Ask HN: How do you exercise?

Bike to and from work every day is my baseline. On top of that, any errand that can be done by bike or walking.

Riding is just pleasurable, even in an urban area, plus I enjoy the sense of self sufficiency.

Kettlebell workouts with these videos a couple of times a week https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPUU1z33ILva...

I'm a lot bigger than here, and I still do it with way lower weight than she does.

Also recently got back into rock climbing. I try to include a downclimbing circuit to improve my stamina.

I have been exercising in some way shape or form for the last 10-15 years. What I have found to be immensely beneficial is getting into a sport that you can play almost all through your life. Most sports have spurts of high intensity so that is super beneficial for dopamine rush. Then there is the psychological confidence boost that arises from just getting things right.

I started tennis lessons last week and honestly it's one of the best lifestyle decisions I have ever made. There's a lot of counterintuitive physics at play in Tennis and so it appeals to the somewhat geekier side of me. Lessons really help because the coach gives some meaningful tips totally unrelated to the sport - like having very high mental confidence when you enter a shot. This proved to be life changing for me. Like most HN readers, I do suffer from the imposter syndrome and generally it's hard to be very high on energy and self confidence (despite what one may call a very blessed life) and such tips really help in boosting your morale and confidence.

Tennis or a sport like Tennis is helpful in tiding over failures, because it's really hard to get a shot right consistently and when you do it, it's an immense morale boost coupled by the dopamine rush from the physical exertion. For someone like me, who keeps attempting at iterating on ideas and who easily gives up, such confidence boosters are proving to be super helpful.

Something similar is applicable to competitive swimming also. Lots of counter intuitive physics at play. The human body is not designed for survival in/on water by design. So you have to fight the basic design in order to move efficiently in water. So this is also very frustrating until you get it right and when you get it right, boy the feeling of elation is unparalleled. Then you continue upping your game - increase speed, distance whatever.

Playing such a sport and especially taking lessons have been more helpful to me than lifting weights in the gym. I do enjoy lifting weights and I do hit the gym because now it's a necessity to play tennis, but on a comparative scale, playing tennis is far more gratifying.

I started doing barbell strength training several months ago and the results have been dramatic, I went into some details here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34325900 (lots of people sharing experiences on the parent post)

In terms of weight, muscle development etc. the results have been good but what I wasn't expecting was all the other benefits - better posture, mental clarity, emotional stability, increased physical energy etc. I didn't realize what a big deal this was going to be - like previously I would make up a lot of excuses to stay home because going out seemed tiring, now it doesn't and I'm out doing basically everything more often.

I am prediabetic. So I have to exercise everyday. I tried many forms of exercises like running, jogging and strength training. I could not do any of these consistently. Finally I tried the under the desk treadmill. It is a blessing. Now I am walking 6-8 miles each day while I work. And, surprisingly, it keeps me better focused in work.