Do you have physique goals?  Is sporting performance important to you?  Do you exercise for the purpose of disease prevention?  Maybe it’s all or some of the above.

For whatever reason, some of us simply enjoy picking up heavy steel objects and running/biking/climbing/jumping around to the point of exhaustion.  We derive pleasure from discomfort: burning, aching muscles; lungs on fire; sweat in the eyes…  What we do isn’t always fun like a birthday party but deeply fulfilling.

The fascinating thing to me about exercise is that it is clearly very simple in most regards.  Pick up something heavy several times.  Move fast enough and/or long enough to sweat and pant.  That’s exercise for the most part.  It ain’t Greek philosophy, trigonometry or neurosurgery.  Yet look at how many smart, highly accomplished people simply cannot find a way to do something so simple—even though we recognize how vital exercise is to a long, healthy life.  Think of a time when you’ve pushed yourself—or have been pushed—to extreme physical exertion.  It doesn’t take complex mental skills but we all know these kinds of efforts take tremendous mental fortitude.