A Philosophy of Exercise Which Transforms Body and Soul

I’m few km into my bike ride. It’s a slight decline, around 2-4%, so my breathing rate is lower since I’m peddling easily. But now, I can’t listen anything around me because my heart rate is well above average, sustained at 160+ bpm. I know I need to bring it down, so I focus on controlling my breath. My attention is fully on my breathing, and no other sound can reach my ears. My headphones are blocking out external noises, and all I can hear is my heartbeat pounding in my eardrums. This moment perfectly encapsulates the philosophy of exercise, where mind and body must function in harmony.

But then something strange happens. As I’m controlling my breath, I suddenly become aware of how fast I’m moving, how my tires are gripping the fresh basalt road in the morning, how the wind is streaming through the little holes in my helmet to evaporate the sweat on my head, and how calm the road feels. I’m moving, yet it feels like I’m just standing still, staring at the sky. It feels so good to be in this moment, my heart is in such a state that it’s no longer sending more oxygen-rich blood to my brain than it actually needs. So, my brain isn’t rushing into the future or worrying about the past. I’m fully present. Nothing matters except my next pedal stroke!

This is almost the same feeling I get when I finish my meditation sessions. But there, my heart runs at a much lower rate, and my brain is only half awake. This feeling is so beautiful, it’s fragile as it lasts just for a few minutes. But it has a deeper impact on you as a person.

This is a non-scientific article, written only for the literary musings. I am not a health expert by any means. I am just another human who is sharing what he felt during endurance workout. Please don’t seek any science or any form of advice in this, this is just for entertainment. : )

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As you age, you realise the importance of maintaining a healthy body for a happier life. Two key ways to achieve this are eating a balanced diet and engaging in regular exercise, both of them are painful to follow. There’s no fun in eating good healthy food and there’s definitely no painless way to do exercise. Adding more fuel to the fire, the results of exercise are hard to come. It takes a lot of time to see your biceps grow, your resting heart rate low and your mind to be little less foggy. This is why most of the people quit in first few months itself and many don’t even bother to start.

But there are those rare souls who persist, who sculpt their bodies with unwavering dedication, who chase the elusive dream of a healthy life. They are enigmas to me, wrapped in sweat-soaked mysteries. How do they unlock the secret to this perseverance? What hidden wellspring of determination do they tap into, allowing them to nurture this lifestyle day after day, year after year, as constant as the moon’s pull on the tides?

The answer lies in their motivation and the rewards they eventually experience. Those gruelling workouts start to change their bodies on a fundamental level. Their lungs fill with fresh air, their blood carries oxygen to every corner of their bodies, and their muscles work under pressure like a hydraulic press. Their skeleton and mind sync up, creating a rhythm that’s almost musical in its precision.

But you can’t reach that state without first embracing the pain. Your muscles need to be tuned like the strings of a guitar, your lungs trained to hold breath like a trumpeter before a big note, and your heart conditioned to pump oxygen efficiently to every cell. It’s like playing a complex piece of jazz, where your body and mind create a tight rhythm that you have to maintain. You keep time, you keep the beat.

And then, something shifts. As you reach the climax of this physical and mental jazz, your mind stops fighting the pain. It realises that no matter what, you’re not going to give in. So it waves the white flag.

Rather than resisting, your mind starts to align with your body. There’s no energy wasted, no room for unnecessary thoughts, no time for distractions—only what’s essential to stay in sync with this rhythm.

Exercise, of course, brings numerous physical benefits, but it also offers something deeper, something almost philosophical or spiritual. A mind that’s usually scattered, racing with a million thoughts, suddenly starts to focus. The energy that once fueled endless worries is redirected to the physical task at hand. This calm, focused, and proud mind begins to find meaning in the pain, and maybe, just maybe, this newfound perspective extends to other parts of life.

As someone who struggles to stay motivated to exercise regularly, I can tell you that the usual rewards; looking good, attracting attention; aren’t enough for me. Sure, I wouldn’t mind those perks, but they’re not what gets me out of bed in the morning. But after those initial painful sessions, something changes. The mind starts playing tricks, and now it’s the intrinsic rewards; the calm, the pride; that draw me in. This process has become part of my journey to understand myself. It’s not about being consistent with exercise; it’s about finding that feeling at least once in a lifetime: a feeling that’s physically, philosophically, and philosophically fulfilling.

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Thanks for reading!