Above all, we associate sport with exertion and heavy strain – a light workout is often less satisfying than a power session. But does exercise have to actually hurt to be effective?
Are you trying to develop a new exercise routine, have you gone for a run or hit the gym a few times and are you feeling drained, weak and uncomfortable every time you exercise? This reduces the likelihood that you will actually practice this sport regularly.
Because according to the New York Times, research confirms that we are better able to form an exercise routine when we feel comfortable during the activity. The feeling during the sport is more decisive than the possible feeling of happiness, which only sets in after the workout due to the released endorphins.
This seems to suggest that we should feel as good as possible during a workout – at least if we want to exercise regularly in the long term. But we can’t do sports without pain and discomfort.
Note: This really only applies to the kind of painful sensation that comes from physical exertion. Other types of pain during sports can also come from injuries, overuse and incorrect strain or various diseases. In these cases, you should definitely seek medical advice and interrupt your exercise routine for the time being.
Why sport can sometimes hurt
So that we stay on the ball in the long term, we should choose a sport that we enjoy and that we feel comfortable with. But the fact that we associate sport with exertion is not entirely unfounded. According to the New York Times, exercise shouldn’t feel too easy either. Otherwise we get bored quickly and don’t really stick to our routine either.
The psychologist dr. Paul Bloom also tells the Times that the exertion and some pain involved in exercising could serve other purposes. A hard and strenuous workout allows us to take a break from everyday life. While we are physically pushing our limits, we can temporarily forget worries and fears.
In addition, according to Bloom, people are not only constantly looking for well-being, but also want to pursue activities that have long-term meaning. We usually associate such meaningful actions with a certain degree of discomfort and overcoming. We would not be able to develop skills and abilities if we did not leave our comfort zone every now and then.
Does physical exertion make you happy?
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / klimkin)
How hard we want to push ourselves in sports varies from person to person. On the one hand, there are people who get their motivation for sport from the idea that regular exercise has long-term positive effects.
On the other hand, other people train because they actually enjoy the hard moments themselves. The scientist dr. According to the Times, Inzlicht describes them as “joyful workers”. According to his research, it is also possible for every person to adopt the perspective of a “joyful worker”. For example, we could design our workout routine like a kind of video game by going up a level with each workout and setting ourselves new challenges. It is Dr. According to Inzlicht, it is important to find a healthy balance so as not to lose interest.
Conclusion: The perfect sports routine
In principle, sport can also be effective if it doesn’t feel so strenuous. We shouldn’t always push the limits of what is physically possible with every workout. Sports scientist Stephen Seiler confirms this in the New York Times. He found that even competitive athletes fill 80 percent of their training with lighter exercises that they don’t find too strenuous. High-intensity training, on the other hand, accounts for only about 20 percent. Hobby athletes can also orientate themselves on this division.
What you personally perceive as strenuous, particularly hard and rather easy naturally depends on your individual level of training and your physical requirements. When exercising, you should be particularly careful with your body and take your body’s signals seriously. So if you feel drained and lacking energy during and after each training session, it may be advisable to make the workouts less intense. Also make sure that you include sufficient regeneration phases and breaks in your routine.
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