This is just so alien to me. I know it's not rare but the idea of pushing my physical limits or competing for no reward holds absolutely no appeal for me. I only aim to be healthy which is hard enough with a chronic illness.
At times it becomes utterly blissful, like spiritually blissful, and leaves you feeling relaxed and happy otherwise.
People have a vested interest in pretending exercise is miserable to cast themselves as spiritually superior, but they actually usually like it quite a bit.
I believe the treadmill goes both directions. Someone who's ridden a century or run a marathon has a much different concept of what a stressful day looks like. There were always two groups of developers who seemed particularly unflappable: the cyclists, and the ex-military (I will say the ex-submariner took it too far and he was so calm he went straight into creepy). There are no guarantees here, but there are patterns. We had a particularly high maintenance manager who was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, for instance. I wonder now what she would have been like if she weren't running. Terrifying.
I don't think that means you have to engage in endurance sports, but maybe joining a volunteer group that cleans parks or repairs wetlands would be good not just for your self esteem but also your sanity.
It's "fun".
Type 2 fun is my favorite way of describing it. Usually starts with good intentions, it’s miserable while it’s happening, but afterwards the mind convinces itself that the experience was enjoyable.
I started our ultra running because I wanted the achievements. That would never have sustained me doing it over the long term though. Eventually I learned to slow down a bit during the races so that it was less of a sufferfest and I could enjoy them more in the moment. Now just being "out there" is the reward.
And I'm just starting to appreciate the parts about pushing my physical limits in the past few years. When skiing, it's fun to push myself to the limits of what I can do while still staying in control and safe. When running, it's fun to push yourself the limits of what you can do, running faster, longer, etc. Ran my first half marathon with a friend this last weekend, and it was a blast.