Why do people bother "working out"?

Because it can be a hobby for some people? Some people like to play games all day and sit on their fat *** some people like to run around and lift weights and get a buzz from that rather than shooting someone in the head.

I do it mainly for one of my hobbies being rugby, going to the gym helps me play better, and do more, along with losing some fat and making myself look better in my eyes. You could say it is addictive, you feel good after a good workout, I enjoy it, so that's why I keep going.
 
Raikiri said:
People do jobs they don't enjoy so they can afford houses and cars, it's the same thing.

I don't think there's anything particularly vain about wanting to improve your health and fitness.

I also don't think there's anything wrong with being vain, you shave, cut your hair etc. You may not enjoy it but you do it for the end result.
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This, as well. When I go out, I like to shave, cut my hair, look smart and presentable. Having a double chin and being concerned that I didn't look good wearing a slim fit shirt because Im a bit chubby annoyed me, so I decided to put in the effort to make myself look better, as well as feel healthier and be fitter and stronger.
 
Raikiri said:
People do jobs they don't enjoy so they can afford houses and cars, it's the same thing.

I don't think there's anything particularly vain about wanting to improve your health and fitness.

I also don't think there's anything wrong with being vain, you shave, cut your hair etc. You may not enjoy it but you do it for the end result.
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There are lots of different ways to exercise though, it doesn't have to be about weights and gyms. I need to improve my fitness after being ill for a very long time, that doesn't mean I go to the gym. Instead I go ice skating and do skating-related stretches at home. It does exactly the same for my muscles as a treadmill or cross trainer, but I actually enjoy it.
 
Vixen said:
There are lots of different ways to exercise though, it doesn't have to be about weights and gyms. I need to improve my fitness after being ill for a very long time, that doesn't mean I go to the gym. Instead I go ice skating and do skating-related stretches at home. It does exactly the same for my muscles as a treadmill or cross trainer, but I actually enjoy it.
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Granted, but one of the reasons I was overweight in the first place is that I have never enjoyed sports. I don't follow any of them, I hate football, and I never really engaged with them at school. I enjoy the odd kickabout at the park with friends, and the occasional tennis game, but I get more out of doing a regular gym session.

The only 'sport' I enjoy playing is snooker, which isn't really great for getting in shape ;)
 
I go because:
I enjoy it
I like to get fit

That would be one of my top fears of getting out of shame and fat, and i know that my family would have something to say about that. How can you have respect for other people if you dont respect yourself.
 
manoz said:
Would you stop loving her if she did put on weight?
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Yes, and I did with my last girlfriend.

Plus I feel the need to be able to defend myself on nights out as the kind of girls I like (chavy blondes/corny white girls/pornstars/strippers) seem to be attracted to idiot jocks so frequent where they hang out, and trouble can follow.
 
I was getting a bit fat. Wanted to tone up/lose some pounds. So i started eating healthier going to the gym etc.

I know feel a lot better about myself, want to keep it this way. Also save myself a bit more cash not taking a couple of quid to work for crisps etc and trying to eat other things like fruit.

but i still have fun and drink a load when i'm off at the weekends like im going to do tomorrow night.
 
Vixen said:
It depends how visible. I'm finding it difficult to describe the point I would say is too far, so vague terms are the best I can do! I think abs only start to look silly when the upper body turns into a triangle shape. Brad Pitt style abs are very nice though ;).
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The triangle shape would come more from your lats rather than abs unless I'm mistaking what you mean.

As for the original question - I go to the gym because I enjoy it, I enjoy testing myself with the weight that I lift and I enjoy feeling fit much more than the alternative. I'm never going to be breaking any records with the weedy amount that I lift but that's not the point - the challenge is with myself, not anyone else. It's also a social thing to a certain extent, I don't know everyone in the gym yet but I'm a nodding acquaintance with a few so it's nice to be able to share a joke between sets.
 
Raikiri said:
People do jobs they don't enjoy so they can afford houses and cars, it's the same thing.
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No it's not, we do jobs we don't enjoy because we get paid for them.
I don't get paid to go down the gym, sweat and ache when i could be doing something i enjoy.

You always see these blokes who work out non stop, get waxed and tanned and god knows what else, they have a problem if you ask me, not comfortable with their image. Seems like a very miserable, depressing way of life. Personally i like being happy, nothing wrong with a workout if you enjoy it but, not if you don't.
 
I run, bike, walk because I enjoy the exercise - I feel i've earned it when I have tea.

I think most here will know what im talking about when I say I feel like ive got flu if I do no exercise for a week, even on holiday I have to do something.

Plus running out in the middle of nowhere is good for the soul, clears my mind. There is nothing better for it when you have had a really really s**tty day at work. I feel like I have left all the crap behind.
 
I get around said:
No it's not, we do jobs we don't enjoy because we get paid for them.
I don't get paid to go down the gym, sweat and ache when i could be doing something i enjoy.
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Yes it is.

