Comments on: The neurobiology and psychology that connect summer vacation with your morning run http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Thu, 23 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: benenglish http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516990 benenglish Fri, 24 Aug 2012 15:13:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516990 There definitely something like this at play when it comes to exercise.   I'm seriously out of shape but have lost a lot of weight lately by riding an exercise bike (and eating better).  I'm physically unable to do more than 15 or 20 minutes on the bike by itself.  My mind is filled with how much I hate this, how much it hurts, and how tired I'm getting.  After 20 low-intensity minutes, I'm sure I've been on the bike for 2 hours. To succeed, I have to take my mind completely out of the equation.  I distract it.  I put on a series of porn clips (yes, I'm serious) and play them on a video screen right in front of me.  I don't look at the timer on the bike.  I just ride for as long as the clips run.  I use short clips with mixed running times.  It's easy to set up the number of clips and their running times to a set goal number of minutes in the media player playlist. Via this method, my mind takes no notice of the fact that my body is working.  I can now blast through 35 minutes of hard pedaling and be drenched in sweat when the porn compilation ends and I go "What?  It's over?  That wasn't so bad." There definitely something like this at play when it comes to exercise.   I’m seriously out of shape but have lost a lot of weight lately by riding an exercise bike (and eating better).  I’m physically unable to do more than 15 or 20 minutes on the bike by itself.  My mind is filled with how much I hate this, how much it hurts, and how tired I’m getting.  After 20 low-intensity minutes, I’m sure I’ve been on the bike for 2 hours.

To succeed, I have to take my mind completely out of the equation.  I distract it.  I put on a series of porn clips (yes, I’m serious) and play them on a video screen right in front of me.  I don’t look at the timer on the bike.  I just ride for as long as the clips run.  I use short clips with mixed running times.  It’s easy to set up the number of clips and their running times to a set goal number of minutes in the media player playlist.

Via this method, my mind takes no notice of the fact that my body is working.  I can now blast through 35 minutes of hard pedaling and be drenched in sweat when the porn compilation ends and I go “What?  It’s over?  That wasn’t so bad.”

]]> By: Scott Bartlett http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516714 Scott Bartlett Fri, 24 Aug 2012 05:03:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516714 Reading Boing Boing has 'lengthened' my life. :) Reading Boing Boing has ‘lengthened’ my life.

:)

]]> By: Mitch_M http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516680 Mitch_M Fri, 24 Aug 2012 03:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516680 I know a five mile ride on a street full of angry motorists is twice as long as a five mile ride on a quiet path. I know a five mile ride on a street full of angry motorists is twice as long as a five mile ride on a quiet path.

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516529 niktemadur Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:27:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516529 Guess I'm all backwards, I prefer to walk (bad left knee, off-road motorcycle crash many years ago), prefer Spring and Fall when it's not so hot and the sun doesn't set so early yet, prefer evenings to mornings (and if the moon's out, sometimes at night). My walks are fairly routine and I've yet to get bored, but then again I park in my local Oceanographic Institute and take the seaside trail, with TuneInRadio, usually KCRW or KEXP on the headphones.  Beautiful! Guess I’m all backwards, I prefer to walk (bad left knee, off-road motorcycle crash many years ago), prefer Spring and Fall when it’s not so hot and the sun doesn’t set so early yet, prefer evenings to mornings (and if the moon’s out, sometimes at night).

My walks are fairly routine and I’ve yet to get bored, but then again I park in my local Oceanographic Institute and take the seaside trail, with TuneInRadio, usually KCRW or KEXP on the headphones.  Beautiful!

]]> By: The Life Of Bryan http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516416 The Life Of Bryan Thu, 23 Aug 2012 22:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516416 I also find this counterintuitive. For me the sensory input of running outdoors makes the time bearable, whereas being indoors on a dreadmill is many times as difficult. The same is true for my preferred sport, speed skating. Doing laps in a warehouse is deadening, but tearing up a poor, defenseless city is exhilarating. And the easiest place of all to skate for hours on end? Dancing with the taxis in Manhattan. I also find this counterintuitive. For me the sensory input of running outdoors makes the time bearable, whereas being indoors on a dreadmill is many times as difficult.

The same is true for my preferred sport, speed skating. Doing laps in a warehouse is deadening, but tearing up a poor, defenseless city is exhilarating. And the easiest place of all to skate for hours on end? Dancing with the taxis in Manhattan.

]]> By: Boundegar http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516202 Boundegar Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516202 One of the characters in Catch-22 had the opposite theory: boredom makes time drag, thus he extended his lifespan by avoiding anything new or interesting. One of the characters in Catch-22 had the opposite theory: boredom makes time drag, thus he extended his lifespan by avoiding anything new or interesting.

]]> By: rocketjam http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516184 rocketjam Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:43:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516184 I'd much rather run a new place than the same places I usually run. Boredom with the familiar tends to make my runs seem longer. And I find a treadmill almost unbearable. So yeah, almost exactly opposite of Maggie. I’d much rather run a new place than the same places I usually run. Boredom with the familiar tends to make my runs seem longer. And I find a treadmill almost unbearable. So yeah, almost exactly opposite of Maggie.

]]> By: Marja Erwin http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/the-neurobiology-and-psycholog.html#comment-1516087 Marja Erwin Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:54:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=177817#comment-1516087 "Ever notice how it seems to take forever to travel a new route on your bike, while the return trip along the same path is done in the blink of an eye?" My experience has always been the reverse. “Ever notice how it seems to take forever to travel a new route on your bike, while the return trip along the same path is done in the blink of an eye?”

My experience has always been the reverse.

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