How to think about exercise: That fear and guilt you are feeling now over having to be reminded that you have to visit the gym is very likely what’s stopping you from going there. We all know exercise is good for us, but that mental barrier yet of knowing how painful and exerting it is is holding us back. That’s author Damon Young’s view in How to Think About Exercise. In it, he argues that the problem boils down to a mindset that separates the mind and the body. “At work, we are minds. In the gym, we are bodies.” The book questions this dichotomy by emphasizing that a workout is in fact an intellectual activity. It points readers to the notion that exercise is a chance to educate both our minds and bodies at once.

Separating mind and body: The problem is not that we do not exercise. In fact, people are now becoming more active and health conscious than ever. The real problem, as Young points out, is dualism. “Dualism is a philosophy which sees the world divided into flesh and soul, body and mind, matter and spirit,” he says. This makes many view fitness as purely mechanical, overlooking its true benefits. We also tend to think of intellectual “nerds” as sedentary and of active “jocks” as stupid.

Brains versus brawn: this duality needs to be overcome, otherwise there cannot be lasting motivation to make exercise a lifelong companion. The author cites big ideas from ancient and modern philosophy to support his claims that working out can go a long way to develop both the physical and ethereal. Ideas including the following:

• Friedrich Nietzsche (a profound exaggeration): “Only thoughts conceived while walking have any value.”
• Charles Darwin used to walk for hours daily over his famous ‘Sandwalk’ thinking path and this played a key role in the theory of Evolution (watch, runtime: 2:30).
• The ancient Greeks: Exercise develops virtues (such as consistency and humility) and leads to pleasures (the post workout buzz), alongside hard bodies.
• Another great Greek lesson: As we define and tone our bodies, so do we create a more defined version of ourselves.
• Again, a famous Greek called ‘Plato’: “The ideal city features martial arts, games, and dance training for its citizens.” Plato used to wrestle and was known by his wrestling nickname “Platon.”
• And the takeaway: “Don’t leave your mind behind when you do exercise.” And when you do exercise, try to do so for the experience itself.

You can watch the author’s recap of the book here (runtime: 18:28).