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Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#41

Post by dfsegoat »

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #32

Just browsed through the Abstract. Some unrelated thoughts: I think the issue that most people won't gather up the will to do aerobic exercise after they are mentally exhausted -- even that they know it works to some extent. Following this, I believe, without scientific proof, that genius (or others who can contribute significantly more than other people) have their mind wired completely different from other people.…

> I'm curious to learn from your experience if you are able to grow from a "weak-minded" people to a "strong-will" one, however painfully.

Train brazilian jiu jitsu, or another martial art that involves actual physical contact. Mental toughness is a skill that you can develop quickly in endeavors like those.

Generally, pick something that is difficult, or uncomfortable - and do that thing over and over again. It could be as simple a making yourself take 1 minute of cold shower every morning.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#42

Post by buscoquadnary »

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #32

Just browsed through the Abstract. Some unrelated thoughts: I think the issue that most people won't gather up the will to do aerobic exercise after they are mentally exhausted -- even that they know it works to some extent. Following this, I believe, without scientific proof, that genius (or others who can contribute significantly more than other people) have their mind wired completely different from other people.…

It is possible within all humans with the spice melange....

However barring becoming a mentat I've noticed this variation within myself as well and I've noticed the times I am able to go and go and go is when I have a lot of momentum. It seems that doing things that require will naturally result in more will so it isn't that the task is easier but rather my ability to overcome is increased and it is a smaller % of my overall energy expenditure to do.

In accord with this I've noticed that for me taking a "break" is when I get far less done and it becomes much harder to do anything.

I've also seen that when I have things booked back to back to back no matter the density it seems I can keep going so long as I don't stop to think about how tired I am and just keep going. It's when I get breathing room that it seems like everything I've already been doing is impossible.

The other big help for me was Adderall, I have ADHD bad so if I am not working under pressure and a deadline sufficient to release adrenaline I can't do anything. That was until I got my medicine then I finally felt like I could be who I could be without being a nurveous burned out wreck all the time.

That's just my perspective with n=1.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#43

Post by [deleted] »

VadimPR wrote: post #38
hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #32

Just browsed through the Abstract. Some unrelated thoughts: I think the issue that most people won't gather up the will to do aerobic exercise after they are mentally exhausted -- even that they know it works to some extent. Following this, I believe, without scientific proof, that genius (or others who can contribute significantly more than other people) have their mind wired completely different from other people.…

Routines do wonders. It's only hard the first few times, afterwards it becomes second nature to go and workout after work. It also helps that I've never, ever regretted doing a workout - you always feel amazing.

[deleted]

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#44

Post by justsocrateasin »

Entirely anecdotal, but a lot of professional endurance sports athletes / ultra distance athletes are also high performing PhD candidates/professors/academics. It's kind of weird - if you watch the documentary about the Barkley Marathons, the winners are usually some kind of math/engineering PhD candidate.

Another anecdote - As a kid I was "hyperactive" and struggled a lot in school until my freshman year. Coincidentally, my problems of hyperactivity and poor grades both stopped at almost the exact time I started doing "competitive" endurance sports. I was just now diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in my mid twenties. My diagnosis probably took so long because I've been "self medicating" with exercise for the last ~10-15 years.

I definitely believe the results of this study and I've found them true in my own life. I've consistently used exercise as a reset from studying / working, and often attributed consistent exercise as a key to my productivity.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#45

Post by SuoDuanDao »

trevormcneal wrote: post #24
cpncrunch wrote: post #15

When the article talks about "mental exhaustion", it is talking about short-term mental fatigue from the likes of working too long on a mental task. It is not talking about chronic fatigue or burnout due to chronic stress, or ME/CFS, for which exercise may cause worsening of symptoms. In that case stress reduction is likely the better solution, and exercise managed so you are not doing too little or too much. Making…

can you explain what is ME/CFS and how you recovered ?

I'd like to second this question, I'm very interested in any recovery story of CFS.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#46

Post by gunfighthacksaw »

VadimPR wrote: post #38
hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #32

Just browsed through the Abstract. Some unrelated thoughts: I think the issue that most people won't gather up the will to do aerobic exercise after they are mentally exhausted -- even that they know it works to some extent. Following this, I believe, without scientific proof, that genius (or others who can contribute significantly more than other people) have their mind wired completely different from other people.…

Routines do wonders. It's only hard the first few times, afterwards it becomes second nature to go and workout after work. It also helps that I've never, ever regretted doing a workout - you always feel amazing.

Another testament to the power of routines: if you get disrupted for whatever reason (travel, vacation, extreme cold, bout of depression) the new routine of not exercising itself becomes second nature.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#47

Post by PragmaticPulp »

saint_angels wrote: post #23
sputknick wrote: post #2

Personal Anecdote: when I was in an office (before current WFH) and I was mentally exhausted I would go down to the gym, slam slam balls into the floor for 2 minutes without stopping, maybe take a 30 second cold shower, then return to work. Super refreshing and I was gone from my desk a grand total of like 8 minutes.

did you try other high intensity exercise and found that slamming balls is superior, or slamming balls was just the first thing that came to mind?

I don’t think it really matters all that much. Doing anything is better than doing nothing.

Just do any exercise that’s convenient and don’t overthink the details. Make it as easy as possible to get up and do. The more complicated you make it, the less you’ll actually do it.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#48

Post by ck2 »

The keyword there is "aerobic".

Weight lifting is not aerobic, it is anaerobic.

If you run/cycle/etc beyond your lactate threshold heartrate, you've now switched from aerobic to anaerobic.

Easy to google for more info if this seems interesting/important to you, just a "heads up" to the concept.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#49

Post by onemoresoop »

If time for gym is limited, I recommend getting a rebounder at home. It is low impact and the workout doesn't feel too hard, but as soon as you're done jumping for about 10 minutes you can feel it throughout the body. 10 minutes a day in the morning does make a big difference in my experience. I recommend a non-spring bungee cord based rebounder, perhaps a used better brand would do.

But if you can run and don't have joint issues, sprints can put you in the best shape possible in about two weeks.

Re: Acute aerobic exercise to recover from mental exhaustion

#50

Post by Grambo »

justsocrateasin wrote: post #44

Entirely anecdotal, but a lot of professional endurance sports athletes / ultra distance athletes are also high performing PhD candidates/professors/academics. It's kind of weird - if you watch the documentary about the Barkley Marathons, the winners are usually some kind of math/engineering PhD candidate. Another anecdote - As a kid I was "hyperactive" and struggled a lot in school until my freshman year. Coincident…

Reminds me of the fact that Alan Turing was a world class distance runner. He would sometimes run commute 40 miles for meetings.
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