exercise pill

[baubosboy]

Steve mentioned the recent "exercise pill" over on Dar Kush, which is a concept I've always found interesting. I've always said that you should try to create an exercise regimen for yourself that you would do even if you didn't need to. Something where the process is primary, and the results are secondary. If you do that, I think, if you take joy in the process, the results will not only take care of themselves, but will actually be greater. Doing any exercise regiment because you think you should - that's hard to sustain. Doing it because you love doing it - that's hard to not sustain! But we are lucky enough to be living in an age where there are literally thousands of different arts, sports, disciplines, etc, available to us; we should be able to find something we love doing.

And, of course, even if the "exercise pill" provided all the physical benefits of exercise, it still wouldn't provide things like camaraderie, the empowerment of being tested, the sense of achievement, and so on.

So, if there were an exercise pill, I'd still be at the gym, lifting weights. (But cardio...?)

I wonder how many other things this conceit could be applied to. Try to find a job you would do even if you won the lottery. A relationship you would be in even if you weren't lonely, horny, needy...Live where you'd live if you could live anywhere ...Etc. Some of those are probably not so doable, but it seems to me the exercise one is. Try everything until you find something - or several things - that you love doing.

Anyway, just thinking about that this morning, thought I'd share.

Take care,
Geoff

[Steven Barnes]

Geoff--
That's just about a perfect post.