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The School of Life
How to Think About Exercise
A look at how and why exercise affects the way we think and feel.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
72 people are currently reading
1356 people want to read
About the author
Damon Young
18 books83 followersI'm a philosopher and writer. I'm the author of several popular nonfiction books, published in Australia and overseas in English and translation into twelve languages.
My books include Distraction (2008), Philosophy in the Garden (2013), How to Think About Exercise (2014), The Art of Reading (2016), and On Getting Off: Philosophy and Sex (2020). I've written for outlets including The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, the ABC and BBC, and I'm a regular radio guest.
I have also published poetry, short fiction and six children’s picture books: My Nanna is a Ninja (2014), My Pop is a Pirate (2015), My Sister is a Superhero (2016), My Brother is a Beast (2017), My Mum is a Magician (2018), My Dad is a Dragon (2019).
You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram as @damonayoung.
My books include Distraction (2008), Philosophy in the Garden (2013), How to Think About Exercise (2014), The Art of Reading (2016), and On Getting Off: Philosophy and Sex (2020). I've written for outlets including The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, the ABC and BBC, and I'm a regular radio guest.
I have also published poetry, short fiction and six children’s picture books: My Nanna is a Ninja (2014), My Pop is a Pirate (2015), My Sister is a Superhero (2016), My Brother is a Beast (2017), My Mum is a Magician (2018), My Dad is a Dragon (2019).
You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram as @damonayoung.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
October 24, 2024
“Get off your bum and enjoy your muscles while you have them.” Note: the title is not How to Exercise; if it was, I couldn’t have been less interested. Instead, Young brings his philosopher’s credentials to bear on the subject of physical fitness and mind-body dualism, making this one of the more memorable School of Life titles.
So many of us are “mind workers” nowadays, Young points out. It is as if we have become disembodied, only valuing our intellectual achievements. Yet from ancient Greece onwards, virtue has had a physical aspect. Developing pride and pleasure in oneself is a material process as much as a mental one. Fitness means being fit for a purpose. In Hume’s equation, beauty = pleasure = value, such that muscles are not just useful but aesthetic. While avoiding the extreme of narcissism, we can still appreciate bodily excellence and the sacrifices necessary to attain it.
Perhaps the most notable chapters are the author’s case studies on running, ocean sports and yoga. Haruki Murakami, whose sense of discipline applies equally to exercise and writing, is Young’s primary model for the first. As another running writer, David Lebedoff, adds, “The fact that it takes character to get out of your chair is perhaps the greatest benefit to be derived from exercise.” Meanwhile, the ocean is a reminder of the classical theory of “the sublime,” a blend of beauty and danger, but observed from a place of safety. Yoga, with its physical and spiritual elements, is a notable instance of exercise being beneficial to both body and soul.
The idea I found most interesting is that exercise creates a mental void: at the same time it provides a rest from thought and the perfect environment for it. Surprisingly, Charles Darwin is one of Young’s favorite examples. Through taking long walks along his “Thinking Path” near Down House in Kent, Darwin opened up an ideal space for reverie. Many of his most revolutionary ideas came to him during these walks.
Young posits that we modern worrywarts are all too often in a state of mental ambiguity, but exercise is a means of returning us to simplicity. It also serves as a memento mori, telling us we are physical beings – feeble, time-limited and contingent – yet “for all our weakness and isolation, we are strong, secure, and part of something bigger than our feeble selves. Exercise is a chance to savor the precariousness of life – before we fall out of the world for good.”
So many of us are “mind workers” nowadays, Young points out. It is as if we have become disembodied, only valuing our intellectual achievements. Yet from ancient Greece onwards, virtue has had a physical aspect. Developing pride and pleasure in oneself is a material process as much as a mental one. Fitness means being fit for a purpose. In Hume’s equation, beauty = pleasure = value, such that muscles are not just useful but aesthetic. While avoiding the extreme of narcissism, we can still appreciate bodily excellence and the sacrifices necessary to attain it.
Perhaps the most notable chapters are the author’s case studies on running, ocean sports and yoga. Haruki Murakami, whose sense of discipline applies equally to exercise and writing, is Young’s primary model for the first. As another running writer, David Lebedoff, adds, “The fact that it takes character to get out of your chair is perhaps the greatest benefit to be derived from exercise.” Meanwhile, the ocean is a reminder of the classical theory of “the sublime,” a blend of beauty and danger, but observed from a place of safety. Yoga, with its physical and spiritual elements, is a notable instance of exercise being beneficial to both body and soul.
The idea I found most interesting is that exercise creates a mental void: at the same time it provides a rest from thought and the perfect environment for it. Surprisingly, Charles Darwin is one of Young’s favorite examples. Through taking long walks along his “Thinking Path” near Down House in Kent, Darwin opened up an ideal space for reverie. Many of his most revolutionary ideas came to him during these walks.
Young posits that we modern worrywarts are all too often in a state of mental ambiguity, but exercise is a means of returning us to simplicity. It also serves as a memento mori, telling us we are physical beings – feeble, time-limited and contingent – yet “for all our weakness and isolation, we are strong, secure, and part of something bigger than our feeble selves. Exercise is a chance to savor the precariousness of life – before we fall out of the world for good.”
May 17, 2018
I've always bristled at the language of fitness. A disembodied, disciplined self is called upon to shape, sculpt, even punish the unruly flesh of the body for its lazy, indulgent indiscretions. (Maybe this perception has something to do with being raised evangelical.)
But what if I am my body? What if my body is me? How can a body hate itself?
I wish I'd read Damon Young's philosophical and historical exploration of exercise back in college, where my mind was awakening while wishing my body would disappear. Young shatters the illusion of the dumb jock (Chad), making a powerful case for intelligent exercise:
How to Think About Exercise should be on every Intro to Philosophy syllabus and every personal trainer's bookshelf.
But what if I am my body? What if my body is me? How can a body hate itself?
I wish I'd read Damon Young's philosophical and historical exploration of exercise back in college, where my mind was awakening while wishing my body would disappear. Young shatters the illusion of the dumb jock (Chad), making a powerful case for intelligent exercise:
When we are committed to a more balanced life — a life without dualism — we can enjoy a kind of human alchemy: we put in raw muscular strain and agility, and get back some psychological gold. And vice versa: the price of a stronger arm or heart is a mind that can attend to racquet and ball, rock or road, with greater accuracy. Either way, intelligent exercise is always a to-and-fro. We are not defined by our mind or our body, but by their intimate congress.
The idea is to see exercise as a remedy for existential incompleteness, instead of just a way to postpone death or purchase sexiness with sweat.
How to Think About Exercise should be on every Intro to Philosophy syllabus and every personal trainer's bookshelf.
August 28, 2016
Dit boekje was een onverwachte meevaller. Bij Youngs Afgeleid had ik mijn aandacht niet kunnen bijhouden. Maar in dit boekje, met de nogal houterige titel Filosoferen over beweging en sport, werkt de auteur een overtuigende stelling uit betreffende de waarde van een gezonde en met overleg gepraktizeerde lichaamsbeweging.
Young associeert het belang van sport met een ouderwets Bildungsideaal: het is een uitgelezen terrein voor het oefenen van wat de Grieken arête of voortreffelijkheid noemden. Door sport leren we offers brengen, pijn verdragen, een houding van nederigheid aannemen, en schaven aan een consistent levensverhaal. Dat draagt allemaal bij tot een meer harmonisch zelfbeeld – weg van een simplistisch en uitgeleefd Cartesiaanse dualisme – en een beter begrip van de unieke relatie de wereld rondom ons en de mensen waarmee we die wereld delen. Sportbeoefening verschaft ons daarbovenop ook nog psychologische dividenden. De ervaring van schoonheid, heelheid en harmonie. En sommige sporten spelen zich af in heel bijzondere settings – de oceaan, het gebergte – die ons tegelijk ontzag en een relatieve psychologische veiligheid laten voelen: een fenomeen dat Edmund Burke op het einde van de 18e eeuw duidde als ‘het sublieme’.
