That you can't imagine anyone still choosing to exercise says a lot about how you think about it. Going through a good workout is the same for me as solving a hard problem.
It's cool that you've figured out how to enjoy it, but to most of society, it's an utterly boring mind numbing repetitious activity; that it has health benefits makes it no less so.
If your body was just naturally in great shape and required no exercise to stay so, you're telling me you'd still go to the gym and pump weights? For what possible reason?
My sport of choice is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I tend to combine strength training and conditioning to complement BJJ practices. But sometimes I'll lift for power only, because it's fun to change it up.
Since you're on HN, I assume you're a programmer. Don't you like solving programming puzzles? Doesn't it make you feel good to figure something out, even if there's no obvious benefit? I have the same attitude with workouts - both BJJ and the strength training I do.
Last week, I wondered if I could do five reps of five set of Clean & Press at 185 pounds. I could seven months ago. I thought my strength wasn't up to where it had been. But I did it. It was hard; it took considerable effort to not let myself feel tired inbetween sets, and to maintain focus during the sets. I had set an ambitious but realistic goal, and I achieved it. I went home feeling good.
If you have the right attitude to exercising, there are considerable mental benefits. I think a big part of this is training for performance, not looks. Pushing yourself to achieve your performance goals, not your body-image goals. But someone else said it better, so I'll link to him: http://dynamicfitness.blogspot.com/2006/04/df-tip-13-enough-...
Find something you have fun doing. Maybe a sport or a martial art. Or maybe your concept of "working out" is too narrow; check out http://www.crossfit.com for people who stress performance during workouts that generally last less than 30 minutes, but will exhaust you.
Ah, see, that's what I meant by being a means, a sport is and end and something fun in itself where the getting in shape is a side effect. When I say working out, I'm specifically talking about pumping iron in a gym. Yes I'm a programmer, so my definition isn't so much narrow as it is precise, what can I say; that's how we are. Playing a sport isn't working out, it's playing a sport; that it happens to work you out is not the main point merely a nice benefit. Where I live, it's 115 degrees outside, working up a sweat is the last thing I want to do, I spend much of my time trying to stop sweating!
"Last week, I wondered if I could do five reps of five set of Clean & Press at 185 pounds."
Yes, but can you wonder that a few times a week on a regular basis and continue to get any thrill or sense of accomplishment out of it. Performance are only motivating when you're trying to improve your performance, but that can't go on forever, at some point you just want to maintain and it's the maintaining, at a gym, that's boring as fuck.
I agree you have to find something fun to do that works you out as a side effect, like "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu", which is my whole point. Pumping iron in the gym, in the long term, is boring as fuck, no matter how you slice it.
I haven't found my "something fun" yet, maybe I will someday, but good for you that you have.
