not really a fan of overly strenuous cardio. I am not sure how it makes you better. i tried it and it never did much for me. it doesn't even help for weight loss due to metabolic adaptation and increased appetite.
This is a can of worms for sure, lots of points could be discussed, but my main one is making sure you're somewhere you like doing something you enjoy. If you are on a spin bike in a smelly gym spin room to get your cardio that is definitely an acquired taste.
I also hate cardio but it is much more palatable if I'm on a mountain bike and climbing up for a descent trail.
Heh, that’s closer to my default state due to CPTSD and I’m quite comfortable/familiar with it.
But choosing to exacerbate that state when there are other options to achieve my fitness goals is counterproductive, and I’ve been advised to avoid it.
There’s an important difference between getting comfortable with hard things, and subjecting yourself to unnecessary/avoidable hyper-arousal states which can become their own form of health problem in the long run.
People injure themselves this way, and should pay attention to their bodies when exercising.
Not trying to convince you to chase strenuous cardio. There are many, many activities that can support living a healthy life.
That being said...
I really don't know any serious athletes who enjoy going to practices or going to the gym to workout. In my opinion it's rarely about enjoying the moment. Rather, it's about the way it makes a person feel when they're done. Or, it's about reaching a long-term goal and the joy that comes with accomplishing something currently out of reach.
And, of course, that type of joy can come from a wide variety of activities - exercise, coding, music, arts, etc.
It works different for different people. For some simply slowing down can bring amazing results, I am somewhere in both camps. Slowing down most of the time plus also doing cardio has been amazing.
It probably helps that increased appetite never fazed me. I am hungry now, cool, I'm still not eating until dinner regardless of how I feel.
I also hate cardio but it is much more palatable if I'm on a mountain bike and climbing up for a descent trail.