Het boekje is helder opgebouwd in hoofdstukken die telkens één moreel of esthetisch begrip centraal stellen en daar ervaringen binnen één bepaalde sporttak aan koppelen. Zo wordt ‘consistentie’ verbonden met de praktijk van het hardlopen, ‘nederigheid’ met alpinisme, schoonheid met fitnesstraining, 'eenzijn' met yoga, enz. De auteur grijpt daarbij terug op zowel eigen ervaringen als die van anderen. Onderweg put hij ook anekdotisch uit het denken van filosofen zoals Plato, Hume, Schopenhauer, Dewey en MacIntyre. Jammer genoeg is er geen hoofdstuk gewijd aan het fietsen.
Ik las Youngs verhandeling in parallel met Haruki Murakami’s Waarover ik praat als ik over hardlopen praat en dat bleek een gelukkige keuze want beide boekjes vullen mekaar perfect aan. Murakami’s bericht over zijn lange praktijk als marathonloper is conceptueel erg dun, maar veel van zijn verhalen kunnen goed geduid worden vanuit het begrippelijk kader dat door Young wordt aangereikt. Ik kan daar overigens aan toevoegen dat ik vanuit mijn eigen bescheiden ervaring als lange-afstandsfietser (met ritten tot 400 km per dag) heel wat van Youngs wenken herken.
Aanbevolen aan iedere sporter die zijn/haar passie wil uitoefenen in een geest die niet door blinde wedijver en platte commercie wordt gebanaliseerd.
Young associeert het belang van sport met een ouderwets Bildungsideaal: het is een uitgelezen terrein voor het oefenen van wat de Grieken arête of voortreffelijkheid noemden. Door sport leren we offers brengen, pijn verdragen, een houding van nederigheid aannemen, en schaven aan een consistent levensverhaal. Dat draagt allemaal bij tot een meer harmonisch zelfbeeld – weg van een simplistisch en uitgeleefd Cartesiaanse dualisme – en een beter begrip van de unieke relatie de wereld rondom ons en de mensen waarmee we die wereld delen. Sportbeoefening verschaft ons daarbovenop ook nog psychologische dividenden. De ervaring van schoonheid, heelheid en harmonie. En sommige sporten spelen zich af in heel bijzondere settings – de oceaan, het gebergte – die ons tegelijk ontzag en een relatieve psychologische veiligheid laten voelen: een fenomeen dat Edmund Burke op het einde van de 18e eeuw duidde als ‘het sublieme’.
Het boekje is helder opgebouwd in hoofdstukken die telkens één moreel of esthetisch begrip centraal stellen en daar ervaringen binnen één bepaalde sporttak aan koppelen. Zo wordt ‘consistentie’ verbonden met de praktijk van het hardlopen, ‘nederigheid’ met alpinisme, schoonheid met fitnesstraining, 'eenzijn' met yoga, enz. De auteur grijpt daarbij terug op zowel eigen ervaringen als die van anderen. Onderweg put hij ook anekdotisch uit het denken van filosofen zoals Plato, Hume, Schopenhauer, Dewey en MacIntyre. Jammer genoeg is er geen hoofdstuk gewijd aan het fietsen.
Ik las Youngs verhandeling in parallel met Haruki Murakami’s Waarover ik praat als ik over hardlopen praat en dat bleek een gelukkige keuze want beide boekjes vullen mekaar perfect aan. Murakami’s bericht over zijn lange praktijk als marathonloper is conceptueel erg dun, maar veel van zijn verhalen kunnen goed geduid worden vanuit het begrippelijk kader dat door Young wordt aangereikt. Ik kan daar overigens aan toevoegen dat ik vanuit mijn eigen bescheiden ervaring als lange-afstandsfietser (met ritten tot 400 km per dag) heel wat van Youngs wenken herken.
Aanbevolen aan iedere sporter die zijn/haar passie wil uitoefenen in een geest die niet door blinde wedijver en platte commercie wordt gebanaliseerd.
February 20, 2018
متاسفانه این اولین باری بود که بدون مقدمه و تحقیق جزیی یه کتاب خریدم و مطالعه کردم
بزرگترین اشکالش به هم ریختگی مطالبه که حس میکنی نتونسته به خوبی موضوعاتیو که بهش پرداخته توضیح بده و خیلی از مطالب هم از تجربات شخصی خودش در ورزش هست که سعی کرده با فلسفه یک معنی بهش بده که متاسفانه خیلی جاها موفق نشده و سطحی نوشته شده . هرچند کمی در مورد هیوم و تعریف هیوم از لذت و کمی مطالب علمی مثل هایپوفرانتالیتی موقت رو تونسته کمی خوب توضیح بده ولی این مطالب رو هم به صورت بسیار جزیی تعریف کرده .
بزرگترین اشکالش به هم ریختگی مطالبه که حس میکنی نتونسته به خوبی موضوعاتیو که بهش پرداخته توضیح بده و خیلی از مطالب هم از تجربات شخصی خودش در ورزش هست که سعی کرده با فلسفه یک معنی بهش بده که متاسفانه خیلی جاها موفق نشده و سطحی نوشته شده . هرچند کمی در مورد هیوم و تعریف هیوم از لذت و کمی مطالب علمی مثل هایپوفرانتالیتی موقت رو تونسته کمی خوب توضیح بده ولی این مطالب رو هم به صورت بسیار جزیی تعریف کرده .
January 10, 2015
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I don't normally read books about exercise, because they are boring to me. This book changed my outlook on exercise books. It was very witty and philosophical. It showed that smart people can exercise too, not just the steroid heavy types. In fact, the book reveals how even intelligent people should strive to work out more. Working out can increase your creativity and give your mind a rest at the same time.
I loved the author's side notes through the book. I also loved how he included pictures of himself trying to complete his own personal goals. He also asks questions for you to ponder about. I also learned some things about Charles Darwin I never knew before.
The main question in the book that really got me thinking was "How far did you walk today?" I also loved the chapter on tennis because I used to play.
I think everyone would find this book enjoyable. It discusses many different sports, and even if your a couch potato it gets you to think about how you could change and add in a few minutes of exercise to your life.
I look forward to reading more of this author's works. I also am considering reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. The author discussed him a few times in How to Think about Exercise, and he really seems extraordinary!
I don't normally read books about exercise, because they are boring to me. This book changed my outlook on exercise books. It was very witty and philosophical. It showed that smart people can exercise too, not just the steroid heavy types. In fact, the book reveals how even intelligent people should strive to work out more. Working out can increase your creativity and give your mind a rest at the same time.
I loved the author's side notes through the book. I also loved how he included pictures of himself trying to complete his own personal goals. He also asks questions for you to ponder about. I also learned some things about Charles Darwin I never knew before.
The main question in the book that really got me thinking was "How far did you walk today?" I also loved the chapter on tennis because I used to play.
I think everyone would find this book enjoyable. It discusses many different sports, and even if your a couch potato it gets you to think about how you could change and add in a few minutes of exercise to your life.
I look forward to reading more of this author's works. I also am considering reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. The author discussed him a few times in How to Think about Exercise, and he really seems extraordinary!
November 17, 2015
The philosophical why we do what we do when we exercise. Chapters are based on virtues and characteristics : Reverie, Pride, Sacrifice, Beauty, Humility, Pain, Consistency, Sublime, and Oneness.
