The greatest misconception about exercise is this "if you're tired your best course of action would be to abstain from the thing that in your mind will make you more tired" train of thought. Exercise doesn't always work like this. Yes you'll have bad days, but you'll find yourself more energised most of the time and mentally more at peace.

It's like that classic sedentary worker ailment of the sore back. Many people take this as a sign to rest more, but these types of issues are often caused by weak musculature and the best thing to do is start resistance training. Obviously not a blanket solution, but one that definitely seems overlooked.

> best thing to do is start resistance training.

Doing so very carefully!

I will agree though. Before going on a long cross-state bike trip, I had some back issues and was cramming in work (too much sitting). I went out with lower back pain, resolved itself after a few days of riding for most of the day.

I very much agree that counter-intuitive behavior is often what is called for. The exercise or sedentary habits are habits. They really become normal one way or the other quite quickly.

> Exercise doesn't always work like this. Yes you'll have bad days, but you'll find yourself more energised most of the time and mentally more at peace.

Is there anything that will convince you this isn't true for all (perhaps not even most) people?

The right type of exercise matters. I've often gone on bouts of cardio on a treadmill for months at a time (multiple times a week - at least 30 minutes each session). It never ceased to suck.

I can do a hike and never feel bad. But a treadmill or cycling device? Always feels bad. I hope it benefits me in the long run, because it definitely reduces the quality of life on days I do it.

My only real hope is to find some other kind of cardio that doesn't annoy as much.

BeatSaber maybe? Something addictive is better even if it is less effective. I also do FitXR, which is more effective, but requires more of a grinding mindset so I often mix it with BeatSaber, which doesn’t grind.

I would experiment at least, there are things. A good instructor in an aerobics class can also help, although I find that too hit or miss to be sustainable.

Thrill of the fight is such a great game for excercise. You want to knock down your opponent so you can get really into it.

Ya, but it requires lots of space I think? Anyways, there are fun options if you don’t want to grind.

Exactly. It always seems weird to me that "going to the gym" is virtually synonymous with getting some exercise when the gym is the most boring place to do exercise.

Can you watch anything fun while doing your cardio? I look forward to working out because that's when I catch up on my Netflix shows. There's no way I'd stick with it if I didn't have something to take my mind off the grind.

I listen to podcasts. Boredom is not the problem.

I've been a runner of some sort most of my life. Raced other kids around the block when I was 6. Sprints back and forth across the field in middle school. Four years of cross-country and track in high school. Two state championships. Joined the Army as an adult. Hit a snag with spine injuries in my mid to late 30s, but back on the wagon and running 50+ miles per week in my mid 40s.

At every point in my life, including right now, I would agree 100% that a treadmill and stationary bike suck and I would not do those.

Figure out how to get entertainment in the form of audio, like Youtube debates or audiobooks, so then exercise is simply multitasking.

Youtube debates sound like a way to raise blood pressure immensely

There is trump vs harris; or vi vs emacs. One will raise blood pressure more than the other.

Especially when you discover that Trump uses Emacs, and Harris uses vi. No wonder she lost the election. Trump simply typed M-x win-election.

I'd recommend trying without the entertainment too. Boredom can be good, letting your mind wander can be fun, or simply focusing on the current task and your body's experience can improve the experience.

possibly counter to intuition, I find that since I have started to religiously use my stationary bike in the morning, I have a lot more energy for the day, not less. I suppose if you're butting up against caloric/nutrient limits you might suffer. I personally find exercise clarifies my thoughts and improves my mood, even if its the last thing I want to do when I do it.

The mind-body connection is quite real. Improving your physical state will almost certainly have a non-zero improvement on your mental state. Exercising can really help you make sense of all those other things you have going on. Not to mention that being in shape and strong makes every physical thing you do easier.

>The hard part is finding time and having the motivation.

Motivation certainly, but if we accept the results of the study, you really don't think you can find 5 minutes of time in your day to walk up some stairs or do some jump rope?

If you live in an area with decent infrastructure, cycling to and from work is a great way to get exercise in without sacrificing much time (in some cases you even save time)

It actually shocks me that someone could manage to regularly go a day without even exercising for 5 minutes.

The car centric lifestyle seems like such a prison.

> The hard part is finding time and having the motivation.

As I've said here several times: the best exercise is the one you'll stick with over the long haul.

Put another way: anything you'll still be doing in 2026 is better than anything else you'll quit before next Memorial Day.

Agree. Anything that is done over the course of one week or one month is pretty meaningless. When starting training, the only thing a person needs to do is to do anything. Just get out there, build consistency. That is the very first goal. Timings, intervals, HR monitor, those are all well past the point of consistency. The other side of the coin, the accumulation of training/activity over long time is what matters. Those that work on larger projects learn this, some things you can't just cram the night before. It requires hundreds of hours of sedentary or active living, hundreds of meals, for effects of a good or a bad diet (or active/sedentary lifestyle) to be realized.