Ironically, a good run is hard to end, because it feels better to keep running and feels exhausting/bothersome to stop. That’s actually the gist of the issue here.
Last year, they opened a fitness center at my workplace. I’ve always walked a bunch but have never been serious about exercise–except for that Jazzercise period many years ago. The condition that kept me in orthopedic shoes during my youth–& “sensible” ones thereafter–would probably prevent a serious running career.
However, the pounds had been creeping up & I know exercise has other health benefits. So I’ve begun thrice weekly elliptical/treadmill sessions followed by a tour through the weight machines.
Exercise isn’t much fun for me but I enjoy the results. I’ve dropped a dress size & have more energy. No more falling asleep on the bus home. No more feeling like a creaky old lady while having to sling boxes of files around at work.
Just because somebody isn’t reaching for that “runner’s high” does* not* mean they should give up & become a couch potato. There’s a middle ground. (And, yes, I’ve been paying more attention to the quality & quantity of what I eat & drink.)
Sounds similar to me; I never was able to experiance the work out high in a gym and bad knees keeps me from actually running; so I would just work out to get results and it was like going to another job.
That all changed when I finally learned how to swim two years ago. Now I swim and do water arobics several times a week because I finally found something that allowed me to acheive the high. Not only have I lost 60 lbs and kept it off for two years I am no longer get those nagging injuries I got from working out with weights. It’s true what they say, the best exercise is one that enjoy because you will keep doing it.
I think the “runner’s high” refers to the feeling AFTER you finish running or working out or whatever, not while you are excercising (although an exception could be made for long distance running). It’s the release of endorphins, the same reaction as if taking a opiate-based painkiller, that gives you this “high”. It’s one of the addicting things about excercise. I suppose some people are just more sensitive to this and some don’t just don’t notice it. You’ll notice that a “runner’s high” feels just like taking a prescription painkiller.
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There is a “runners high” from endo-morphins (produced by your own body) - but I guess not all people are wired the same way (genetics). I saw a report once about a women who got so hooked on her own endomorphines that she ran for hours every day, running holes not only in the soles of ther shoes, but in the ** soles of her feet**, when the doctors intervened and made her stop. Obviously, that is an extreme individual case.
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Some people like to move around, others don’t. Some people are naturally athletic, that is, learning new movements comes easy to them, they have grace when they move.
Other people are akward and have a hard time learning a new sport. -
Part of this depends on body type and genetics, but part also depends on what you do. People who have poor body feeling and thus move akward can improve when they practise Tai Chi, Karate, dancing or similar.
Personal anecdote: I’m a non-athletic type. But as a teenager, I did like running. I was lighter then and it felt different before the last growth change.
- Exercise =! Running I think that’s the biggest mistake: people want to do something healthy like exercise, take up running, don’t like it, but stick with it while hating it. (or give it up when it sucks too much).
Surely there’s a healthy sport out somewhere that you like, even a non-athletic person, will like enough to keep doing. Cycling for half an hour in all weather as if you want to do the Tour d’France will surely suck; cylcling when the weather is nice and in a speed that allows you to be comfortable (and through a nice area, if available) is pleasant.
There’s a reason that a study by a major health insurance* on how to motivate people to do sports found that for 2/3 of the people, a team sport is the way to go: not only does the presence of the other people motivate you, it’s so interesting to catch that ball that you forget how boring running around on the field is.
*Our health insurances are required to pay, so they have a strong incentive to motivate people to stay healthy, as that is cheaper than paying for the treatment of civilisation-induced disease. Hence they often offer rewards programs for doing sports and getting your check-ups.
Exactly. I’ve gotten that on bike rides as well as runs, where you just are in a groove and everything flows well. Time and miles roll by, and you don’t even notice until you glance at the watch. Some of those have been solo runs or with others, and they don’t happen every run, but they happen often enough.
Some serious study about the “runner’s high” that confirms it involves opiod receptors. Not the same as hitting the grove or the psychologic relief of finishing or the ego boost of proving to yourself what you are made of.
It makes good sense to speculate that some are genetically more prone to that, just like some are more prone to a variety of addictions. Certainly some (like myself) never experience it, and some do. And certainly it makes sense that those who do will be more likely to stick with the program than those who do not. But those seem to be merely speculations at this point.
+1,000
That which does not kill you makes you stronger.
Bull, it can cripple you; which can be a fate worst than death for some people. I work with a girl that ran everyday before work, during lunch and after work. She developed a pain in her hip and her mindset told her to “run it off”. Now she has had both of her hips replaced and after four years still needs to use two canes with arm bands to get from her handicap car space to her desk. She’s gained at least 50 lbs and the look on her face is one of complete misery. 
On another note, I notice that people here are more commenting on the runner’s high aspect rather than the enjoyment of exercise. You do not need to get a runners high to enjoy exercise. No matter how much people brag about how high they get compared to you it dosen’t mean a thing if you are enjoying yourself. Don’t let other people be your gage for how you enjoy life would be my advice. And that’s free. 
That’s why I always advise people not to overdo it. If you’re trying for some elusive “high” and not getting it, you are probably trying too hard.
Sorry, but I couldn’t tell that from your postings here; which at first glance appear to be contridictory statements. :dubious:
I’m in the camp that says the very best exercise is a nice brisk sit. Preferably by a cozy fire with a book and a cat.
The closest I have found to an exercise that I actually don’t hate too much is swimming, and I do give myself the reward of a swim in my health club’s pool after my sessions in the gym. I hate the sweating most of all. Before someone says I should just go for a long run outdoors, let me add that because of a knee injury I can safely engage only in very low or no-impact activities. No running ever again.
If you are talking about the “…makes you stronger” statement, it’s not supposed to be taken literally. It’s just an old saying about exercise to help you mentally justify the pain of strenuous exercise. You have to learn to listen to your body and recognize what levels of exertion are good and where lies the threshold between good and too much. Exercise is as much a mental undertaking as physical, if not more so.
But I think you may already know this.
While I’ve enjoyed all the anecdotes, it looks like no one seems to be aware of any substantial evidence of there being a real physiological (or mental?) difference that would cause one group of people to “enjoy” exercise and another group to not.
I’d be inclined to say that DSeid’s link and many of the comments here bear out the premise that it’s an addictive personality response. The question of why some people become addicts and some don’t is something you will never get a firm answer on.
I’ve often spoke with people who are hooked on running and they think it’s the best thing in the world, can’t beleive that everyone isn’t doing it, prefer to hang out with other runners and cannot imagine life without running. Substitute the “drug of your choice” for “runner” and you see the addiction. Of course, running is a positive addiction, let’s not lose sight of that. And of course not all runners (like people who drink) are addicts, the vast majority just like doing it because its fun.
http://www.healthcentral.com/fitorfat/408/41285.html
Last one is most groundbreaking and doesn’t accept endorphins as the tried and true answer. Good cites within the last one.
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Psst. Kid… The first lap is free. (So is the second, third…)
Missed edit window: For latest science/study of runners high, it is essential to Google:
endocannabinoid system
This describes me. It sounds strange, but I feel more energized, content, and relaxed when my muscles and joints are sore from workout. It is similar to getting a really hard almost-painful back rub constantly, and my muscles seem to be sighing and purring at the achiness. The absence of that soreness makes me fidgety and restless, like my body is saying “This soft couch is stressing me out, let’s get some real relaxation and limp and groan home from a hard run!”