[mikki104]

Hi guys,

So I was just reading up on some website about the "disembodiment" of INFJs, how of all of the types they are "least in touch" with their bodies (Si being like nonexistent), and I was wondering if you lack interest in working out, massage, sex, or other physical things?

I and many INFJs I have known were not particularly athletic or into physical endurance. I personally hate the thought of channeling all that energy into something that doesn't require intuitive or analytical thought or reach any conclusions. Plus, I am just physically lazy, don't enjoy it, and naturally thin so I don't have to work out. But when I am forced to exercise I often feel way better after the work out; I have more energy and can focus/think more clearly later on in the day.

I have always hated massages, but I know many other INFJs who love love love them so maybe it is just me.

Do you exercise/work out? Why do you do it, and what do you get out of it?

 

[jd_]

I like to exercise and workout, always have. Gives better mental clarity and is a great stress relief, plus helps you stay in shape. It's just another form of self improvement of which I stive for, mind/body/soul.
If I go a few days without physical exertion I start to feel "off"
FYI being skinny doesn't mean you are healthy.
I do races and triathlons.
It's a good way of getting out of that intuitive/analytic thought, staying in that mode isn't always healthy. It's the same reason I travel, they put me in a different element which helps improve my mental states when I get back to them in hermit mode.

My S works in a way you might be talking about that I space out in visual things such as TV/Movies... I use them mostly for escape purposes, where as I use books for intellectual thought. Others aren't exactly like that.
Definitely not into sensory experiences like roller coasters or anything like that though, and don't feel I *need* sex all the time. Have also never been a smoker.

 

[Raain]

I don't hate exercising, for me it's just kind of boring, currently I don't work out.
I never liked sports very much but I liked some sports, basketball softball tennis.
I hated and was absolutely terrible at gymnastics.
I loved running, and cross country running.

I would hate getting a massage other than from a parter
I don't lack interest in sex

Can't think of any 'other physical things' I don't like, I quite like most physical sensations other than pain.

"least in touch" with their bodies (Si being like nonexistent)

To be honest though I don't see any correlation here, lacking Si wouldn't mean having no interest or like for any physical stimulation, sensation or feeling.

 

[Way of the Sword]

I've exercised my whole life and I love it. It clears the mind, it's healthy and slightly addicting. It's probably the only time I actually feel well alive and connecting with the world. Perhaps because I'm constantly in recluse and separating myself which is why I love it so much. Without it, I probably would have went insane already. This way, I'll get insane just a little bit later.

 

[indieandsoul]

I don't hate exercise at all, in fact I would like to do more of it as the days go on, but I'm just currently lazy an unmotivated at this time. I am also not very athletic. Because of my height, many have told me that I should play basketball or do some sort of sport. I've tried it, but I hated it a lot. I guess because I was being pressured.

 

[PurpleProse]

Hi guys,

So I was just reading up on some website about the "disembodiment" of INFJs, how of all of the types they are "least in touch" with their bodies (Si being like nonexistent), and I was wondering if you lack interest in working out, massage, sex, or other physical things?

I and many INFJs I have known were not particularly athletic or into physical endurance. I personally hate the thought of channeling all that energy into something that doesn't require intuitive or analytical thought or reach any conclusions. Plus, I am just physically lazy, don't enjoy it, and naturally thin so I don't have to work out. But when I am forced to exercise I often feel way better after the work out; I have more energy and can focus/think more clearly later on in the day.

I have always hated massages, but I know many other INFJs who love love love them so maybe it is just me.

Do you exercise/work out? Why do you do it, and what do you get out of it?

-ive been exercising off and on for the last few years. i actually started again this past monday (happy to say that ive worked out every day this week! i know its good to let ur body rest but im in a zone right now lol)
-i do it so that i can lose weight. by Gods Grace im a healthy person but i def need to lose. so far ive lost about 30ish lbs since this time last year
-i get a leaner and more awesome body via working out lol ALSO it really does make me feel good/more energetic.

