I have experienced that if skip even one day after 8 hour of physical labor streak my energy levels suddenly go to the bottom and I start to feel super bad. It’s quite strange because I do not think I could not be depressed if I had a sedentary job. Sedentary things just destroy me. Also I like and wanted job in programming/cs so yeah. Gotta career switch or something apparently because cardio in the evening isn’t enough, I am like golden retriever. Only truly satisfied when all my muscles ache at the end of the day. And also I need immediate results out of my work
I wish I worked like this. I get no such dopamine rush from exercise, even after integrating it into my routine. Skipping a day doesn’t significantly alter my mood.
However, I do have a lot of passive movements. Pacing, fidgiting, leg bouncing, etc. I’m usually constantly moving in some small way.
When you say “exercise,” what do you mean? I only ask because I HATE running. I can’t get into it, it just sucks. But I love basketball. Because it’s running for a purpose.
I never thought I could get into weightlifting, and it’s still a struggle to keep at it. I never got a “runner’s high,” but a basic weightlifting regimen DID do something like that. I realized if I were doing, say, a chest press type exercise, once I started to struggle to lift it, if I forced myself through and finished the lift, THAT was usually the moment I’d get the big hnnnngh chemical release. Almost orgasmic. I can stretch and crack everything (neck, arms, etc…) after that happens. It’s nice. But even with that, it’s still a struggle when I fall off the wagon.
In this scenario I mean running or resistance training. I also enjoy hiking and tennis, which I find more enjoyable, but nothing that gives me the chemical release others describe. And not doing them does not significantly affect my mood.