I don’t consider the body to be my own, because I lack for nothing, and because the law is the only thing I esteem, nothing else.

Diogenes

See what daily exercise does for one.

Seneca

I exercise to burn energy

Exercise turns out to be really great at burning off excess, stored-up, nervous energy. During exam periods in high school, I gravitated towards the pool as place to go to break up my study. Although most of the time in the pool was spent planning, brainstorming and memorizing quotes, I invariably felt refreshed, recharged and clearer in the head. Like brushing my teeth, it was a sort of brain cleaning. Ever since then, I’ve roughly followed a similar routine. I realize nervous energy, excessive thoughts and restlessness will always builds up until I can find a way to burn them off. This is the primary reason I exercise.

My body is smarter than me

Any serious athlete knows that performance is synonymous with pain. A lot of us find meaning at those limits. We’re here to see how far we can go. And being okay with physical discomfort is a really useful lesson to learn. But I also believe that there’s a difference between working hard and destroying the very vessel that is allowing you work hard. It’s up to you and your body to find some sort of agreement. Rules of engagement. Code of conduct. Like lying to yourself, only you will know where that line is. Don’t cross the line like Dom Toretto in a ’49 Chevrolet Fleetline engulfed in flames.

I don’t know what I’m doing

When you ask someone why they run (or swim or ride or whatever), you’ll get a huge range of answers, ranging from the banal to spiritual. Motivation can cover the full spectrum of human experience. I want more people to exercise and I will always encourage beginners where I can, but at the same time I have to admit that I don’t know what I’m doing. We all tend to compare ourselves to each other and think we are at different stages of some imaginary exercise journey. None of these things are really true or helpful, and I don’t think there are any ways to win, lose or take shortcuts at this game.

Exercise is not me

Speaking of shortcuts, I used to think that to get the results you wanted with exercise, you had to become ‘the kind of guy’ who exercises. Well, of course tying your identity with exercise will make you exercise more. You are hooking a habit onto the most important thing in your life. But the downside is not worth it. When injury or any sort of life change happens, you won’t just lose your fitness, you will lose a perceived large part of yourself. This is probably why so many athletes hang on after their prime. Try and keep your self-worth separate from how you spend your energy. No matter how much I swim currently, I know it will obviously lessen and eventually stop. I swim, but I’m not not a swimmer.