Since exercise and movement are my career, the concept of this really appealed to me. There were portions of the book that really resonated (Reverie, Humility, Consistency, and Oneness) and others that I didn't like much at all, because they brought to mind the narcissism, the egoism, and ugly sides of the modern fitness industry.
Overall, complete navel gazing about exercise... If you like to work out and also like philosophy, this will appeal to you, as it did me.
Since exercise and movement are my career, the concept of this really appealed to me. There were portions of the book that really resonated (Reverie, Humility, Consistency, and Oneness) and others that I didn't like much at all, because they brought to mind the narcissism, the egoism, and ugly sides of the modern fitness industry.
Overall, complete navel gazing about exercise... If you like to work out and also like philosophy, this will appeal to you, as it did me.
April 25, 2021
درمورد ورزش خیلی عجیب و جالب نوشته بود.نویسنده دوگانگی ذهن و بدن،جسم و روح،تحرک و تفکر رو زیر سوال می بره و معتقد هستش که با ورزش کردن هم می تونیم جسم رو پرورش بدیم و هم روح رو.نویسنده میگه اگر ورزش رو با تفکر توام سازیم،می تونیم از دوگانگی رها بشیم و وجودی یکپارچه بیابیم و زندگیمون رو بهبود ببخشیم.
من خیلی دوسش داشتم و علاقه ام به ورزش رو بیشتر کرد.
به نظرم خیلی خوبه که همه بخونن چه اونایی که ورزش رو دوست دارن و چه اونایی که دوست ندارن.
من خیلی دوسش داشتم و علاقه ام به ورزش رو بیشتر کرد.
به نظرم خیلی خوبه که همه بخونن چه اونایی که ورزش رو دوست دارن و چه اونایی که دوست ندارن.
January 23, 2014
Starts well, with a strong central premise - a more thoughtful attitude to exercise - but loses its way and is ultimately a thin superficial examination of the subject. Sadly, with the honourable exception of Roman Krznaric's excellent 'How to find fulfilling work', this has been true of most of The School of Life books I've read (beautifully styled though they are).
January 5, 2017
The book I wish I wrote.
When I was in high school I came across this quote by John F. Kennedy that has been percolating in my head ever since -
"Physical activity is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."
Since then I've been obsessed with the idea of the mind-body connection (it always seemed strange that my mind felt fresher and more productive after I've worked my muscles and lungs to exhaustion).
These days, working out (running, swimming, CrossFit, whatever) is such an integral part of my general well-being that I would feel forced to take a sick day to train if I had to go over a week without exercise. And let's forget about work for a second - I don't think I could be mentally sane if I didn't move on a regular basis.
How to Think About Exercise is a meditation on the act of exercise with the help of both ancient and modern philosophy and, ultimately, teaches us how exercise may help us not only achieve a fuller, richer life, but also strengthen our intellectual life as well. Read it.
--
What attracted Nietzsche to the Greeks was partly their celebration of physicality. The perfect human being was not torn between frail flesh and eternal spirit. He or she was a living whole, whose mind and body worked happily together.
We only have one life, and youth is brief. To be healthy without trying to run faster and longer, or harden one’s muscles, is to squander a chance to be more than one is; to miss the unique joy of striving, however painful.
The Greeks often saw exercise as a way to savor their full humanity. They kept sprinting, wrestling and throwing their javelins, not just because of war or health, but because it polished their souls, and they got a buzz out of it. Put more precisely, this is the Greek message: exercise offers virtues and pleasures, alongside hard bodies.
This is the Greek lesson: what we get out of the gym is more than a buffed body - it is a more defined version of ourselves. And this is a lifelong project, not just a summer fad.
I run in order to acquire a void. (Haruki Murakami)
Exercise can do more than encourage a mood of creativity. It can also give us something to be creative about.
If I used busy as an excuse to not run, I’d never run again. (Haruki Murakami)
Constancy and integrity ask for a little suffering. Sore leg muscles, anxiety over race times, morning weariness: Murakami is quite clear about the agony and annoyances of regular jogging. And he needs his running to be painful and exhausting. Not because of some masochistic longing for torture - well, not only - but because consistency is best cultivated by confronting what is not pleasant.
Exercise is a chance to savor the precariousness of life - before we fall out of the world for good.
It is a truism that “you get out what you put in”. This is certainly true of exercise. But with an exception: what we put in and take away are not always the same kind of thing. When we are committed to a more balanced life - a life without dualism - we can enjoy a kind of human alchemy: we put in raw muscular strain and agility, and get back some psychological gold.
We are not defined by our mind or our body, but by their intimate congress.
When I was in high school I came across this quote by John F. Kennedy that has been percolating in my head ever since -
"Physical activity is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."
Since then I've been obsessed with the idea of the mind-body connection (it always seemed strange that my mind felt fresher and more productive after I've worked my muscles and lungs to exhaustion).
These days, working out (running, swimming, CrossFit, whatever) is such an integral part of my general well-being that I would feel forced to take a sick day to train if I had to go over a week without exercise. And let's forget about work for a second - I don't think I could be mentally sane if I didn't move on a regular basis.
How to Think About Exercise is a meditation on the act of exercise with the help of both ancient and modern philosophy and, ultimately, teaches us how exercise may help us not only achieve a fuller, richer life, but also strengthen our intellectual life as well. Read it.
--
What attracted Nietzsche to the Greeks was partly their celebration of physicality. The perfect human being was not torn between frail flesh and eternal spirit. He or she was a living whole, whose mind and body worked happily together.
We only have one life, and youth is brief. To be healthy without trying to run faster and longer, or harden one’s muscles, is to squander a chance to be more than one is; to miss the unique joy of striving, however painful.
The Greeks often saw exercise as a way to savor their full humanity. They kept sprinting, wrestling and throwing their javelins, not just because of war or health, but because it polished their souls, and they got a buzz out of it. Put more precisely, this is the Greek message: exercise offers virtues and pleasures, alongside hard bodies.
This is the Greek lesson: what we get out of the gym is more than a buffed body - it is a more defined version of ourselves. And this is a lifelong project, not just a summer fad.
I run in order to acquire a void. (Haruki Murakami)
Exercise can do more than encourage a mood of creativity. It can also give us something to be creative about.
If I used busy as an excuse to not run, I’d never run again. (Haruki Murakami)
Constancy and integrity ask for a little suffering. Sore leg muscles, anxiety over race times, morning weariness: Murakami is quite clear about the agony and annoyances of regular jogging. And he needs his running to be painful and exhausting. Not because of some masochistic longing for torture - well, not only - but because consistency is best cultivated by confronting what is not pleasant.
Exercise is a chance to savor the precariousness of life - before we fall out of the world for good.
It is a truism that “you get out what you put in”. This is certainly true of exercise. But with an exception: what we put in and take away are not always the same kind of thing. When we are committed to a more balanced life - a life without dualism - we can enjoy a kind of human alchemy: we put in raw muscular strain and agility, and get back some psychological gold.
We are not defined by our mind or our body, but by their intimate congress.
August 18, 2015
Exercise, for the Greeks, was about becoming a virtuous person, achieving better strength of character, perseverance, and embodying in one's self peace, courage, and balance. Exercise wasn't so divorced from life - indeed, exercise was an integral part of being a human, namely, developing one's potential capacities and experiencing a fuller range of being human. In today's modern world, we are plagued by what Damon Young thinks is dualism: a radical separation of mind and body. We go to work and use our brains; we go to the gym to use our muscles... and these two activities seldom bleed into one another. It makes sense to us to run on the treadmill for the sake of living longer, or having a stronger heart, or whatever other physical side-effects accompany exercise. But what if we saw exercise as something that breeds moral development? Might enduring the pain and discomfort of weight-lifting breed perseverance and dedication? Working hard for something by setting goals breeds ownership and pride in one's body. Trying something new and risky, and losing, breeds humility, and the realization that none of us are all-powerful; rather, we're fragile, prone to break and strain, needing rest and recovery. Breathing exercises can remind us that we're here, right now, alive, somehow connected to our surroundings in an intimate way. Walks alone without the distractions of technology (phones, music, etc.) can open up space for us to ponder our day, become more thoughtful, experience solitude from others, etc.
