous for people going to jump in the lake during the winter. I didn't mean to sound snarky.

You have a lot of good suggestions, and I like swimming. We'll have to see how I feel about it. Maybe I'll just stay lazy (this is looking increasingly likely).

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to sound snarky.

And I didn't take it as such, no worries. :)

People jump in the lake during the winter? I suppose it's no different than the polar bear people here, or the traditional Russian bath house, but people are really asking for a potential heart attack. Part of my ice safety and rescue training involved voluntarily jumping into a hole cut in the ice (with a safety harness, so others can easily pull you out if you can't get out on your own), and it's not something I'd do for sport. It's a valuable experience for just how cold it is, how difficult to breathe, how difficult to pull yourself out, and the physiological effects after. I've never accidentally gone through anything more than knee deep, either, and I hope it stays that way.

By the way, will this be your first full winter in a colder climate? If so, you might find you actually enjoy it. (Well, not having to deal with slick roads, bad traffic, etc., but the chillier temperatures themselves.)

[tripathy.livejournal.com]

I have the same issue with exercise for the sake of exercise. It's like people don't understand me when I say that exercise needs to have a point other than just "get healthy through exercise"--like to win the game or otherwise get some kind of reward. I've also realized recently that the things I actually enjoy doing are the things that engage my brain at the same time as my body and require some kind of skill.

In the winter, hockey engages my brain as I'm constantly thinking about positioning, how I can set up a play, etc. When I don't have hockey, I play Dance Dance Revolution at home, which to me requires quite a bit of attention to follow the patterns (and fun music is always a plus), and the further I get, the more new songs I can unlock to try, and so on and so on.

Try to get me to do just about anything else, though, and I find it incredibly boring and pointless. The idea of just running or swimming or going to the gym makes my brain keel over and go right to sleep. It really is just a matter of understanding exactly what you want out of activity, and which activity will suit you. Some people like to turn off their brain and just do, but I get the feeling that you're not one of them. ^_~

[danalwyn.livejournal.com]

Turning my brain off hurts it, and I'm not that fond of pain that I can ignore it for no good reason. You're certainly right there.

I need to find someone to exercise with so I can argue with them in the process, but somehow I doubt that this would provide a hard workout.