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

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

#151

Post by dukeofdoom »

godtoldmetodoit wrote: post #126
dukeofdoom wrote: post #47

For those that hate running, I recommend trying rollerblading. Its much less strenuous so you can go further, and faster and if you go at speed, it can be a little like solving a puzzle avoiding obstacles or people. Just buy good rollerblades. IF you get good, you can do stuff like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMjvgsHBfvc Kayaking is also a great workout to try in the summer. You get to discover new worlds,…

Any brands or features to look out for in rollerblades?

I personally buy the brand K2, which is probably midrange price. But are very good quality. About $300-$400. I would stick to 4 wheel kind, 110 mm wheel size. The blades with the small wheels don't go as fast. They are more for street or hockey playing. The 3 wheel rollerblades can have larger wheels but are less stable, and harder to learn on and to stop.

Best place to learn is on flat bike trails. You will get some pain in your feet the first time you go out. This is normal. It will totally go away.

If you use them a lot like I do, eventually your wheels will wear out. The harder rated wheels last longer. Better bearings will let you glide longer and its more enjoyable. Occasionally oiling the bearings and flipping the wheels will help them last.

Since the lockdowns, inline skates are hard to get locally and even online. Possibly more demand, and manufacturing issues.

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

#153

Post by littleninja »

univalent wrote: post #25

Get a dog or two. Large ones. Takes the decision out of your hands. I have to exercise twice a day if I don't want everything in my house destroyed.

Depends.

Pre-COVID I was running 4-5x per week, was training up to a half marathon distance. I thought having a dog would help pass the time, motivate me to keep the habit, maybe keep me safe. The dog we adopted loves running, but play sprinting is not the same as endurance running. I want to complete this mile sub-10, she wants to mark every rock and pole on the block. She’d be much happier if she could run trails with me off-leash, though she can be wonderful on walks and does make walking a daily habit.

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

#154

Post by Vishal_TE »

> 3. DO NOT treat exercise as a priority. Because then it is subject to your other priorities. Instead, make it a habit.

This is the key to making it work. It's not about commitment, it's about making a part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth. Commitments are easy to break, habits are easy to keep.

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

#155

Post by boatsie »

greeneggs wrote: post #142
boatsie wrote: post #28

I went from pretty much never exercising in my life until I was 37 years old to working out 3 times/week missing only about 10 workouts in 3 years. I was completely sedentary, never played a competitive sport, was last place in my high schools "presidential fitness test". I still do not actually "enjoy" it, but I made it a habit and kept motivation to go because of two things: progress and goals. As a beginning lifte…

What will you do when you stop making progress? Once you get beyond the beginner level, progress will flatten out, and as you age it will go backward. As a runner, just slightly older than you, I am getting dramatically slower, and certainly haven't made positive progress in ~6 years.

That will possibly be demotivating, yes. However now that the habit has stuck with me and progress is more like weekly, I have integrated it into my identity. As in, I am the guy who always goes to the gym on these days and does these exercises. I am now someone who "goes to the gym".

Once something is part of your identity, the ability to maintain it is surprisingly easy. For example some people have ingrained preferences that are identity-based, eg vegetarian, non-drinkers, non-smokers, non-soda drinkers, etc. It's easy for those people to avoid those things as it is part of their identity. Or habits that are part of someone's identity like "the person who always makes the coffee" or "the person who always takes the stairs". For you, it might just be "I'm a runner, so I run."

I will also say that while it was never an initial goal of mine, the vanity/esteem aspect of feeling stronger/in better shape than others my age still is motivating.

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

#156

Post by ubertoop »

elboru wrote: post #148
ubertoop wrote: post #44

Fellow programmers - If you have a standing desk but find it difficult to stand for hours, I highly recommend an under desk treadmill. I picked up a Treadly treadmill a few years ago and have logged hundreds of miles of walking while programming. It's thin and can easily slide under my bed, or be propped up against a wall when not in use.

Do you walk while typing? Or only while reading/thinking? If you walk while typing is it difficult?

I walk while typing. It's not difficult.

What I DON'T walk while doing is - really cognitively challenging tasks OR learning something difficult/new, because that is markedly more difficult while walking.

If I really need to focus because a task is well outside of my comfort zone then I will almost always be sitting. Luckily, software development isn't always that kind of work (though it often is!)

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

#157

Post by ubertoop »

jacksonkmarley wrote: post #120
ubertoop wrote: post #44

Fellow programmers - If you have a standing desk but find it difficult to stand for hours, I highly recommend an under desk treadmill. I picked up a Treadly treadmill a few years ago and have logged hundreds of miles of walking while programming. It's thin and can easily slide under my bed, or be propped up against a wall when not in use.

That is a pretty cool idea. I would never consider standing still at a standing desk (uncomfortable for me), but walking would make it bearable at least for a while. Probably couldn't do it all day though.

I don't do it all day either. I usually try to get a minimum of 3 walking hours per day. So in an 8 hour day, those can be any time.

The rest of the day I sit.

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

#158

Post by gonehome »

astrange wrote: post #129
gonehome wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not sure why 1 is critical - regular soft drinks sure, but diet soft drinks are fine.

If you avoid all soda for enough time you'll eventually find it starts tasting bad. I think drinking diet soda won't help with this. It's also still bad for your teeth since it's acidic and has some unclear negative effects on gut bacteria.

Coffee is acidic and bad for your teeth, but worth it.

I don't buy the gut bacteria effect, or at least I haven't seen anything clear that's positive or negative - just vague comments that it's bad.

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

#160

Post by jraby3 »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #13
andygcook wrote: post #6

Anectdata of one: Once Covid forced my startup to WFH, I started doing body weight exercise and using some cheap resistance bands I bought when I would have otherwise been commuting. Previously, I’d been a runner doing 3ish runs a week. I can’t tell you how much more energy and mental focus I have now that I’ve put on more muscle and am stronger. The biggest change I made to get into the habit as a founder was giving…

Did you find any body weight videos, books, or articles that you would recommend?

P90X is designed for at home workouts. P90X3 limits the workouts to 30 minutes.

They’re excellent. I highly recommend them. You can get more done at home than in the time it would take you to drive to the gym and park.

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