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.

Yes, I love it. I feel that enjoying it comes with a few factors: knowing what you're doing is correct and maximizing each workout, and a shift in mindset that the "dread" of it doesn't actually have to be dread, which takes time to shift your head into as you get familiar. Of course, there are days where I'd rather not go, but showing up for the ritual is what matters, at that point. To get the post-workout high, you have to push yourself adequately to feel it. It doesn't have to be equal intensity of it afterward every single time, but it's a good sign that you've worked out really well.

Yeah for sure. Somedays no, but once you make it part of your routine it gets alot easier to enjoy. I usually listen to podcasts or music to keep my mind more active though and that helps alot, because then you are not thinking solely of the physical exertion on my body.

I enjoy a nice bike ride.

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.

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.

I do genuinely enjoy cycling yeah, at least if it's outside. In general though I hate working out (and don't do it nearly enough as a result), but I do actually like the feeling afterwards

If you mean in a gym? I hate the gym and am one of the people that only likes the effects.

If you mean outdoors, like cycling or running or hiking, then oh yeah! It’s fun to lose yourself in the action: it’s meditative as the physical action is repetitive and it allows you to just take in your scenery and let your mind wander freely.

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

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.

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.

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

Fuck no

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

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.

I love riding my bike on the weekends and if my commute wasn't 1.5 hours each way, I'd go to the gym pretty often.

Anything where the scenery moves, yes I am enjoying it whether I'm riding, biking, hiking, inline skating, trail running, etc. I think part of what works for me is I almost never repeat the same route twice and if I feel myself getting burnt out on one activity I switch it up and do something else. Too much road biking? Go mountain biking? Too much of any kind of biking. Go trail running or inline skating, or at least go for a hike.

But weights and gym stuff? No. Just no, I cannot.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

I love cycling, although I would say it's a combination of travel + physical activity that does it for me. I can also listen to some stuff in the background while cycling, which satisfies my ADHD monkey brain, because it's two (or three) experiences crammed into one time slot (efficiency!).

For its own sake, no. Unless I happen to be doing something I intrinsically enjoy that happens to give me exercise, I hate it every time. I need some really motivating tunes otherwise, and they wear out fast after a few listens.

For the past year my workout has simply been roller skating. And yes, it is joyous every time!

When I lifted a lot, seeing the progress I was making in terms of increased squat, deadlift, etc was pretty motivating. Picking 350 pounds up off the ground feels pretty good too.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Pleasure for me comes from achievement. The time I first ran 5k in under 30 minutes, or the first time I deadlifted more than my own bodyweight. Achieving these things gives you that nice feeling. Yeah, there are people who can run faster or lift heavier, but I try and concentrate on my progress - doesn't always work but I know deep down I'm getting better at the things I choose to do.

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.

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

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 like mountain biking. Every other type of exercise can shove it.

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.