"what kept me exercising was not simply health, but pleasure"

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-joy-of-exercise-or-why-life-well-lived-means-a-body-worked-hard-20120901-257gp.html

The joy of exercise, or why life well lived means a body worked hard

Damon Young

More than the health benefits, getting fit is seriously enjoyable.

"The public health programs are usually phrased as warnings: get fitter or die. And understandably so. The medical evidence on sedentary life and illness, for example, is straightforward, and the various sprains and cuts of exercise are a paltry price to pay. A vision of health was partly what pushed me back into martial arts and jogging when my children were born: hoping to see my children grow up. Kids certainly give me fewer minutes to spare for fitness, but they also provide an existential kick in the bum to try.

However, what kept me exercising was not simply health, but pleasure.

Government public health campaigns and newspaper commentaries miss the gratification of physical exertion. The goal is not simply to survive, but to flourish. And flourishing, as philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche noted, involves power."

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-joy-of-exercise-or-why-life-well-lived-means-a-body-worked-hard-20120901-257gp.html#ixzz25FDfEq3h