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What to Think About During Exercise

A reader wrote to me and said he gets bored during running, which makes him want to just stop running.

And so he asked for suggestions for what to think about while running or exercising in general.

Such a great question: if you’re bored, why would you want to do it? Why not read fun stuff on the Internet instead?

Well, other than the fantastic health benefits, exercise is a wonderful time to think, to practice mindfulness, to socialize, to escape distraction.

A little background about my qualifications: when I started running in 2005, I could barely run 5 minutes and was mostly sedentary until then. I slowly worked my way up to a 5K race, then decided (not quite wisely) to set my sights on a marathon. After a year, I ran my first marathon (after a couple of half marathons and numerous other races). I ran a couple marathons after that, a bunch of other races, including some short triathlons. Last year, I ran a 50-mile ultramarathon. Though all of that, I’ve spent countless hours running.

I’ve also spent a lot of hours strength training, doing Crossfit-style workouts, or other fun stuff.

I’ve spent a lot of time exercising. And I love it.

I don’t train with music. For me, it’s distracting and a waste of good thinking time.

I’ve listened to audiobooks on long (3+ hour) runs, but usually work out in silence.

Except when I’m training with a friend. Last year I did a lot of the longer runs with my friend Scott, and for about a year I’ve been training in the gym with my friend Tynan (when he’s in town — he travels like a gypsy). I’ve also worked out a lot with my wife Eva, and with my sister Kat when I was on Guam.

I love working out with a friend. It’s such a great way to enjoy exercise: have great conversations with someone you enjoy spending time with. Build a friendship while building fitness. So if I can ever find a workout partner, that’s my first choice.

I also love working out and running alone.

Here’s what I think about:

  • Ideas: My best source of blog post ideas comes from when I run or work out. The movement seems to stimulate blood flow to the brain, and getting away from the distractions of technology allows me to reflect and think in isolation. I often have a bunch of great blog post ideas on a run. (Protip: Carry something to record ideas on, whether a notebook or smartphone. I’ve lost good ideas because I have nothing to write on. I came up with a method for remembering — I tie each idea to an image, so when I get home, I have a series of images in my head, like rubber duck, pencil, bell, apple. Then I just decipher these images into the ideas I wanted to remember.)
  • Some problem that’s been bothering me: If something has been spinning around in my head, that’s a good sign that I should give it some conscious thought. Why is it bothering me so much? Usually it’s because I’m holding onto an expectation/ideal I can’t control, including how I want people to think of me. Then I practice letting that go.
  • Body mindfulness: Exercise is great time to practice mindfulness. I like to stay present (when I remember) with my body, feeling each bodypart in turn (feet, lower legs, upper legs, buttocks, lower back, abdomen, etc.). Then I try to expand my awareness to include all of them at once.
  • Mindfulness of thoughts: Other times I practice being an observer of my mind. It’s a fascinating phenomenon, your thoughts. Practicing watching my thoughts creates a space between thought and reaction.
  • A project I’m working on: If I’ve been working hard on a project, I will give it some headspace during exercise, to allow myself to get some perspective on the project, see what’s important, work out some difficult problem with it that I’ve been putting off.
  • Problems of people I love: If my kids or wife or close friend are having a problem, I’ll give some thought to that, and see if there’s a way I can help. I will try to feel empathy, to understand what they might be going through, and to see what would be helpful given their state of mind.
  • Reflecting on things I’ve been learning: Often I’m conducting some kind of experiment in my life, and exercise is a great time to think about how that’s been going, what problems have come up, and what I’ve learned so far. These reflections often end up as blog posts.
  • The nature around me, and the road below me: I love getting outside and immersing myself in the beauty of nature. It’s easy to miss it if you’re stuck in your head, or listening to music/audiobooks. I love running on trails, or running through a city filled with blooming blossoms, or exploring a new place with a run, or doing a workout in a park. I love running in the rain, or when the sun is falling on me like warm liquid, or feeling the chill of the early morning and thinking I’m a badass.
  • The barbell: Lifting weights is hard, especially if you’re doing heavy deadlifts or squats. It’s easy to get lost in your thoughts when you work out, but that’s a good way to injure yourself with weights. So I try to be present with the barbell, watching my form and putting myself completely into lifting this heavy thing against the earth’s relentless pull.
  • The nature of reality: This seems lofty and abstract, but sometimes I ponder the ego and whether it’s an illusion, whether we’re separate or all part of one ocean of existence, why we suffer and whether death is even something to fear. That’s usually when I trip and sprain an ankle.
  • How lucky I am: Best of all, I think about the good things I have in my life, from family and friends to dear readers like all of you, from food and shelter to work I truly love, from Tolstoy, Fitzgerald and Cervantes to a body that allows me to move through a world so incredibly amazing I can’t believe how lucky I am to be alive.