The possibilities are endless. The point is that physical exercise can be, and maybe even should be, about becoming more human, and experiencing our humanity more fully.
The possibilities are endless. The point is that physical exercise can be, and maybe even should be, about becoming more human, and experiencing our humanity more fully.
March 4, 2018
Its hard to find the authors personal stories relevant or intersting, however the book gives a broad perspective for physical excersise. You will definitely find yourself in one of those chapters and if youre having stuggles with excersising then you will also find helpful ideas that will help you to continue.
Main takeaways
-Mind and Body works together.
-Sports can liberate us from the complexity of life
-Most of us excersise for beauty, not function/health. This is fine, just avoid extreme narcissism.
-Sports teaches us humility, therefore greater honesty of oneself.
-Meaning of pain can be changed. Its all in our heads. The body doesnt hurt as much as we think
-Consistent training stabilises nerotic people and moves us towards some purpose
-We are a clusmy species in the water, yet we are drawn to its buoyant, anti-gravity qualities. We like to be carried by something worldly unfaathomable.
- Connecting your mind and body is a creative excersise, that requires imagination.
- Excersise should be coupled with reflection, medidation and virtue.
- Excersise rewards us physically and psychologically.
- Avoid influence of superficial, external standards made by people you dont know. Learn about yourself, figure out what you like and how you like it. Fitness is an ever-lasting journey, a personal adventure.
Main takeaways
-Mind and Body works together.
-Sports can liberate us from the complexity of life
-Most of us excersise for beauty, not function/health. This is fine, just avoid extreme narcissism.
-Sports teaches us humility, therefore greater honesty of oneself.
-Meaning of pain can be changed. Its all in our heads. The body doesnt hurt as much as we think
-Consistent training stabilises nerotic people and moves us towards some purpose
-We are a clusmy species in the water, yet we are drawn to its buoyant, anti-gravity qualities. We like to be carried by something worldly unfaathomable.
- Connecting your mind and body is a creative excersise, that requires imagination.
- Excersise should be coupled with reflection, medidation and virtue.
- Excersise rewards us physically and psychologically.
- Avoid influence of superficial, external standards made by people you dont know. Learn about yourself, figure out what you like and how you like it. Fitness is an ever-lasting journey, a personal adventure.
November 8, 2018
This book was in no way on my "to-read" list but how glad I am to have found it by accident in my local library. Being someone who goes out to kick her butt about fives times a week, "How to Think About Exercise" made me really reflect on what exercising actually means to me and why I do it. It could be partially due to pride (I want to see myself improve and do more every day), beauty (fit and healthy), pain (because I like to challenge myself), and consistency (finding time for exercise helps me find time for anything else) - all the factors plus a few more that Young contemplates on as being the main reasons behind doing sports or any type of physical activity. Like the writing itself, which comes close to a more philosophical essay, exercise helps as build up not only our physical, but also mental strength, thus bringing us closer to wholeness.
The vivid examples from professional sports and Young's own experience make the book easy-to-read and relevant to so many different audiences engaged in diverse activities. If this work does not make you take up sports or love exercising even more, I do not know what could.
The vivid examples from professional sports and Young's own experience make the book easy-to-read and relevant to so many different audiences engaged in diverse activities. If this work does not make you take up sports or love exercising even more, I do not know what could.
October 14, 2016
At times disjointed and rambling, overall it made me appreciate exercise and sport on a higher level than my previous arms-length disdain. Reading it gave a lot to think over, and inspired me to re-read some Aristotle and other Ancient Greek philosophy, as well as provided motivation for sticking to my running regiment and maybe even try out some new activities in pursuit of being a more complete human being.
March 20, 2017
Unlike anything I've read. And a quick insightful read that demands more related reading (and viewing--it includes film recommendations!). My only wish was that it were a little more balanced with women's experience and thinking on the subject. I look forward to reading more of these How To guides.
June 21, 2017
I loved this. I loved how it made me think and question everything. I feel like my mind and my understanding has expanded. Philosophy in action? I'm in! And off to my yoga mat.
June 24, 2021
My fav quotes (not a review):
"Question: Stand naked in a mirror, and compare yourself mentally to someone less fit. Now compare yourself to a professional athlete. Use photos if you have to. Did your feelings change?"
"Joy can bring with it an existential responsibility: this is my body, my life, and I will not be beaten by age or acrimony."
"The French philosopher Albert Camus, famous for his love of soccer, once argued that Sisyphus, rolling the boulder up the hill for eternity, was happy. It was his rock – that is, his duty, his task, and no one else’s. The pride of exercise offers this same strained happiness, only we are the rock."
"Games like tennis, football and almost all competitive exercises have rules and rituals that set them apart from normal life. They can provide a second universe, which asks for toil and pain, but gives us a more simple existence in return – an existence we can walk away from when it becomes too"
"Both games (on the field and the desk) ask for sacrifices of comfort, selfishness and fantasy. Desk jobs can wither muscles and squander hours with loved ones; can demand missed sleep and constant anxiety. And the sacrifices of exercise – from pinched nerves, to miserably cold weekend practice sessions, to regular reminders of inadequacy or incompetence – are obvious even to spectators. To commit, as a human being, to anything is to renounce some quantum of pleasure – a measure that is enlarged by every increase in dedication. Every game exacts a cost."
"But the sacrifices of exercise are often more satisfying, because its rules are clearer and simpler than those of workaday existence."
"One of the most famous proportions is the ‘Golden Ratio’ (1.618), known as phi (Φ), after Phidias the Greek artist."
"This is not simply a matter of putting the pain to one side; of grinning and bearing it. It is that the ballerina does not have to bear it. With her professional training and dedication to the dance, the cut is simply not felt as a cut. As with martial arts, ballet can change the meaning of pain."
"And, as meaning changes, so does the pain itself."
"In fact, water in general can suggest danger and annihilation, because we are not well adapted to aquatic life. (Michael Phelps’s top sprinting speed is about a third of a dolphin’s.) "
"Breathing is hampered as we swim. Studies suggest that the water compresses the chest, making it more difficult to inhale. While floating horizontally takes pressure off breathing muscles, blood pools in the lungs, leaving less room for oxygen. In freestyle, we also burn more energy for less oxygen, because of the short, over-the-shoulder breaths – what poet Maxine Kumin, in ‘400-meter freestyle’, calls ‘little sips carefully expended’. As a result, our lungs tire more quickly during swimming than during exercises like running or rowing”
"The point is that swimming presents sublime challenges. This is different to the ‘flow’ we saw in climbing and gymnastics, in which pain or danger direct our awareness. These feelings allow ‘flow’ to arise, by fixing attention on what’s vital for success or survival. With the sublime, feelings of discomfort and threat are the feeling– they are enjoyed as part of the encounter with power. The water’s fluidity, size, and power encourage a vulnerable aliveness."
"Question: Stand naked in a mirror, and compare yourself mentally to someone less fit. Now compare yourself to a professional athlete. Use photos if you have to. Did your feelings change?"
"Joy can bring with it an existential responsibility: this is my body, my life, and I will not be beaten by age or acrimony."
"The French philosopher Albert Camus, famous for his love of soccer, once argued that Sisyphus, rolling the boulder up the hill for eternity, was happy. It was his rock – that is, his duty, his task, and no one else’s. The pride of exercise offers this same strained happiness, only we are the rock."
