assuming that some of you ride regularly, or go to the gym, or lift overweight babies to pump up your biceps....
do you exercise to generally be healthier? recover from injury? challenge yourself? etc etc?
or simply to look fitter, however your definition of that may be?
bit of both like i'd guess most will be.
I have lost over 6stone overall so the looks side of things has improved (some may argue 
)
But i train mostly for fittness/health reasons..
I'm 40 now and see too many people dying... i don't want to join them anytime soon thanks.
I ride a bike cause I like doing it, I exercise so I can ride my bike longer, further, faster (challenge myself yep) and I try to keep my weight low/get it lower for the same reasons (ok and a little vanity too)
Because I'm an addict.
Do you mean "get fit, or look fit"?
Get fit. And to not look unfit!
The only exercise I do is cycling, but I don't do it for exercise. I do it 'cos I enjoy it. The fitness it provides is a welcome bonus!
I prefer the term "Buff".
I'm with el_diablo on this one.
I ride 'cos I enjoy the freedom it brings, getting fitter is a fantastic bonus (which in turn means you can ride for longer..)
to get fitter... for racing which ultimately means to challenge myself
The bonus is my GF thinks i'm 'well buff' 
It's the competitive element for me.
To stay reasonably fit and hopefully live a bit longer.
Plus, I like the way my mind feels after a good ride on the bike.
Pure vanity for me!
do you exercise to generally be healthier? recover from injury? challenge yourself? etc etc?...
...because I enjoy it 
Same as others.
I ride my bike because I enjoy doing it.
I exercise for a number of reasons: So I am faster and can go further on my bike; So I can try and get in buff 
(vanity); So I can eat and drink what I like most of the time (I dont think i could ever diet).
To kick start me into in last year I entered my first Endurance type race - Gisburn Dirty Dozen. Im thinking of Entering the Kielder 100 this year as my new challange to myself!
I've always done something used to be gymnastics ( stopped cos it messes up your body too much) now I run and cycle. I'm small and skinny, nothing I can do about it, but I have to admit I like looking the way I do, I like that my arms are toned and I've got a flat tummy and good legs
Suppose it's vanity.
If I didn't exercise the amount I do I'd be the feature of some sort of 40 stone type TV show. As it is I'm heavy enough and I commute 5 days a week (12 miles per day) run a couple of times a week, circuits once a week and go to the gym at least once a week.
I do eat a LOT though.
Also, my old man got type 2 and then had a stroke because of being overweight and un-healthy, I'll admit a reasonable amount of my training began after that happened.
I ride (erm sometimes) for enjoyment and go to the gym for vanity. The fitness is a bonus
I exercise cos I like it, I train cos I want to win things and don't want to get too old too fast.
Exercise is medicine
At first I rode because I enjoyed it and having quite smoking I wanted to be fitter.
I am now enjoying it more than ever because I am fitter but that's not enough for me now so I am training for a full season of xc. After that, who knows! So I guess I am in it now for the challenge.
Don't need to look fit as I am already.
I ride regularly & have some home gym stuff that I use.
I've always been an active outdoorsy person - my parents were stomping around the Lake District and such-like with me since before I could walk, my Dad used to take me out cycling, and so on ...
Used to play 5-a-S football 2/3 times a week.
For several years I was at the gym 3 or 4 times a week.
Karate for 5+ years (retired after getting my 1st Dan due to time constraints - family commitments & preferred cycling, so something had to go).
I do/did all this stuff because I enjoy being active, so don't necessarily see it as 'doing exercise'. Being fit is a nice side-effect
Cycling is the one consistent thing throughout my life.
I sometimes think I'm a bit of an exercise addict though - I can't go more than a few days without doing something strenuous ... 
Fitness is welcome byproduct of the activities I enjoy.
To get fit, AND to look fitter so I can chase after fitties
to surf better, to surf smaller boards!
it's something I've always done since I was a kid. I was probably running before I could walk, couldn't imagine life without some kind of activity or sport. Fortunately for me at 42 my i'm exactly the same shape and weight I was at 22.
Kev
*is getting frustrated at lack of tagging abilities*
Fitness is welcome byproduct of the activities I enjoy.
+1
fresh air and exercise, its the only thing that keeps that huge shadow of black as black depression two steps behind me.
walking (the dog) helps, riding helps much more, running just an optional extra that stops cycling from ruining my knees
for me its:
ride cos i love it
gym to help biking fitness (whatever that is) and to recover/hopefully prevent (i.e minimise by providing some protective muscles/strength) further shoulder injuries. The gym also provides an environment that encourages me to work on my core and back muscles which help slow down the deterioration in my back.
side effect is loosing weight and if that helps me look better then thats a bonus, but by no means the overall aim and i dont target any muscle groups for vanity.
the biking fitness thing is probably less about being able to crunch in the miles when out on the bike, tis having the power to climb up stuff, move the bike around and not pass out at the top of each climb.
i can't deny i feel better about myself after i've exercised and to a degree... when i'm thinner and "looking better" which helps with motivation when i'm warming up the car at 6am to get to the gym lol
do you exercise to generally be healthier? recover from injury? challenge yourself? etc etc?
or simply to look fitter, however your definition of that may be?
Not bothered about 'looking fit', I want to be fit and healthy bacause the majority of people my age, 44, are overweight and I don't want to be like that. But I ride my bike because I really enjoy doing it, the fitness, the training are just companion products of that.
Jamie - just start writing them in your posts?
Surely when you think of a good one you want credit for it?
I exercise because I love it and it is fun. Getting fit is a byproduct. Also, if I don't, I turn into a miserable git and I feel like a sack of shite.
I cycle, cos cycling is just ace.
It just so happens to be exercise too.
Which is, nice.
In my 40s, I go to the gym in an attempt to offset the body's natural tendancy to reduce muscle mass, with age.
I'm a born-again gym rat (limited) and when I returned to the gym last year, I was surprized at how much strength/muscle I had lost.
Either way, I've read that exercise causes events and processes to occur in the body, which I believe are very good.
So, as iDave has posted.
In this sense, exercise really is a form of medicine for the body and mind.
Run and ride bikes because it keeps me calm and sane Enjoy being fit as it means I enjoy running and riding more, but don't really care about just being fit. I find the gym (and most forms of exercise that don't involve moving quickly) mind numbingly dull.
Definitely not a vanity thing as I doubt the endurance athlete physique is that attractive to the opposite sex. Since being with Mrs Blobby I've put on 2 stone (not muscle!) and she thinks I now look healthy... but my 10k times a lot slower 
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