Comment by sharkweek
3 days ago
I can directly tie my mood to how much exercise I’ve had in a given week. It’s also easy, given how busy life feels, to let the proverbial frog boil in water when it comes to this.
My partner often comments when I’ve been a little grumpier than usual by saying, “you should go on a bike ride.”
It really works wonders on the soul (and the more physical heart and lungs) getting out for a spin in the fresh air.
There is something about riding a bike that lifts people's mood like nothing else. It's the closest thing to flying like a bird that most of us will ever see. It lets you experience your neighborhood in a different light.
Riding a bike lifts my mood certainly but it doesn't let me experience my neighborhood. I zoom past the neighborhood and at 15mph you can hardly experience it. You might have some vague ideas about architectural styles in the neighborhood but that's it. If the neighborhood has shops, you can't easily visit them without first parking the bike. You need to walk to really experience a neighborhood.
Nothing is forcing you to ride at 15mph. Walking doesn't let you go very far in a reasonable amount of time, either, and I'm one of those 10K steps a day sort of people.
2 replies →
Experience it "in a different light."
I don’t think it’s unique to bikes - lots of people have the same/similar feelings from other forms of exercise. There’s a runners high too. I used to row in university, and there was no better feeling (to me) than being in the middle of a lake in a tiny boat and clocking in 16/20k on a crisp winters morning.
Absolutely, as much as everyone says eating right, exercising and sleeping well are the answer I totally neglected myself. Boosting cardio and dropping some weight has been an absolute lifechanger
i keep up exercise for health reasons and because i do have a higher energy level if i'm in better shape.
however, both during and for two or three hours after exercising, the emotional effect is very negative. i feel much more anxious, prone to negative thoughts, self-critical, pessimistic, sometimes angry.
the benefits are definitely real but I feel like I am paying a very large cost to get them. i've tried lots of different forms of exercise and they all have this effect if i push to a reasonable level of intensity.
i'm wondering if anyone else has had this experience and managed to find a place where exercising makes them feel happy.
Have you tried eating a snack after? Maybe you're hangry
This is actually good advice. Some people respond very, very poorly to being hungry and I've noticed some of them aren't aware of it.
1 reply →
Perhaps do more or less exercise, switch from cardio to strength or from strength to cardio. Monitor the negativity. Maybe, if you find the best trigger making it worse is good. Make it more obvious.
> i've tried lots of different forms of exercise
Have they all been in a gym environment? If so, it could be the reason. Going to the gym in the winter, I do get the benefits but it doesn't do as much for my mood as sports outdoors when the weather is nice.
What is a reasonable level of intensity for you?
It's not just the exercise it's the whole experience of being outside. Even if you drive to a park and sit on a bench for half an hour you will go back home in a better mood. Won't be as good for your muscles but being outside in nature had amazing effects.
You could even try the opposite, exercising in a spinning won't have the same effect.
The fact that just by being on the bike for two hours, my brain doesn't go into negative pathways, but it just focuses on the road always brings me out of a slump.
I can also recommend easy, restorative yoga exercises, which is the lightest exercise there is, but it will help you with: sitting too much, improve sleep, stretch and reduce stress.
Are you drinking alcohol ocasionally? I observed that there are two kind of pepole: - one who spend their spare time drinking - others who exercise
Both are fine for the soul :)
I like drinking while I'm doing it, and not after I've done it, but exercise is the other way around.
(OK only some exercise, and usually I already like it while I'm doing it, I just don't want to go out to do it.)
I exercise drinking
I don't drink in my spare time , but I can understand you comment and :)
Some people exercise to get fit.
I exercise to work up a thirst.