"Games like tennis, football and almost all competitive exercises have rules and rituals that set them apart from normal life. They can provide a second universe, which asks for toil and pain, but gives us a more simple existence in return – an existence we can walk away from when it becomes too"
"Both games (on the field and the desk) ask for sacrifices of comfort, selfishness and fantasy. Desk jobs can wither muscles and squander hours with loved ones; can demand missed sleep and constant anxiety. And the sacrifices of exercise – from pinched nerves, to miserably cold weekend practice sessions, to regular reminders of inadequacy or incompetence – are obvious even to spectators. To commit, as a human being, to anything is to renounce some quantum of pleasure – a measure that is enlarged by every increase in dedication. Every game exacts a cost."
"But the sacrifices of exercise are often more satisfying, because its rules are clearer and simpler than those of workaday existence."
"One of the most famous proportions is the ‘Golden Ratio’ (1.618), known as phi (Φ), after Phidias the Greek artist."
"This is not simply a matter of putting the pain to one side; of grinning and bearing it. It is that the ballerina does not have to bear it. With her professional training and dedication to the dance, the cut is simply not felt as a cut. As with martial arts, ballet can change the meaning of pain."
"And, as meaning changes, so does the pain itself."
"In fact, water in general can suggest danger and annihilation, because we are not well adapted to aquatic life. (Michael Phelps’s top sprinting speed is about a third of a dolphin’s.) "
"Breathing is hampered as we swim. Studies suggest that the water compresses the chest, making it more difficult to inhale. While floating horizontally takes pressure off breathing muscles, blood pools in the lungs, leaving less room for oxygen. In freestyle, we also burn more energy for less oxygen, because of the short, over-the-shoulder breaths – what poet Maxine Kumin, in ‘400-meter freestyle’, calls ‘little sips carefully expended’. As a result, our lungs tire more quickly during swimming than during exercises like running or rowing”
"The point is that swimming presents sublime challenges. This is different to the ‘flow’ we saw in climbing and gymnastics, in which pain or danger direct our awareness. These feelings allow ‘flow’ to arise, by fixing attention on what’s vital for success or survival. With the sublime, feelings of discomfort and threat are the feeling– they are enjoyed as part of the encounter with power. The water’s fluidity, size, and power encourage a vulnerable aliveness."
January 24, 2019
Exercise and philosophy, two things i know nothing about. Thus reading this book is a treat, mostly for seeing Haruki Murakami's rare image stretching (just kidding, ha) but also learning about those two topics I mentioned in an educative yet nevertheless fun way. :))
~*~
"We humans have a short span of life, and an even shorter span of prime fitness.'If a man attains his wish let him cling to it and not let it go for something far off' --'There is no telling what will be a year from now.' Enjoy your triumph, says Pindar, because life is brief and brutal."
"It is also a sense of the worth of this achievement: that, with limited days and vitality, we still bother to hone ourselves by striving physically. Given all the possible ways to sit idle, and to justify this, we have dedicated ourselves to some act of uncomfortable toil."
"--pride is also a kind of virtue. In the pride of sprinting, power-lifting or pedaling, we rightly celebrate ourselves for our committed exertion; for the willingness to move as hard and fast as we possibly can, instead of watching others do so on television. We are, in short, exerting ourselves when we might equally not. -- This takes not only fitness, but also a keen sense of responsibility: recognition that we might die tomorrow having never touched the edges of our own abilities. This is less about 'seizing the day', and other positive-thinking slogans, and more about more firmly grasping ourselves: as fragile, precarious things, with a small portion of vitality. -the self is something we must continually, often consciously, create."
"To commit, as a human being, to anything is to renounce some quantum of [pleasure- a measure that is enlarged by every increase in dedication. Every game exacts a cost."
"This is why we still call it 'fitness': because it is fit for something. Int his sense, to savor the beauty that arises with exercise is to respond to the promise of accomplishment. Whether or not we actually achieve anything is neither here nor there. The point is that the increasing visibility of muscles suggest increasing potency: the circle of our influence has widened. This, in turn, can be uplifting or comforting: the knowledge that, should we be challenged or threatened, we have more resources at our disposal. Muscularity is an antidote to a more general human condition: insecurity and uncertainty."
"Put simply. beauty is not as universal as the classical ideal suggests. It has sweet spots, but they are vague and variable - certainty not written into the fabric of the cosmos. It is important to own up to our own conceit: with exercise (and often diet) , we are crafting our own ideal."
"The point is not that we must be 'down on ourselves' - exercise does not mandate self loathing. The point is that achievement requires a combination of ambition and failure. We have to be able to envisage difficult goals: aims that challenge our physical gifts and mental acuity. - But to enter this state of skillful engagement we also have to recognize our own insufficiency and imperfection. Even if we have the most refined talents - and most of us do not - we often have flaws of character: holes in attention, wayward emotions, fickle habit of perception. These will not be overcome abstractly, just by thinking about them. We have to do, fail, reflect on the task and our failure, and then do it again. But we would not fail at all if it were not for the original ambition: the willingness to strive for something other than our customary aims. "
"-Put another way, the humility of exercise is not simply a virtue of saints and holy men. Instead, it is a very human willingness to recognize that we are incomplete, and always will be, and that our attempts to remedy this existential shortfall will be enjoyable for their own sake, not because we will ever achieve perfection."
"The whole body is involved in the creative endeavor: sitting for hours, scribbling at a notebook, refusing the legs' restlessness; stomach aches as anxiety releases acid; headaches and stringing eyes from sitting staring at white pages or screens two feet away. And the brain itself requires energy: it cannot concentrate for hours every day, for months or years, without taking a toll. 'You might not move your body around,' writes Murakami, 'but there's a grueling, dynamic labor going on inside you."
"The point is not to break records or write a masterpiece. The point is to keep training the body to best support the mind; to enhance the organs of labour. If we are thinking beings, we are also beings with bodies - bodies with organs and muscles, including brains, which thrive with blood and flexing."
"In his landmark 1984 book After Virtue, philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre argued that the modern age has lost a crucial idea of what it is to live a whole life. Lives, he said, are not random collections of moments, not dust piles made of scattered dumps. They are unities. - This is why MacIntyre argued that lives are actually narratives. This is the stuff of human existence: beginnings, middles, ends; departures and destinations; courtships, arousals and climaxes. 'Stories are lived,' wrote MacIntyre, 'before they are told - except in the case of fiction.' -- We are the best 'co-authors' of our lives."
"To live a good life, says MacIntyre, these stories have to be pulled together as wholes. We easily become fractured, divided, conflicted. We can 'lose the plot', so to speak. This is why we need the virtues of integrity and constancy. Integrity is achieved in changing circumstances: constancy over changing times. Both character traits are tendencies towards wholeness: virtues of consistency, which pull our stories together."
~*~
"We humans have a short span of life, and an even shorter span of prime fitness.'If a man attains his wish let him cling to it and not let it go for something far off' --'There is no telling what will be a year from now.' Enjoy your triumph, says Pindar, because life is brief and brutal."
"It is also a sense of the worth of this achievement: that, with limited days and vitality, we still bother to hone ourselves by striving physically. Given all the possible ways to sit idle, and to justify this, we have dedicated ourselves to some act of uncomfortable toil."
"--pride is also a kind of virtue. In the pride of sprinting, power-lifting or pedaling, we rightly celebrate ourselves for our committed exertion; for the willingness to move as hard and fast as we possibly can, instead of watching others do so on television. We are, in short, exerting ourselves when we might equally not. -- This takes not only fitness, but also a keen sense of responsibility: recognition that we might die tomorrow having never touched the edges of our own abilities. This is less about 'seizing the day', and other positive-thinking slogans, and more about more firmly grasping ourselves: as fragile, precarious things, with a small portion of vitality. -the self is something we must continually, often consciously, create."
