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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   2501 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for November 2, 2022

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Has anyone here actually experienced the alleged improvement in mood after exercise? How long did it take you?

Cause I'm going to the gym again (nothing serious; half an hour of cardio a day) for a couple of weeks and I'm wondering if this is a false bag of goods or if there's some threshold.

It takes 30 minutes for me to start feeling good about a workout. The problem with intense cardio or lifting is 45 minutes is generally as long as I can go.

That's why I do a lot of biking. The first 20 minutes are a grind, getting started is tough, but then you get pure pleasure afterwards (up until about hour 4).

I can't remember a time when I haven't experienced an improvement in mood after cardio exercise, and I desperately missed it during times in my life when I couldn't. Are you working out hard enough to really sweat and get your heart rate up, or are you just doing the equivalent of walking? Not that walking is useless, but the effects are more subtle than moderately intense cardio.

I enjoyed lifting initially but now hate it. A lot of people mistake the positive feeling they get from improvement for enjoying lifting itself (and lifting tends to give substantial initial gains which is how people get hooked). I hate running too but I've always hated it.

nothing serious; half an hour of cardio a day

Stop doing this shit and start lifting.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss cardio (and I say that as a gym-bro who much prefers lifting).

Lifting is fundamentally about vanity, whereas cardio has objective benefits for wellbeing (better mood, better sleep, improved cognitive function). I wish I had the willpower to do more cardio.

Lifting is fundamentally, for me, about doing something hard, taking a challenge and beating it. When I try to lift for vanity, which I've done dozens of times, I quit. I need a goal, and I need to work for it. This is positive for my mood over time, because it means that even if I'm getting bad grades or the deal I worked on falls apart or my wife is mad at me or the Eagles lose or [political party] wins, theres this other more or less totally decoupled yet concrete and meaningful part of my life that can be going well, progressing, and that evens me out over time.

Cardio activities like distance running or rowing can do this too, but probably not 30min elliptical workouts. My standard advice on this is that your primary workout should be something people either compete in, or aspire to master at a high level (the exceptions that fit here are things like dance and yoga).

whereas cardio has objective benefits for wellbeing (better mood, better sleep, improved cognitive function).

Lifting has these objective benefits as well and some more.

The ideal fitness regime imo should include both lifting and cardio. Purely from a maximizing wellbeing perspective, nothing else.

I wouldn't say it's true that 'lifting has the benefits as well'. Sure, you can make your resistance workout intense enough that you get indirect cardio, and therefore get (a very small amount of) the benefits of cardio. But if you're wanting to maximise growth, then a slower workout with longer rest periods is much better.

Optimising each workout for it's goal (bigger muscles or taxing the cardiovascular system) is better than doing a faster resistance session which is worse for both goals.

(better mood, better sleep, improved cognitive function).

I am specifically talking about these 3. Of which there is research to support all 3. https://old.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9h2jbi/you_should_probably_lift_weights/

Anecdotally, I have been lifting for almost a decade and personally experienced all 3 of these to a level I am confident is not placebo.

I inevitably hurt myself when I lift (which also inevitably leads to me quitting the gym) so I was hoping to get the habit locked via "easy" cardio and then get a trainer later on to help with form.

Suggestion: If that's your end goal, just start with extremely light weights. There exists a range of weight where you can still work out your muscle and train the mechanics of the movement without any serious risk of injury (unless you drop the weight on your head or something).

Which is pretty much the "old school" way of starting to lift. No fussing about internet forums trying to nail the perfect form and starting when the conditions are just perfect. Instead just start and perfect them along the way.

For me, better mood from exercise is mediated through better sleep, a sense of accomplishment and being fitter in general when walking, climbing stairs, carrying things, so I feel more inclination to do things instead of just sitting on my couch.

I think there might be two different effects here, which maybe confuses things a bit. (Epistemic status: it's bro-science, don't take it too literally.)

The first one is an endorphin rush, "runner's high". I don't work out hard enough for that, but my friend who does hours at a time swears by it. Apparently it lasts a few hours after the exercise.

The second is from muscle growth, possibly via increased testosterone? It's much easier to get from strength training, and it probably helps to eat more protein as well. This one peaks a day or so after exercise, and is probably stronger for guys.

You have to go balls to the wall. 5k runs and vinyasa yoga really do it for me, as do actual sports.

It took effect immediately, as in while I was lifting the weights I started feeling my focus and discipline return, and my anxiety decrease. It's not a wonder drug, there's still the recognition that there is a painful road ahead, but I do feel like I'm making progress along that road.

*this effect

I have, but not always. As someone else noted, it comes after strenuous exercise for me too. I've done all sorts of sports and find running provides this wffevt most often and most consistently. I have also done road and gravel riding - road riding does if it's intense, gravel same. Two key points here is this idea of intensity, and the idea of mood. If I have lots on my mind and run solidly for 30 mins, I return home in a much better place. An intense ride takes longer and I find I often ruminate on the bike and my mood isn't improved - riding intensely on the bike is harder and more dangerous than running, and has a higher cognitive load of its own. Another consideration is whether you're fit enough to have an intense and enjoyable workout that can improve mood. I'm fitter than average and have been for years, and can't remember being unfit. I don't know what it's like to try intense exercise for mood improvement when you're not especially fit - the sensations may be more about struggle and 'is this worth it' than wow, I feel great. I don't know. But when you're fit and can push yourself, it feels like exercise helps with me; or, at the least, knowing you can train purposefully and achieve something difficult lifts the mood.

Definitely yes, but it needs to be strenuous exercise. Half-assing it doesn't get the good brain chemicals flowing for me.

What kind of cardio are you doing? A 30 minute hard run outside should definitely improve mood following exercise.

I'd recommend trying weightlifting and upping your workout length to about 45 minutes. I typically feel a relaxing glow for several hours after a good lift.

What kind of cardio are you doing?

Elliptical. I would say maybe...moderate intensity on average? Enough to be out of somewhat out of breath (my fitness is at the floor) but not balls-to-the-wall, stitch-in-my-side.

As others have mentioned, I'd suggest trying the bike or the treadmill and increasing your pace. Elliptical is pretty low-stakes cardio and has never given me that same "high" as the other exercises.

Yeah, the elliptical is definitely more friendly towards easing off than the treadmill. Will try to mix things up.

I go for long bike rides, in the range of 1-6 hours, and I go for them anywhere between 0 and 5 times a month usually. I notice no particularly mood change afterwards, except for my body being a bit sore after I do them.

I feel noticeably worse if I've not been to the gym recently if that counts. But I lift weights primarily.

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