 

[Opabinia]

I was always bad at sports and didn't go to the gym because I would feel lost there... but even when I was a teenager I would often do some level of exercise at home.. a few pushups, crunches, listen to music and do some cardio type stuff. Now that I am older, my body has told me loud and clear that I need to move, I neeeed exercise and so I make sure that I do a lot of stretching. I am still bad at getting to the gym, but once I am there I like it a lot. I really like yoga too. For myself, I am already slim, so it's not like I need to lose weight. I really do like going out and doing physical activity because when I am too static for a while, my muscles feel like shit.

I actually find it's people who use Si that hate exercise. They do it because they want to look good or get stronger, not because it makes them feel great. In fact, they usually complain about how it makes them feel. Exercise is work and they are more concerned with staying comfortable.

 

[Averic]

I don't like repetitive exercise. It gets boring fast. I do like tennis and running though. The scenery and music is always moving with running, and tennis I think is a Ni-friendly sport. It's fun to read people, and be able to look into the future sometimes to know where the ball is going to go.

 

[Aizar]

I hate SCHEDULING exercise.
I hate DOING exercise that's scheduled and forced.
I hate exercise that's REPETITIVE.

But exercise IN AND OF ITSELF I love.

 

[mikki104]

Thanks for your responses! The part under "Disembodiment" is what spurred my question: Exploring INTJs

@jd_ I agree, being thin is definitely not indicative of being healthy. And physical activity is an excellent way to break out of those tired INFJ routines and habits and challenge yourself in a positive way.

@Raain and @Averic I have often wondered if I'd like sports more if I'd played tennis growing up. Being an introvert I was always really uncomfortable playing team sports like soccer or volleyball when I had to be part of a big crowd of people for a long time. I'm glad to see I'm not the only INFJ who might feel that way.

Just to clarify, I am not against exercise or anything, and I think it is really important. I just have a lot of trouble enjoying it. I see other types at the gym or talk to them about it and they all talk about how much they love the feeling of working out, etc., and while I often feel good about myself after the fact in an abstract way, I really don't enjoy it much during it. I don't have that inherent joy or rush; when I go for a jog outside I usually slow down, think to myself "isn't it such a beautiful day? Wouldn't it be much more pleasant to just walk and enjoy the scenery and think about..." a poem I just read, or analyze a problem I might be having at work, or something? I get distracted, and annoyed that I have to block all these lovely or interesting thoughts in order to focus on breathing and concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other and making my face get all red.

I actually get a lot of mandatory exercise from work; I am a field scientist and usually hike between 5 - 15 miles a day during the field season, often in mountainous terrain. But I don't enjoy the physical part of it, (apart from the tertiary effects of being fit and in good shape) and I would probably not do it for fun. It's just something I get paid to do and have to deal with to get through the day. In my free time, laziness usually wins out

I am glad so many of you seem to have way healthier attitudes about exercise than I do, though! I am going to have to get off my ass now and exercise more!

 

[Perpetual Iridescence]

I like to exercise depending on what I'm doing. Walking and jogging are nice. Dancing is great fun, and sparring is the best.

 

[jd_]

mikki this sound odd but I like the pain a bit... to overcome it and actually FEEL something, which I am usually irrelevant to if I am sitting on the couch... I don't feel sitting on the couch, I'm completely spaced out! I can get lost on the internet and have a 5 hour time vortex go by...
I enjoy what people call the "runners high" also... It's generally just a really good mood and I feel good after exercising.
I think that is why somebody else said it was kind of addicting once you start doing it... it will suck for probably the first month or two if you aren't used to it, but after that, I doubt you want to go without it. The main sucking part if you haven't been training or exercising for awhile is your body just sees it as a shock to your system.

 

[Werewolfen]

Hate it ? I've always enjoyed it. I've even built benches and racks with pulleys. Most people would be surprised with what they could achieve fitness-wise by just working out 30 minutes a day. I've always kept a weight bench,weights, and a heavy bag for letting off steam.Exercise can be a great stress reliever and keep you in good shape and help you feel good.