"To commit, as a human being, to anything is to renounce some quantum of [pleasure- a measure that is enlarged by every increase in dedication. Every game exacts a cost."
"This is why we still call it 'fitness': because it is fit for something. Int his sense, to savor the beauty that arises with exercise is to respond to the promise of accomplishment. Whether or not we actually achieve anything is neither here nor there. The point is that the increasing visibility of muscles suggest increasing potency: the circle of our influence has widened. This, in turn, can be uplifting or comforting: the knowledge that, should we be challenged or threatened, we have more resources at our disposal. Muscularity is an antidote to a more general human condition: insecurity and uncertainty."
"Put simply. beauty is not as universal as the classical ideal suggests. It has sweet spots, but they are vague and variable - certainty not written into the fabric of the cosmos. It is important to own up to our own conceit: with exercise (and often diet) , we are crafting our own ideal."
"The point is not that we must be 'down on ourselves' - exercise does not mandate self loathing. The point is that achievement requires a combination of ambition and failure. We have to be able to envisage difficult goals: aims that challenge our physical gifts and mental acuity. - But to enter this state of skillful engagement we also have to recognize our own insufficiency and imperfection. Even if we have the most refined talents - and most of us do not - we often have flaws of character: holes in attention, wayward emotions, fickle habit of perception. These will not be overcome abstractly, just by thinking about them. We have to do, fail, reflect on the task and our failure, and then do it again. But we would not fail at all if it were not for the original ambition: the willingness to strive for something other than our customary aims. "
"-Put another way, the humility of exercise is not simply a virtue of saints and holy men. Instead, it is a very human willingness to recognize that we are incomplete, and always will be, and that our attempts to remedy this existential shortfall will be enjoyable for their own sake, not because we will ever achieve perfection."
"The whole body is involved in the creative endeavor: sitting for hours, scribbling at a notebook, refusing the legs' restlessness; stomach aches as anxiety releases acid; headaches and stringing eyes from sitting staring at white pages or screens two feet away. And the brain itself requires energy: it cannot concentrate for hours every day, for months or years, without taking a toll. 'You might not move your body around,' writes Murakami, 'but there's a grueling, dynamic labor going on inside you."
"The point is not to break records or write a masterpiece. The point is to keep training the body to best support the mind; to enhance the organs of labour. If we are thinking beings, we are also beings with bodies - bodies with organs and muscles, including brains, which thrive with blood and flexing."
"In his landmark 1984 book After Virtue, philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre argued that the modern age has lost a crucial idea of what it is to live a whole life. Lives, he said, are not random collections of moments, not dust piles made of scattered dumps. They are unities. - This is why MacIntyre argued that lives are actually narratives. This is the stuff of human existence: beginnings, middles, ends; departures and destinations; courtships, arousals and climaxes. 'Stories are lived,' wrote MacIntyre, 'before they are told - except in the case of fiction.' -- We are the best 'co-authors' of our lives."
"To live a good life, says MacIntyre, these stories have to be pulled together as wholes. We easily become fractured, divided, conflicted. We can 'lose the plot', so to speak. This is why we need the virtues of integrity and constancy. Integrity is achieved in changing circumstances: constancy over changing times. Both character traits are tendencies towards wholeness: virtues of consistency, which pull our stories together."
May 13, 2025
The book discusses how exercise not only improves physical health but also builds mental resilience. We shouldn’t view exercise as merely a way to counteract a sedentary lifestyle; instead, we should embrace it for deeper reasons. Exercise can serve as an opportunity to educate both the body and mind. It emphasizes that walking is a powerful way to keep the body in motion while also allowing the mind to reflect and practice mindfulness. The book explores how pride, beauty, humility, and pain are all motivating factors and briefly highlights the numerous mental and physical benefits of yoga. It also notes that relying on anything as a quick fix for stress can be problematic.
March 6, 2021
I stumbled upon this book via goodreads and some of its good reviews on here. To be honest, the first half of the book felt a bit dry and than the second half of the book felt a bit like reading in an echo chamber as I already knew a lot of the things Young is talking about in this book.
The bottom line of the book is that exercising is not only good for your body but also for your mind. I was hoping to get a bit more out of it. Maybe it made me a tiny bit more curious about the theory behind Yoga and Meditation but that will be a topic for another book.
If you never tackled this whole topic yourself before residing this I assume it can be quite an interesting and good book for you.
The bottom line of the book is that exercising is not only good for your body but also for your mind. I was hoping to get a bit more out of it. Maybe it made me a tiny bit more curious about the theory behind Yoga and Meditation but that will be a topic for another book.
If you never tackled this whole topic yourself before residing this I assume it can be quite an interesting and good book for you.
April 30, 2025
Inspired by this book to look at exercise and physical beauty in a different way than usual. I especially like the perspectives brought from philosophy and history to see how differently we have looked at brain/body and unity/dualism through time. It made me think about exercise as something potentially virtuous, spiritual and personal. Meaning it took away some of the guilt and dread of pain as well as the sense that it must be selfish or self absorbed to spend hours and hours building your own body or doing seemingly meaningless tasks like moving a ball from one end of a field to another for example. It made exercise make sense but in a way that was innerly motivated and not outwardly (e.g. because we need to look a certain way) and it was not reprimanding or too data focused (e.g. making exercise seem only about counting calories). It made exercise and time spent in your body seem noble and important, but also as a sanctuary and not as just another task on a busy schedule.
August 2, 2015
While I do try and get 'enough' exercise, I actually came to the book through philosophy, and that sounds way more pretentious than intended because I've done very little reading in philosophy. In fact I think I am a good candidate for this type of book; a book packaged for people who want an introduction to philosophy through themes that make sense in daily life. It is certainly an introductory text, with only 170 pages and 9 short chapters on: reverie, pride, sacrifice, beauty, humility, pain, consistency, the sublime and oneness (plus my personal favourite - homework). In homework, which is an annotated reading list to encourage the slightly more diligent to read more deeply, the philosophers referenced are: Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Heidegger, Xenophon, Hume, John Dewey and Schopenhauer. Damon Young also draws on the Coen Brothers, Darwin, Tolkein, Joe Simpson's Touching the Void, and Murakami. So to me it seemed balanced between the unfamiliar and the comfortable.
My approach through the book was to be fascinated with the philosophical lessons around exercise and then to apply them, where relevant, to other aspects of life. I have many challenges at work at the moment. We are engaged in a 5 year project that may end in failure so I was particularly interested in the essay around humility.
My notes from the chapter....I have finished 'humility', the chapter that is, rather than finished with the psychological state. In the chapter we are introduced to Hume, who teaches us that humility is the balance of pride, that humility is pain, and that "I feel humble because I perceive some ugliness in myself, and this is uncomfortable, unpleasant." P86 Why would we think that humility might be a productive state? It sounds like something we might like to avoid. And the answer that philosophy provides and which is applied here to exercise, but which of course was intended for any human endeavour, is that "the value of humility is greater honesty".
Given we are frail, physical beings it is important to know our limitations. Damon Young uses many mountain climbing examples in this chapter to convey the philosophical usefulness of humility. Mountains can kill us if we take risks beyond our abilities. We should be humble in the face of great challenges, great risks, but given we all in some way want to climb that mountain (insert your own relevant challenge), then we will need honest feedback to help us achieve our goals.
