If it’s training for a different thing, then it isn’t working out for its own sake - eg. a football player running laps to buff stamina and speed for the field, a lumberjack hitting the weights to help them with logging, same as every example you’ve provided, have the working out be incidental to the goal.
This is why I highlighted that I believe one does not need to hit the gym if one only wants to stay active. The aspects you’re describing are all well beyond just staying active, I’d argue some are even tangential to physical therapy.
same as every example you’ve provided, have the working out be incidental to the goal
Fwiw the terminology often used here is “instrumental goal”. That is, a goal is instrumental if it is something someone tries to achieve in order to work towards their terminal goal. If my terminal goal is “win the soccer tournament”, one instrumental goal might be “be able to run a sub-50 minute 10 km”. And you can have instrumental goals to help reach the instrumental goals (this is my terminology, not a standard one, because I don’t know if there is a standard one, but I’ll call these a “secondary instrumental goal”). For example, a secondary instrumental goal to win the soccer tournament’s instrumental goal of run a sub-50 minute 10 km might be to run at least 30 km per week for 6 weeks.
Anyway, some of the sports I chose in my example were chosen specifically because of the grey area this creates. If my goal is to complete a marathon or a triathlon, is that my terminal goal? What if the reason I want to complete a marathon is to show myself that I can get physically fit and healthy? This is not uncommon, I’m pretty sure, especially among 40–60 year-olds. In that case, “get fit and healthy” is the terminal goal, and “complete a marathon” is only an instrumental goal, with a secondary instrumental goal of working out regularly. If my terminal goal is “get fit” and my secondary instrumental goal is “run frequently”, does it really matter if my primary instrumental goal is “run a marathon”?
I’m asking this sincerely, by the way. I’m sorry that other users are downvoting you, but I’m not. I think you’ve touched on an interesting nuance that I want to tease out.
If it’s training for a different thing, then it isn’t working out for its own sake - eg. a football player running laps to buff stamina and speed for the field, a lumberjack hitting the weights to help them with logging, same as every example you’ve provided, have the working out be incidental to the goal.
This is why I highlighted that I believe one does not need to hit the gym if one only wants to stay active. The aspects you’re describing are all well beyond just staying active, I’d argue some are even tangential to physical therapy.
Fwiw the terminology often used here is “instrumental goal”. That is, a goal is instrumental if it is something someone tries to achieve in order to work towards their terminal goal. If my terminal goal is “win the soccer tournament”, one instrumental goal might be “be able to run a sub-50 minute 10 km”. And you can have instrumental goals to help reach the instrumental goals (this is my terminology, not a standard one, because I don’t know if there is a standard one, but I’ll call these a “secondary instrumental goal”). For example, a secondary instrumental goal to win the soccer tournament’s instrumental goal of run a sub-50 minute 10 km might be to run at least 30 km per week for 6 weeks.
Anyway, some of the sports I chose in my example were chosen specifically because of the grey area this creates. If my goal is to complete a marathon or a triathlon, is that my terminal goal? What if the reason I want to complete a marathon is to show myself that I can get physically fit and healthy? This is not uncommon, I’m pretty sure, especially among 40–60 year-olds. In that case, “get fit and healthy” is the terminal goal, and “complete a marathon” is only an instrumental goal, with a secondary instrumental goal of working out regularly. If my terminal goal is “get fit” and my secondary instrumental goal is “run frequently”, does it really matter if my primary instrumental goal is “run a marathon”?
I’m asking this sincerely, by the way. I’m sorry that other users are downvoting you, but I’m not. I think you’ve touched on an interesting nuance that I want to tease out.