Current Thoughts
“Exercise like things”-doing things that look like exercise but actually aren’t.
I’ve written previously about the difference between exercise and activity, the core difference being that exercise has an intensity level high enough to cause adaptation, change, improvement. Most people do exercise like things without every actually exercising. They go to the gym to lift weights but they never push their weight or their reps to an intensity high enough to build strength or muscle. They do cardio but never long enough or hard enough to increase their V02max. They get the cognitive benefit of having checked the box without the physical benefit of actual exercise.
It’s not a mystery why this happens. Exercise is hard and it comes with a cost: soreness, fatigue, and a need for recovery which can make navigating modern life difficult. There are also just not that many good examples to follow. If the people you go to the gym with and mirror do “exercise life things” then you probably will too.
Don’t confuse the appearance of exercise with the practice of exercise. Push yourself. Exercise should result in you getting more fit.
Things I Like
“There’s no acute solution for a chronic problem”-Chris Williamson