His argument leads us to the role of humility in 'flow' - that wonderful psychological state described on p94 as "a state of mind characterised by feelings of freedom, loss of consciousness of self, and timelessness". Flow does not need to be achieved on the icy edge of a mountain, though many mountaineers have described flow experiences to us. It can be achieved whenever there is a match between skill and challenge. Humility is essential to flow because "flow is impossible without the recognition that we are fragile and flawed animals, navigating an indifferent or unstable environment" p96.
Humility then is a way to see ourselves and how we relate to the external world with all its threats and challenges. It does not mean we should be paralysed and meek, instead it should help us achieve skilful striving
I found Damon Young's writing on humility helpful to me and recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an introduction to philosophy through an accessible avenue of 'how to think about exercise'.
My approach through the book was to be fascinated with the philosophical lessons around exercise and then to apply them, where relevant, to other aspects of life. I have many challenges at work at the moment. We are engaged in a 5 year project that may end in failure so I was particularly interested in the essay around humility.
My notes from the chapter....I have finished 'humility', the chapter that is, rather than finished with the psychological state. In the chapter we are introduced to Hume, who teaches us that humility is the balance of pride, that humility is pain, and that "I feel humble because I perceive some ugliness in myself, and this is uncomfortable, unpleasant." P86 Why would we think that humility might be a productive state? It sounds like something we might like to avoid. And the answer that philosophy provides and which is applied here to exercise, but which of course was intended for any human endeavour, is that "the value of humility is greater honesty".
Given we are frail, physical beings it is important to know our limitations. Damon Young uses many mountain climbing examples in this chapter to convey the philosophical usefulness of humility. Mountains can kill us if we take risks beyond our abilities. We should be humble in the face of great challenges, great risks, but given we all in some way want to climb that mountain (insert your own relevant challenge), then we will need honest feedback to help us achieve our goals.
His argument leads us to the role of humility in 'flow' - that wonderful psychological state described on p94 as "a state of mind characterised by feelings of freedom, loss of consciousness of self, and timelessness". Flow does not need to be achieved on the icy edge of a mountain, though many mountaineers have described flow experiences to us. It can be achieved whenever there is a match between skill and challenge. Humility is essential to flow because "flow is impossible without the recognition that we are fragile and flawed animals, navigating an indifferent or unstable environment" p96.
Humility then is a way to see ourselves and how we relate to the external world with all its threats and challenges. It does not mean we should be paralysed and meek, instead it should help us achieve skilful striving
I found Damon Young's writing on humility helpful to me and recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an introduction to philosophy through an accessible avenue of 'how to think about exercise'.
July 31, 2018
This book will not, by itself, inspire you to get off the couch. The repeated call to action is only, "use your body while you can." It will, to its credit, give you some philosophical tidbits to ruminate on during a run, and perhaps make your HIIT program a bit easier to endure. You won't need to hide your pride anymore; it might well become your go-to instrument of endurance. My favorite quotes:
Neuroscientists have argued that exercise can encourage innovation and problem solving. Not because it helps us study more rigorously but because it allows our intellect to relax a little; to digest our meal of facts and arguments. Researchers describe it as “transient hypofrontality”: the prefrontal cortex is turned down while the motor and sensory parts of the brain are turned up. The intellect’s walls can come down to allow for the “free flow of novel, unfiltered ideas and impulses.”
Haruki Murakami: “I run in order to acquire a void.” This is a classic description of transient hyperfrontality: a private moving daydream, which keeps Murakami calmer and more creative. p40
The point is to be mindful of the benefits of gentle exercise; to remember that we are doing more than tightening our thighs and calves. We are also loosening our minds, and giving them interesting things to contemplate in this state. In other words, exercise can be a habit that undoes habit: a way to regularly shake up our intellectual routines. p47
In Hume’s language, by regaining pleasure in his body, Odysseus enhances his idea of himself. The is because the relations of ideas and passions move both ways: this is MY body, my life and I will not be beaten by age or acrimony. We humans have a short span of life and an even shorter span of prime fitness. Remind yourself of life’s fragility and shortness before exercise. Does it change your performance or how you feel about it?
We ARE bodies, and we will suffer and due - all of us. To live is a chance to strive. Camus argues that Sisyphus was happy. It was his rock, his duty, his task. The pride of exercise offers this same strained happiness, only WE are the rock. p69
Neuroscientists have argued that exercise can encourage innovation and problem solving. Not because it helps us study more rigorously but because it allows our intellect to relax a little; to digest our meal of facts and arguments. Researchers describe it as “transient hypofrontality”: the prefrontal cortex is turned down while the motor and sensory parts of the brain are turned up. The intellect’s walls can come down to allow for the “free flow of novel, unfiltered ideas and impulses.”
Haruki Murakami: “I run in order to acquire a void.” This is a classic description of transient hyperfrontality: a private moving daydream, which keeps Murakami calmer and more creative. p40
The point is to be mindful of the benefits of gentle exercise; to remember that we are doing more than tightening our thighs and calves. We are also loosening our minds, and giving them interesting things to contemplate in this state. In other words, exercise can be a habit that undoes habit: a way to regularly shake up our intellectual routines. p47
In Hume’s language, by regaining pleasure in his body, Odysseus enhances his idea of himself. The is because the relations of ideas and passions move both ways: this is MY body, my life and I will not be beaten by age or acrimony. We humans have a short span of life and an even shorter span of prime fitness. Remind yourself of life’s fragility and shortness before exercise. Does it change your performance or how you feel about it?
We ARE bodies, and we will suffer and due - all of us. To live is a chance to strive. Camus argues that Sisyphus was happy. It was his rock, his duty, his task. The pride of exercise offers this same strained happiness, only WE are the rock. p69
October 28, 2015
Dit boek biedt een reeks van bespiegelingen over sport en met name de oefening die gepaard gaat met sport. De kern van beschouwingen draait om drie zaken:
- Regelmatig oefenen en dat gedurende langere tijd volhouden maakt dat je van jezelf alles kunt maken
- Beleving van sport heeft alles te maken met het één worden van lichaam en geest waardoor de intensiteit van de beleving wordt versterkt. De combinatie met een reel of denkbeeldig gevaar en de concentratie die het vereist om daarmee om te gaan brengt flow, of het gevoel op te gaan in iets groots ( de zee of een grote open vlakte tijdens het lopen al dan niet in combinatie met zon) brengt het sublieme.
Young loopt tal van diverse sporten af zoals Cardio, Powerfitness, Boksen, Joggen, Zwemmen, yoga e.d. en haalt daarbij de meest recente inzichten van de hersenwetenschappen aan. Uiteindelijk gaat het erom steeds regelmatig en gevarieerd te oefenen. dat brengt je in een betere verbinding met jezelf maar daardoor ook met je omgeving. Opmerkelijk is bijvoorbeeld de relatie tussen vechtsporten en het opbouwen van vertrouwen en kameraadschap en een grotere sociale vaardigheid.
- Regelmatig oefenen en dat gedurende langere tijd volhouden maakt dat je van jezelf alles kunt maken
- Beleving van sport heeft alles te maken met het één worden van lichaam en geest waardoor de intensiteit van de beleving wordt versterkt. De combinatie met een reel of denkbeeldig gevaar en de concentratie die het vereist om daarmee om te gaan brengt flow, of het gevoel op te gaan in iets groots ( de zee of een grote open vlakte tijdens het lopen al dan niet in combinatie met zon) brengt het sublieme.
Young loopt tal van diverse sporten af zoals Cardio, Powerfitness, Boksen, Joggen, Zwemmen, yoga e.d. en haalt daarbij de meest recente inzichten van de hersenwetenschappen aan. Uiteindelijk gaat het erom steeds regelmatig en gevarieerd te oefenen. dat brengt je in een betere verbinding met jezelf maar daardoor ook met je omgeving. Opmerkelijk is bijvoorbeeld de relatie tussen vechtsporten en het opbouwen van vertrouwen en kameraadschap en een grotere sociale vaardigheid.