Zen Habits

Leo Babuata
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Neither Averting Nor Craving in Each Moment How Taking Care of My Finances Changed My Life Tips for Traveling with Kids My Grand Travel Experiment The Parent I Aspire to Be The Best & Less-than-Best Motivations for Learning The Miracle of Suspending Mis-Belief 7 Strategies for Dealing with Toxic People Finding Motivation on Important But Non-Urgent Tasks Learning Tips for the Top 8 Learning Challenges The 30-Day Learning Challenge The Place Where You Are Feeling Determined to Change Practicing Non-Judgment Hold Your Own Feet to the Fire Don’t Waste Your Opportunity How to Beat Procrastination with Daily Training The Time When We’ll Be Present & Content A Simple, Powerful Self-Compassion Method When Others Frustrate You Your Internet Habits Create Your Reality The Case for Replacing Exercise with Play Leave Yourself Wanting More Fail Faster at Habits The Anti-Bucket List Getting Started with the Discipline Habit The Case for Caring About Your Work Questions of Priority The Futility of Always Pushing Myself to Be More Pare Down with the Declutter Habit You’re Not Doing Life Wrong Getting Lost in Just Doing An Addict’s Guide to Overcoming the Distraction Habit The Source of Contentment Savor Discipline: Merge the Interests of Your Future & Present Selves What You Can Say Instead of “I Don’t Feel Like It” The Things That Get in the Way of Doing The Girl Who Saw Through the Illusions A Gradual Approach to Healthy Eating Unconditional Acceptance of Yourself My Typical Day: How I Get People to Think I’m Productive The Contentment Habit The Delightfully Short Guide to Reading More Books In Praise of Limits The Art of Being My Dad 5 Ideas to Create an Amazing 2015 Essential Zen Habits of 2014 Karate Chop Practicing Slowness & Being Present Overwhelmed by All the Changes You Want to Make My 2014 Successes and Failures Finding the Motivation to Change Your Entire Life When You’re Lonely The Brain’s Fast Mode 5 Questions to Simplify Your Life During the Holidays The Zen Habits Holiday Gift Guide The Four Hidden Habit Skills The Power of Delay Overwhelmed & Rushed? Do a Stress Assess Writer as Coder: The Iterative Way to Write a Book Please Support the Zen Habits Book Are You a Lift or Drag Force? When Resistance Smacks You in the Face When Your Plate is Too Full The Quickstart Guide to Quitting a Bad Habit The Zen Habits Book is Almost Done A Quick Guide to Gaining Confidence When You Socialize The Empty Container The Realization A Guide to Changing Self-Destructive Behaviors Pushing Past the Terrifying Dip in Motivation It’s Not Too Late to Change Bad Habits The Smart Way to Stick to Habits My Most Effective Learning Tools What I Do When I Fail How to Put Your Writing in Public The Productive Sprint The Biggest Reasons You Haven’t Changed Your Habits Seized by the Thunderhold of Fear What to Eat for Fat Loss The Heartbreaking Cruelty of Comparing Yourself to Others A Brief Guide to Overcoming Instant Gratification How to Get Motivated After a Vacation 7 Strategies for Facing Your Internet/TV Addiction How to Breathe 7 Discipline-Mastering Practices 7 Rules That Keep My Life Simple An Education in the Majestic Sierra Nevada The Lies Your Mind Tells You to Prevent Life Changes How to Believe in Yourself Don’t Waste a Moment How to Find Your Life Purpose: An Unconventional Approach How to Be Great Making Yourself Work Inhabit the Moment How to Master the Art of Living The Delusional Fantasies We Live With Each Day Living the Simple Life How to Be Prepared for Anything Turn Toward the Problem The End of the Day Philosophy The Painful Beauty of Impermanence How to Change Other People Pursuing Happiness When It’s Already Within You The Quickstart Guide to a Decluttered Home Parental Zen: How to Keep Your Cool as a Parent Looking for Love How to Stop Your Habit Changes From Getting Derailed Why We Have Regret The Essence of Fatherhood: 6 Simple Lessons A Call for Revolt: Advertising is the Anti-Minimalism The Frustratingly Slow Pace of Making Changes My Struggles with Eating Boring Food The No Procrastination Challenge Creating a Lovely Morning A Father’s Manifesto: Raising Young Men Who Respect Women Turn Inspiration Into Action Coming Back From a Setback The Gift A Guide for Young People: What to Do With Your Life No Excuses: Minimalism with Kids How to Make a Marriage Work Love Notes Flavorless: My Month of Food Boringness The Letting Go Ebook, Free The Miracle of the Self-Compassion Habit How I Tackle a Big Writing Project The Habit Action List The Reality of This Moment Confidence in Your Business 10 Ways to Do What You Don’t Want to Do On Making It Through Tough Journeys The Hard Stuff Often Matters Most What to Think About During Exercise You’ll Be OK The Most Important Two Minutes of Your Life A Call for Compassion for the Defenseless The Cure for Your Distraction Syndrome You’re Not Worse Than Other People Being Mindful of Your Stress What if You Didn’t Have to Worry About Yourself? 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Contentment from Billionaires Warren Buffett & Charlie Munger Smile in Each Moment A Guide to Practical Compassion 6 Steps To Healing Yourself The 7-Day Vegan Challenge Why You Should Write Daily Achieving Without Goals Flowing with the Stresses of Kids (or anyone else) Habit Mastery: Creating the New Normal Defeat Distraction: Refocusing with Purpose Expanding the Envelope: A Method for Beating Anger A Guide to Practical Contentment The Practice of Work Mind & Vacation Mind, Simultaneously How to Eat Real Food Without Spending Hours in the Kitchen Quitting Your Habits The 38 Best Methods of Successful Exercisers How To Make It Impossible To Fail The Not Knowing Path of Being an Entrepreneur How to Change Your Life: A User’s Guide Getting Your Family On Board with Life Changes How to Stick to a Habit When Life Falls Apart Zen Mind in the Middle of Chaos & Stress Create a Sacred Space in Your Heart Meditation: The Most Fundamental Habit Creating the Genuine Connections We Long For 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