Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 216 posts

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#131

Post by vangelis »

Jtsummers wrote: post #45
soared wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Step 1 is actually finding the things that work for you. Your step 2 is the exact opposite of what works for me. Mine would be: 2. Find a way to work out by yourself, where no one else is aware. Cycling makes this incredibly easy, but I also drive back to the office at 7pm to use the empty gym for weightlifting. I work hardest when I’m only accountable to myself. 3. Find why you like exercise. I love it when I’m alre…

And for someone in between. I can run or bike solo every day and push myself to new personal records (though I never did break the 23 minute barrier on a 5k run). But strength training (primarily bodyweight) and yoga (picked up after a back injury left me crippled for a good chunk of a year), for me, require some other factor for me to stick with it for more than a month or so at a time (which is better than none, bu…

Lifting is worth it for ze pump.

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#132

Post by harigov »

geophile wrote: post #33

I hate exercising, but I do it religiously. I am 64 years old, and in the best shape of my life. Same weight (and weight distribution!) as in college, good muscle tone. I think three things were critical, for me: 1. Absolutely no soft drinks at all. Not with sugar, not with artificial sweeteners. Nothing. Just seltzer. I used to drink a LOT of Dr. Pepper, and was told that they were contributing to my frequent kidney…

I never had problems with exercise motivation so I don’t need someone to keep me accountable but I absolutely dread pushing myself and lifting more weight. Fitness apps with pretty graphs help a bit but what helps me the most is to have some goals like “squat X lbs by the end of year”. It seems to help so far!

Your suggestion about making exercise a habit is spot on. Just do it as a routine without even thinking and enjoy the rewards to do important things.

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#133

Post by 3131s »

majkinetor wrote: post #79
itsagavin wrote: post #4

Marijuana was pivotal to me being able to live a life of daily exercise. I dropped 140lbs and run a daily 8k on trails from being extremely obese in the span of 2 years. If it is legal for you to try it I highly recommend it for its ability to help you push through mental blocks and it's appreciable aid in recovery.

This is hardly something you recommend to anybody. If it works for you great, but for most people it could even be dangerous: 1. Marijuana promotes appetite (munchees is the name). Canabinoid receptor antagonist promotes anorexy. This might depend greatly on the marijuana strain (CBD vs THC vs ...) 2. Your state of the mind is different, you might even got hit by the car. If you talk about doing it after exercise, th…

You have no clue how many professional athletes use marijuana! It is not dangerous in the slightest. I would go as far as saying it is performance enhancing even.

I am injured at the moment, but I can go run a sub 11s 100m for you right now, right after smoking.

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#134

Post by brandonmenc »

throw7 wrote: post #78

"Do mostly cardio, but also some weights." Disagree. I'd recommend the opposite, do mostly weights and some cardio. You don't need to buy equipment, barbells etc., bodyweight exercises is weight/strength training. However, both should be done! Cardio is good for your heart. But it's easy and healthy enough to maintain a good aerobic fitness just once a week. Weight training keeps you burning calories and I think stre…

Cardio gains diminish faster than resistance training gains, so the recommendation of "mostly cardio, some weights" is likely correct for general health, and I say this as someone who lifts weights more than I do cardio.

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#135

Post by EamonnMR »

astrange wrote: post #128
stevewodil wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Yep, same here. I am bad about other sugars though Start by cutting out high fructose corn syrup completely but still allowing other forms of sugar

That might work just because it's an arbitrary rule, but there's no actual nutritional difference.

Having to follow some sort of rule can give you just enough time to reconsider a bad decision. It also acts as a forcing function to make you read nutrition labels, which is a good habit.

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#136

Post by brandonmenc »

lottin wrote: post #29

On this topic, I recommend reading (or listening to) Mark Rippetoe, a strength and conditioning coach from Wichita Falls, Texas, and author of Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training. He's got quite a few videos on YT where he explains his views on strength training, exercise and its effects on human physiology. While he can be bit controversial sometimes, he's also clearly very knowledgeable about the subject and…

imo Starting Strength is overrated, especially if you're just looking to improve health. Not everyone needs to powerlift.

My go-to for science-based, reasonable exercise and diet advice is Renaissance Periodization. Nearly everyone on their team holds a PhD, does active research, and trains or competes at an elite level: https://renaissanceperiodization.com/team

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#137

Post by bo1024 »

tidepod12 wrote: post #94

Lots of great discussion in these comments about the topic at hand (exercising), which is great, but the article is actually about a book titled "Exercised" and I don't see any comments at all about the book. Has anyone read and have a review of the book? I'm curious to hear other's thoughts on if its worth picking up.

The book just came out a few days ago. You can see a talk about the book's topics by the author here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbgukiJy6hY

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#138

Post by yonig »

the_only_law wrote: post #116
vikiomega9 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're intention is to gain weight (not just muscle) you need to eat more than your BMR, no two ways around that. A decent surplus (say 200-300 calories above BMR) and a good program is key.

Yeah I need to figure this out. My appetite is pretty small and I’m very convinced I have some undiagnosed IBD (due to some rather specific symptoms). It doesn’t take much to make me feel close to vomiting if I eat too much.

Does feeling sick after consuming a lot apply to shakes as well? Only thing to keep an eye on with shakes is your appetite would be satisfied but you’d need to still take in your meals

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#139

Post by ehnto »

spaetzleesser wrote: post #24
copperwater69 wrote: post #17

A problem I had was letting perfect be the enemy of good. I wanted the perfect workout program and wait for my fridge to be stocked with the right foods, the day to be correct so my arms won't be tired when driving and my leg won't be too sore to push in the clutch. Eventually I just did it and sorted out those other details later. If you're in the same position I recommend immediate action. Like just go do 50 squats…

“A problem I had was letting perfect be the enemy of good” That seems to be a big problem in the West as far as healthy living goes. People often either do nothing or they get obsessed with finding ever better methods until they get exhausted and get back to doing nothing . A little of bit very pedestrian exercises and eating reasonably ok food goes a long way. No need for being perfect.

I think it's the west's obsession with exceptionalism in media. It can make people feel like nothing but perfect or better is good enough, and they can feel like others will think they are silly for trying yet not being perfect.

Similar self sabotage happens when someone with good taste in a topic tries to get started in the topic themselves. They have the eye for what is good, and what they produce isn't good yet, so they give up.

The best advice I can give for fitness is to hold a stubborn conviction that the gym is for getting fit, not being fit. You are exactly where you should be if getting fit is your goal, and almost everyone there was or is in the same boat.

Re: 'Exercised' Explains Why It Can Be Hard to Commit to Working Out

#140

Post by ogre_codes »

mamon wrote: post #121
ogre_codes wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soft Drink: A soft drink is a drink that usually contains carbonated water, a sweetener, and a natural or artificial flavoring. Water is water. Juice is juice. Soft drinks are fucking diabetes in a can.

> Soft drinks are fucking diabetes in a can. Actually, so is juice - the amount of sugar is pretty much the same in both, and the amount of vitamins in juice is not that big, certainly does not outweight the damage done by sugar. The secret is to eat fruits whole - this gives you a lot of vitamins that are contained in the solid parts (those which are thrown away when squeezing juice), and a lot of fiber which makes…

> Actually, so is juice

Fair point. It's not as crazy bad, but in some cases pretty close. I try to avoid drinking any sugars.

Post reply on HN