Can exercise make you happy, not as an end result, but while doing it? | Hacker News Reader

Can exercise make you happy, not as an end result, but while doing it?

Exercise is movement for the sake of movement, because science says, movement in certain ways was healthy.

In other words: run to lose weight, because that's healthy. Lift weights to build muscle, because that's healthy. Move exactly along this line for this amount of repetitions to maximise the amount of muscle you build. Rest for exactly this amount of time. You have no reason to take the stairs other than it being healthy. And on it goes.

Fun is not part of this equation so far, only conscientiousness.

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I have broken a collarbone; gotten a bruise 18 inches long; destroyed (one at a time) almost every part on my bicycle; hit an armadillo and ridden to 90 miles with a 20 mile head-wind in the final 10 miles. I've been happy pretty much every time even through some of these incidents, often because I had other riders with me.

I don't intend to live forever.

I totally get that. I played soccer. The exercise was incidental to my need to play with my friends and team-mates. When Father Time finally forced me to quit I had to go on anti-depressants. Soccer was my drug.

It's rather unclear what you're asking.

If you're asking how you can get the requisite cardio / anaerobic exercise in an enjoyable format, it should be self-evident that it completely depends on what you like.

Personally, I get my high intensity interval training from playing very difficult Pump It Up stages. I get regular endurance training from trail running with my husky. Finally, anaerobic and muscle development comes from bouldering.

I also get incidental exercise throughout the day by substituting less efficient systems. I don't use elevators - I always run up the stairs. If I'm watching TV, I'll adopt a horse-stance position for a few minutes at a time.

Are you asking scientifically/statistically? Yes, exercise can in and of itself help improve mood.

Anecdotally? It depends a lot on the person and the form of exercise. Many people enjoy sports or outdoor activities. Some people love going to the gym. Others, the pool or tennis court or mountain bike trails or whitewater rivers or disc golf or yoga or martial arts or whatever. Some people hate all of the above.

Asking for yourself? Try different activities until you find something you like. Personally I hate running and barely tolerate weights, but love many other forms of exercise.

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