August 4, 2016
Rating this book as a whole is a bit tricky as the success of its intention to be a philosophical "companion to exercise" is ultimately dependant on the experience or attitudes to exercise and sport that the reader brings with them. It's also broken up into nine purported facets of exercise; Reverie, Pride, Sacrifice, Beauty, Humility, Pain, Consistency, The Sublime and Oneness, further segregating what may or may not resonate.
In my own case; I've dabbled in, but never really been much of a team sport player, so I found the sections on humility and sacrifice gave me some insight into their appeal and value. Other sections such as reverie, pain, consistency, applied more to the activities I participate in so I found myself nodding affirmatively to them, while the latter couple I found interesting, but less personally pertinent.
Overall a book I'd recommend to others and one of those that you hold with that two-handed squeezing grip reserved for those books you feel are full of good juicy stuff you want to squeeze out into a glass and drink. I'd also recommend the author's Twitter feed for more quenching insight and amusement.
In my own case; I've dabbled in, but never really been much of a team sport player, so I found the sections on humility and sacrifice gave me some insight into their appeal and value. Other sections such as reverie, pain, consistency, applied more to the activities I participate in so I found myself nodding affirmatively to them, while the latter couple I found interesting, but less personally pertinent.
Overall a book I'd recommend to others and one of those that you hold with that two-handed squeezing grip reserved for those books you feel are full of good juicy stuff you want to squeeze out into a glass and drink. I'd also recommend the author's Twitter feed for more quenching insight and amusement.
December 14, 2014
Exercise... there's a dirty word! It is impossible to stand in line at the grocery store and not see some magazine cover promising to help lose inches and pounds without lifting a finger in exercise; or maybe promise 14 days of repetitive motion will whittle a few inches off your bum.
So when I saw the title of this book it made me stop and want to see what there was to think about in exercise. When I finished the book, it didn't take long. it's only 160 pages long. I was kind of overwhelmed with all the heavy duty philosophical discussion and references to ancient arts. The book bogged down a lot with deep discussions that seem to make their point early and then went on and on.
But there were many statements that made me think about my life and my exercise routines.
My personal exercise interests are walking and yoga so the chapters on those areas stood out for me.
Any time you read a self-help book and come away having "seen the light", finding ways to improve the quality of your life, then the author has been successful.
So when I saw the title of this book it made me stop and want to see what there was to think about in exercise. When I finished the book, it didn't take long. it's only 160 pages long. I was kind of overwhelmed with all the heavy duty philosophical discussion and references to ancient arts. The book bogged down a lot with deep discussions that seem to make their point early and then went on and on.
But there were many statements that made me think about my life and my exercise routines.
My personal exercise interests are walking and yoga so the chapters on those areas stood out for me.
Any time you read a self-help book and come away having "seen the light", finding ways to improve the quality of your life, then the author has been successful.
July 20, 2018
This is kind of a counter-argument to n+1's "Against Exercise". It's a call to strong arms for intellectuals and nerds to work out. And to a lesser extent, for"jocks" to put a little more thought about "why" they lift.
Damon Young looks to help the reader overcome Cartesian dualism (in the gym) and Socrates admonishments towards self-neglect. It's about the rewards and pleasures of exercise. The ethicality of a body high, etc.
Talking about the benefits of walking towards thought. I.e. famous flaneurs.
Young suggests making for reverie, solitude, taking pride and freedom in a sprint, and to be the rock that Sisyphus pushes. Exercise (particularly extreme sports) teaches humility. Look for flow--achievement requires a combination of ambition and failure. How pain consecrates effort. The consistency that exercise can bring (giving Murakami as an example). Exercise at it's peak is a chance to examine the sublime and remind of us of the precariousness of life.
3.5 Stars
Damon Young looks to help the reader overcome Cartesian dualism (in the gym) and Socrates admonishments towards self-neglect. It's about the rewards and pleasures of exercise. The ethicality of a body high, etc.
Talking about the benefits of walking towards thought. I.e. famous flaneurs.
Young suggests making for reverie, solitude, taking pride and freedom in a sprint, and to be the rock that Sisyphus pushes. Exercise (particularly extreme sports) teaches humility. Look for flow--achievement requires a combination of ambition and failure. How pain consecrates effort. The consistency that exercise can bring (giving Murakami as an example). Exercise at it's peak is a chance to examine the sublime and remind of us of the precariousness of life.
3.5 Stars
December 27, 2017
Lots of interesting ideas about how to think of exercise as a crucial part of life - about what it has to offer in terms of values and quality of life.
I found the structure a bit frustrating. Each chapter focuses on a concept (e.g. pain) and uses a sport as an example (e.g. martial arts). I enjoyed the chapters on reverie, consistency and oneness but that’s because they were about types of exercise that I happen to enjoy (walking, running and yoga, respectively). The other chapters were a slog, comparatively. I think the book generally would have been more engaging if each chapter had referenced several other sports, so that readers can more easily see how each concept can apply to exercise more generally. Otherwise it’s a little hard to see how a person can achieve oneness from ball sports or experience the sublime while walking, and so on.
I found the structure a bit frustrating. Each chapter focuses on a concept (e.g. pain) and uses a sport as an example (e.g. martial arts). I enjoyed the chapters on reverie, consistency and oneness but that’s because they were about types of exercise that I happen to enjoy (walking, running and yoga, respectively). The other chapters were a slog, comparatively. I think the book generally would have been more engaging if each chapter had referenced several other sports, so that readers can more easily see how each concept can apply to exercise more generally. Otherwise it’s a little hard to see how a person can achieve oneness from ball sports or experience the sublime while walking, and so on.
June 18, 2018
An interesting book exploring the ideological reasons to exercise. A realisation of your own faults, knowing yourself better, entering a tranquil state of mind, facing your mortality, defining yourself more clearly. I enjoyed it and it does a good job setting the tone and not coming off as too spiritual nor too scientifically instructive.
Edit: As of June 2018, I would say I have not exercised more as a result of the book, but perhaps I am less averse to it. I am born into a gamer, but not a good one, and so I've had to find other ways to be impressive - I am physically agile enough as a person, but not strong in any sport - I admire muscles and lean fitness, but don't seem to making progress towards achieving it. I guess I could say this book shifted my thinking.
Edit: As of June 2018, I would say I have not exercised more as a result of the book, but perhaps I am less averse to it. I am born into a gamer, but not a good one, and so I've had to find other ways to be impressive - I am physically agile enough as a person, but not strong in any sport - I admire muscles and lean fitness, but don't seem to making progress towards achieving it. I guess I could say this book shifted my thinking.
January 27, 2018
ventured into pop philosophy/self help because i was tired of spending all my jogs grimly wondering how many minutes of old age i might win myself (this article has haunted me all year https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/we...). exercise for me (and many others i'm sure) tends to be a very uncomfortable meditation on mortality.
this book got to the issue i wanted to address: "The idea is to see exercise as a remedy for existential incompleteness, instead of just a way to postpone death or purchase sexiness with sweat."
but, unfortunately, didn't answer it.
this book got to the issue i wanted to address: "The idea is to see exercise as a remedy for existential incompleteness, instead of just a way to postpone death or purchase sexiness with sweat."
but, unfortunately, didn't answer it.
August 14, 2018
This book sounded interesting and I was hoping for a book I could recommend to athletes who are interested in learning about philosophy. I found the Tips and Questions a bit out of place, maybe the author was required to add these in to fit with the format of the series. It is very hard to come up with tips and questions that won't be patronising to some or irrelevant to others. I think the best audience for this book is probably people who struggle to motivate themselves to exercise but haven't spent anytime until now on thinking about it.
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