You're doing the job for a reward, money in this case. You're going to the gym for a reward, that reward being feeling better, looking better and being more healthy.
 
Sense of achivement, stress release, social reasons.

I mountain bike and achieve all of the above as well as finding it very fun, the gym on the other hand which I went to on/off for 2 years of Uni I now find incredibly boring.
 
semi-pro waster said:
The triangle shape would come more from your lats rather than abs unless I'm mistaking what you mean.
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I didn't mean that the abs were the cause of the triangle shape, I meant that they only look silly when the body starts to get into that shape. When the shoulders get too wide, the chest looks distorted and no longer just healthy.
 
I get around said:
No it's not, we do jobs we don't enjoy because we get paid for them.
I don't get paid to go down the gym, sweat and ache when i could be doing something i enjoy.
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End result of job = money. Which makes a lot of people happy.
End result of gym = looking and feeling better. Which makes a lot of people happy.

Both are a means to an ends. Some people don't enjoy the gym, but enjoy the result it gives you. Same applies to most people in their jobs.

I get around said:
You always see these blokes who work out non stop, get waxed and tanned and god knows what else, they have a problem if you ask me, not comfortable with their image. Seems like a very miserable, depressing way of life. Personally i like being happy, nothing wrong with a workout if you enjoy it but, not if you don't.
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If that makes them happy, who cares? Im not, for the record, one of those guys you describe; I am doing some weights work, but Im more into losing weight than I am becoming hugely built. But I am much happier since Ive started going to the gym. Like I said, Im fitter and healthier, Ive changed my lifestyle for the better, and I look a bit better. It's nice when lots of people you work with start commenting on how much weight you've lost and complimenting you on looking slimmer in much better shape. That makes me happy, considering how I used to look, and its helped my confidence no end.
 
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Vixen said:
I didn't mean that the abs were the cause of the triangle shape, I meant that they only look silly when the body starts to get into that shape. When the shoulders get too wide, the chest looks distorted and no longer just healthy.
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Ah, fair enough. I think it can look quite impressive but I'm not sure if I'd ever personally want to look like that even if it were possible for me.
 
Awesome stress release; nothing like running myself into the ground if I'm feeling a bit down/stressed/angry. To be fair I run rather than lift to achieve this end, but it's the same idea.

With lifting comes the sense of achievement. As you move to bigger weights, and can look in the mirror every few weeks and actually see your body shape improving it's a great feeling. You could ask why people play games that are a bit like jobs; Oblivion, GTA, not to mention MMORPGs a lot of games nowadays have the idea of starting with a weak character and improving him step by step. It gives so many people a kick to do it virtually; it feels a hundred times better when you're improving yourself.
 
Jez said:
(almost see it as working without pay tbh)

:/
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the pay is a stronger heart and lungs.

keep that attitude and by the time you realise you should have started to exercise, it will probably be too late, or just too much of that work you like being paid for.


there is a world of difference in being fit and not .

being fit gives you a strong immune system and you are ill less than people who are not fit and when you do get ill, you recover quicker.

generally heal quicker.

makes/keeps you positive.

there is being mind fit too, and that's helped a great deal by exercise.

a bad diet makes you moody , too much sugar makes your body burn energy in spikes and not a constant, thus making you have a spikey mood patters.


when your fit, exercise is pleasure not work.
 
Going to the gym tends to make me sleep better, and feel better. I've not had a sick day this year, and not had a cold since I started going to the gym at least once a week. It's always good to lose a few pounds, and it makes playing rugby much easier and more fun if I'm fitter. If I go to the gym before work (only on late shifts) I find that I tend to be more awake when I get there. Similarly cycling 16 miles to Rugby really woke me up in the morning and made me much sharper first thing. Funnily enough cycling was excellent as I could completely zone out and listen to music and look at the countryside, strangely like meditation.

I eat what I like and still drink beer, hence I'm not thin.
 
Jez said:
If you are overweight and need to lose weight then thats totally understandable, i am not questioning why someone would go to lose weight. The thought was me wondering how people who go pointlessly can possibly enjoy doing so. Imagine i had posted that i dont "get" football, it would be the same kind of observation :)
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Because it does make you feel better (and it is quite fun once you get into it), I dont get any natural excercise because I work in IT and generally go to the pub or game/watch movies in my spare time...

Ive been going to the gym 3 times a week for about 3 months now, and the difference is already showing... better mood, better posture, and slightly bigger muscules :)

My beer belly will take some work though.. need to do more cardio.

For me it was a health thing, I hit 30 recently and I look ok apart from a bit of a gut, but i thought to myself...daymn boy, I i dont sort this I will end up looking like some kind of kebab!!!

But diet is also important, I have swapped my regular bacon butty breakfast for porrige and banana, and I feel much better for it.
 
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