Hmm. I don't think there's an immediate gratification here.
Working harder is better for your cardiovascular system, I think that's the only difference there.
I struggle with this same thing, and basically the compromise I've come up with is this: If I'm feeling really sluggish then I don't bother to push myself because it'll just make me hate the workout. If I'm feeling fit and nothing hurts then I try to push a little harder because I need to take advantage of those days when they show up.
But, forcing myself to push any more than I'm already pushing (sheesh, I got out of bed, got the running clothes on and got out here, what more do you want??) would probably have a negative effect for me psychologically - I'm afraid that if know I always have to push reallly hard, I may start resenting the workout and then I might lose whole workouts due to just not wanting to go, due to not feeling up to pushing it.
That was a long way around to get to my point. Anyway, I try to go easy on myself when I need to because I need this to be a lifelong habit. As they say, it's a marathon, not a sprint, so I try to build habits that are sustainable long-term.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 11:58 pm (UTC)Working harder is better for your cardiovascular system, I think that's the only difference there.
I struggle with this same thing, and basically the compromise I've come up with is this: If I'm feeling really sluggish then I don't bother to push myself because it'll just make me hate the workout. If I'm feeling fit and nothing hurts then I try to push a little harder because I need to take advantage of those days when they show up.
But, forcing myself to push any more than I'm already pushing (sheesh, I got out of bed, got the running clothes on and got out here, what more do you want??) would probably have a negative effect for me psychologically - I'm afraid that if know I always have to push reallly hard, I may start resenting the workout and then I might lose whole workouts due to just not wanting to go, due to not feeling up to pushing it.
That was a long way around to get to my point. Anyway, I try to go easy on myself when I need to because I need this to be a lifelong habit. As they say, it's a marathon, not a sprint, so I try to build habits that are sustainable long-term.