
Why I Love Working Out - zackattack
http://www.zacharyburt.com/2011/01/why-i-love-working-out/
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michaelchisari
Actually, I can honestly say that I love working out. It helps regulate my
sleep and moods, a lot of my workouts are focused around skills like martial
arts, so I'm learning new things while I do it, and to be quite honest, this
xkcd says it all:

<http://xkcd.com/189/>

I didn't get into working out until I started treating it like the geek
activity it always wanted to be. Biology, anatomy, physics, math, it's all
there.

I always wonder how high school would have been different if Phys Ed. had been
as challenging of a class intellectually as any other science.

~~~
brianmwang
Incidentally, the startup my partner and I are working on is very much
inspired by the same notion found in this XKCD comic. We're entering private
beta in two weeks so if you're interested, shoot me an email.

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sliverstorm
_Man I love working out. Actually, I don’t. Anyone who tells you that working
out is awesome is probably trying to sell you something. Most of the time I
spend in the gym is suffering and generally unpleasant_

Really? For me the unpleasantness is a fraction of the total time I spend
there (pretty much all concentrated in coming out of the hole on the last
set), and there's a definite pleasant component as well (any time I do squats
after being away for the gym for more than a few days, I come away bouncing up
and down, I suddenly feel so good)

~~~
zackattack
ya, really, i would NOT exercise if it weren't for the endorphin, metabolic &
aesthetic benefits.

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xiaoma
> _Man I love working out. Actually, I don’t. Anyone who tells you that
> working out is awesome is probably trying to sell you something._

The author lost me at the second sentence. I love working out and I'm not
trying to sell anybody anything. Pushing myself is exhilarating! The human
body is built for activity, not sitting on its ass 12 hours a day.

~~~
civilian
The whole post moved in a different direction, with "working out" being a
metaphor for accomplishing other things. Take a chill pill...

~~~
xiaoma
I didn't get to the rest of the post. The author lost me at the beginning. No
chill pill needed, the internet provided me plenty of other reading options
while eating my lunch ^_^

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taitems
Since RunKeeper discounted it's Pro version (it's free for all of January - I
am not affiliated, I promise) a lot of us at work have started competing
against each other. I used to run a bit, and it's given me the motivation to
start up again. Colleagues who have never ventured off a treadmill are giving
it a go. Who can run further? Who can run quicker? Personal bests!

This is my first real notable encounter of peer and game theory, and it's
having great results. I can honestly say that I now enjoy working out,
thinking about working out, and strangely, analysing my workouts.

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jpadvo
Read his post again, and pretend he's talking about unit testing instead of
working out.

The emotional and psychological kick I get from running is in some ways very
similar to the feelings I get from writing good unit tests. Everything is
under control. I can do anything. Life feels good.

And then I get shin splints or find a heap of spaghetti. :)

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nagnatron
Maybe the author should try something else than going to the gym. I do
bouldering and besides being tons of fun, it has improved how my body looks
immensely.

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Swizec
Man, working out is awesome. I used to do two hours of weight lifting every
day, but eventually stopped due to monetary reasons connected with protein
powders and gym membership fees.

These days I have a short 15-ish minute routine every morning and do two hours
of boxing thrice a week. It's painful and sometimes horrible, but my god it is
awesome!

Sure wish my sexy would come out of all this flab though, but that would
require too much care with diet.

~~~
sharadgopal
hey i was thinking about taking up boxing as a sport. i am essentially waiting
for my gear [gloves] to arrive. i have access to a punching bag / speed ball.

would you recommend a DIY approach to learning the basics, or is it essential
to learn it from someone who already knows it ?

thanks.

~~~
Swizec
I've been doing it with a guy who knows his stuff for over a year and I still
can't do a lot of things perfectly. Not to mention all the whacky combinations
he comes up with.

It's pretty essential you do it with someone who can coach you, at least in
the beginning otherwise you'll be doing more harm than good imho.

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x0ner
I am a cyclist and it is all about suffering. Sports or workouts where I don't
suffer just seem kind of boring now. v02 for life. :)

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zackattack
Does anyone know of a forum like Hacker News except for business? Where
successful people hang out and post? I'm happy to pay a monthly "not
successful, noob" tax...

~~~
civilian
Business people don't understand forums and are not good with computer. :)

But seriously, business people spend a lot more time talking to people in
real-life instead of communicating online. They probably tend to be
extroverts, and the silent-light-box method of communicating is just not for
them. I really don't think you're going to find anything of decent quality. At
best, you're going to find a "successful introverted businessman" forum...
which would actually be really interesting.

~~~
zackattack
dude, get real.

