wish you weren't so lazy? welcome to
Friday, July 28, 2006
one thing I'm not too lazy about
Somehow I'm not completely lazy when it comes to exercise.It helps that I join a lot of sports teams, which usually guarantees at least 1 weekly watch. But I've actually more or less maintained a jogging routine for the last 3 years. I have had slips where I've gone a couple months without jogging, but I'd estimate that between sports and jogging I've exercised at least 3 times a week for 50% of the weeks in the last 3 years, and at least 1 time a week for 80% of that time.
At various times in my life I had tried to pick up jogging but I absolutely hated it. I actually was on a track team for 2 years in maybe 7th and 8th grade, but I hated every minute of that too. But for some insane reason I started running again when I moved into this house, and I've stuck with it.
Mario's deadline theory is good, and I find that it accurately explains a lot of my behavior. But it doesn't explain jogging. I think inertia does.
What I've found is that once you get over the initial hump, regular exercise really feels good. You start to enjoy it and you just want to keep doing it. Aside from the more obvious physical benefits, being in good shape seems to help in lots of little ways. I sleep better - falling asleep more quickly, and waking up more easily after less sleep. When I was playing poker, I noticed I could concentrate more intently and play longer sessions. I think my mood is better when I'm in an active phase, which my girlfriend would probably corroborate. Whatever happens to your muscles a few hours after you use them feels really good, like some kind of natural drug. Plus I drink lots of Gatorade, and it tastes awesome.
So maybe there are other things in life that are self-perpetuating like exercise. But getting over that first hump does take a lot of willpower. But it kind of gives me a little hope, because I've been able to keep up with it, and the more I keep up with exercise, the little side benefits could probably help with other stuff. Better sleep gives me more hours I can be productive, and better attention span and concentration helps there too. ¶ Posted by chuck zoi at 2:21 PM
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I'm no scientist, but I was under the impression that exericse makes your brain release endorphins, like sex and drugs. Well, probably not JUST like sex and drugs. I don't typically get a boner and throw up at the gym.
I've always found that I've kept up with my weight training at the gym because I know that stopping would make me lose all the gains I've made. To me, the thought of six years worth of weight training retroactively turning into wasted effort is more horrifying than going to the gym for an hour on any particular day. And, every gym session that I finish reinforces that even more.
I don't know if it's the same with jogging, because every time I try to start a running routine I get really bad shin splints a week or two into it. My feet have absolutely no arches. They are so flat my footprints look like duck feet. It sucks.
I forget what the point I was trying to make is. I just wanted to post something.
I've always found that I've kept up with my weight training at the gym because I know that stopping would make me lose all the gains I've made. To me, the thought of six years worth of weight training retroactively turning into wasted effort is more horrifying than going to the gym for an hour on any particular day. And, every gym session that I finish reinforces that even more.
I don't know if it's the same with jogging, because every time I try to start a running routine I get really bad shin splints a week or two into it. My feet have absolutely no arches. They are so flat my footprints look like duck feet. It sucks.
I forget what the point I was trying to make is. I just wanted to post something.
Self-reenforcing is probably your point.
In a way it is laziness because we don't want to squander the little work we were willing to do.
In a way it is laziness because we don't want to squander the little work we were willing to do.
LITTLE work? MORE LIKE HUGE WORK!!!!
It isn't little work, and that's the weird thing. It isn't like reading a book, or vacuuming the living room. Exercise is work in the physics definition. Even worse, it is accompanied by things like drinking nasty-ass whey protein shakes and doing an extra load of laundry every week. I put way more effort into lifting than I have ever put into anything else, and for no real reason or end goal. When I started, my end goal was to bench 300 lbs, because it seemed unreasonable and impossible at the time. It seemed like something that would keep me going forever. That is, until I actually did it, which was a while ago. (Max bench 325 now, yeah, what? Wanna fight about it? No? Fine. Fag. Not that I'm homophobic. Or gay. I ain't gay. Fag.)
Anyway, I think my original point about exercise centers on the fact that the benefit of doing it is transient, which enforeces the whole inertia effect. If you train yourself to learn some science, or some language, or whatever, you retain a great deal of that for a long time, or at least the half-life of knowledge is greater than the half-life of physical gains from exercise. For a crappy metaphor, learning something new is like moving a pile of stones one by one from point A to point B, whereas training your body physically is like turning an hour glass upside down - if you ignore it long enough, you might as well have done nothing.
A distinction in my mind exists between physical laziness and mental laziness. There is far less self-enforcing in mental pursuits as there is in the physical realm. I am a lazy fuck when it comes to learning stuff. If i know enough to keep on keepin' on, there isn't much to drive me to pick up on new things. I am not a lazy fuck when it comes to packing as much muscle onto my frame as I can when I'm still young enough to do it.
And for you people that don't know me, it isn't a macho trip. I drive a miata for chrissakes.
It isn't little work, and that's the weird thing. It isn't like reading a book, or vacuuming the living room. Exercise is work in the physics definition. Even worse, it is accompanied by things like drinking nasty-ass whey protein shakes and doing an extra load of laundry every week. I put way more effort into lifting than I have ever put into anything else, and for no real reason or end goal. When I started, my end goal was to bench 300 lbs, because it seemed unreasonable and impossible at the time. It seemed like something that would keep me going forever. That is, until I actually did it, which was a while ago. (Max bench 325 now, yeah, what? Wanna fight about it? No? Fine. Fag. Not that I'm homophobic. Or gay. I ain't gay. Fag.)
Anyway, I think my original point about exercise centers on the fact that the benefit of doing it is transient, which enforeces the whole inertia effect. If you train yourself to learn some science, or some language, or whatever, you retain a great deal of that for a long time, or at least the half-life of knowledge is greater than the half-life of physical gains from exercise. For a crappy metaphor, learning something new is like moving a pile of stones one by one from point A to point B, whereas training your body physically is like turning an hour glass upside down - if you ignore it long enough, you might as well have done nothing.
A distinction in my mind exists between physical laziness and mental laziness. There is far less self-enforcing in mental pursuits as there is in the physical realm. I am a lazy fuck when it comes to learning stuff. If i know enough to keep on keepin' on, there isn't much to drive me to pick up on new things. I am not a lazy fuck when it comes to packing as much muscle onto my frame as I can when I'm still young enough to do it.
And for you people that don't know me, it isn't a macho trip. I drive a miata for chrissakes.
i don't know where you all are coming from. but maybe because i haven't been actually "in shape" for real since high school. running for me is annoying, but pretty much the only exercise that is remotely tolerable (besides yoga, which although it makes me sore when i haven't been in awhile, isn't exactly aerobic). and i try to do it because i'm in medical school and i once had a teacher tell us
"if you don't make time for exercise now, you'll have to make time for illness later"
which is a great quote and apparently he tells all his patients the same thing. so i try to run. but the only reason i've been keeping it up lately is i decided to sign up for the half-marathon. another deadline.
but i'm so lazy that i'm skipping a run as i'm typing this. i run with a group on saturdays and 8 miles just sounded too long last night when deciding to set my alarm or not.
so perhaps i need to join adspar in running.
"if you don't make time for exercise now, you'll have to make time for illness later"
which is a great quote and apparently he tells all his patients the same thing. so i try to run. but the only reason i've been keeping it up lately is i decided to sign up for the half-marathon. another deadline.
but i'm so lazy that i'm skipping a run as i'm typing this. i run with a group on saturdays and 8 miles just sounded too long last night when deciding to set my alarm or not.
so perhaps i need to join adspar in running.
So are you saying you keep running because you're lazy? Or keep lifting weights because you're mentally lazy, but not physically lazy?
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