Never have liked running but love my jump rope. One of my very favorite quotes " Mens sana in corpore sano" = "a sound mind in a sound body". When I was a little kid, my dad would come home after working lifting and cutting scrap iron all day and take out a sit up board and do sit ups,twists, push ups, pull ups, squats, ect. and that always stuck in my mind. He worked out like a machine and exercise will increase your stamina,energy, and over-all well-being. Like him, he never done it to look good for others but only because it was something he enjoyed.

 

[Ntuitive]

I like jogging for short periods of time a couple times a week at most. I used to lift weights sometimes but basically nothing happened because I'm so skinny lol. But seriously physical sensations are kind of dull to me. Many sensations in general. I'm not easily turned on sexually at all. In fact, it's pretty disappointing, but I've learned to not care and instead I think it's kind of cool. I'm not ticklish either.

But yeah I really just exercise when my body starts feeling numb, to an extent, and I want to feel alive. It helps my focus and mood.

 

[pigeon]

I HATE excercise. With a passion. Luckily I have a high metabolism, but if it ever slows down I'm probably screwed. Though I enjoy walking, so maybe that could save me from morbid obesity.

I also hate massage. It feels so uncomfortable and awkward, and I hate feeling like I'm burdening the other person. Somewhat ironically, and hypocritically, I enjoy massaging other people. I think I just hate being pampered and enjoy pampering others in general.

I can't really say for sex, since I'm a virgin. Judging by my intuition, though, I'd say it's probably something I'd enjoy as long as I knew my partner was enjoying it and was pleasured. I doubt I'd want to do it often, though.

 

[Jwing24]

I too like exercise a lot, I have self confidence issues in certain areas like my career and people but I don't with exercise. I have always been in okay to decent shape and I know that you can always progress if you just try which is something I can't say for other parts of my life.

 

[Llamarider]

My favorite sport by far is tennis, and I enjoy sports in general. Tennis probably because of all the thinking it requires, which ends up clearing my mind.
I'm in a marching band, I played softball, I like walks and runs. I like freestyle basketball, and years ago, I really liked soccer and my P.E. teachers' makeshift hockey game on asphalt.
I'd say that the process of getting up and out to be physically active is tedious, but the feeling afterwards I have never once regretted. Clear mind, healthier condition, happy. What more can I ask for out of it?
I think I'm pretty active outside my home, otherwise I'm a couch potato. haha

However, I'm not such a big fan of lifting weights or anything of the sort since I find that being in a stationary position for too long is rather boring. I like to move.

 

[GoodOldDreamer]

I enjoy meaningful physical activity that actually accomplishes something, like helping friends build a fence in their backyard, or doing some landscaping work at my church, or doing daily chores on my family's ranch back in the day. But that's because something beyond myself is getting done, and it's time well spent.

I don't get anything, especially anything remotely enjoyable, out of exercise just for the sake of exercise though. For one thing, I don't value vanity to that degree, and for another, I simply find it to be an overall waste of my time. Nothing meaningful is being gained that can't be gained actually doing something productive by other means.

As far as sports goes, I'm a clumsy oaf. Always have been. Got two left feet on the dance floor and the coordination of a blind man missing his left ear and right leg. So I've never been into it. I can appreciate it at times when I watch, but again, it all seems so meaningless. Nothing of value gets done. I'd much rather see all those NFL/NBA/MLB guys go put their athletics to work building people homes or something, honestly.

 

[Intricate Mystic]

I like exercising if it involves doing something I enjoy, like walking around the neighborhood late at night when it's quiet because I get to contemplate the stars and the vastness of the universe. I also like dancing because it's a really fun way to exercise. Walking on a treadmill or using weight machines at a gym are just all work, no fun. Bleh

 

[Cantarella]

I hate it, and have known a few INFJs who hate it even more than I do, but I also know at least two or three who are practically obsessed with it. I've just never been able to form a healthy relationship with exercise--either doing way too much or way too little, which is common for INXJs. One of my best friends is INTJ and suffers in pretty much the same way. Bleh...