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I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week

happychasing.substack.com

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Re: I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week

#21

Post by smcl »

Hm, if they switched the schedule up a little and had a workout every other day (with a rest day in between) they could have been working out 4-5 times per week.

If anyone's unsure about the maths on that then don't worry, "you don't count the day you're on when you're counting days " ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eECjjLNAOd4

Re: I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week

#22

Post by fredoliveira »

wpietri wrote: post #9
savanaly wrote: post #3

If this sounds appealing, but you want a nice UI to go along with it, check out https://www.beeminder.com/home . Not affiliated with them, just a happy customer for several years.

Huh. I like most of the idea, but there's no way I'm going to incentivize a company such that they do better if I fail.

Just make a similar bet with a friend or family member instead.

Re: I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week

#23

Post by endisneigh »

I'm happy for the author, but I've always found these sort of tricks to be a chore. I bought a cargo ebike and use it for 99% of my traveling, including a 20 mile commute to work (~40 minutes each way). Now you can exercise for free, no tricking necessary.

Sadly you aren't going to become super muscular riding around a bike, but I assure you, you'll be in excellent shape even with an ebike.

Maybe it's because I'm lazy, but I find having an active life is superior to exercising frequently and having an otherwise inactive life (I also use a deskcycle and a treadmill desk setup for about 2-3 hours at work).

I recently bought a 20lb weighted vest to add some resistance when I'm walking around the house. we'll see how that goes.

Re: I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week

#26

Post by wpietri »

savanaly wrote: post #15
wpietri wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh. I like most of the idea, but there's no way I'm going to incentivize a company such that they do better if I fail.

It was never a problem for me. Between reading their blog posts about the theory of motivation and actually experiencing their UI (and interactions with their customer support when something went wrong and I was accidentally charged) I believe they really do want you as a happy customer above all which means helping you with your goals.

I can certainly believe it has worked for you. But there's just no way I'm putting myself in that situation. Maybe they are the kind of people who are truly able to spend their lives minimizing revenue. But I'd still always have to be on my guard for that changing. And even it went well, I would then feel bad that I'm not properly supporting people from whom I've gotten a lot of value.

I'm glad it works for other people, but the glaring conflict of interest makes it a hard no for me.

Re: I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week

#28

Post by ozim »

oifjsidjf wrote: post #10

This method can stop working immediately if both parties decide to stop working out. Also there is nothing that FORCES you to pay to the other person, no legaly binding contract so if you really don't feel like you're just gonna say "fuck it and fuck you" and it's gone.

Hey we should totally put it on blockchain and make a smart contract to deal with it. You make smart band that executes contract if "no running 3x a week". /s

Re: I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week

#29

Post by Tarsul »

I read a HN comment a while ago wrt running that said that motivation might come from saying "I want to see this beautiful place again" (where the running leads to.) instead of saying "I need to run because I want to lose weight" (or whatever). I'd like to say it works, but actually what was even more important for me was to change my thoughts about running. If you feel like running is a chore, you will never motivate yourself (that's where external motivators can help), however running itself can be fun. If it's fun, you will WANT to do it. You will go out and seek it.

I've found that I always pushed myself way too hard while running. The goal is not to be fast or have the best time. The goal is to enjoy the journey. That's why I always tell myself now the first few minutes: Don't go too fast, run slow! Slow. Enjoy it. If I start as slow as I can arrange, then everything else follows. Also, how your body feels after a run, is one of the best motivators to do it again.

Sure, these thoughts won't work for everyone, but what does? It's worth a try, anyway :)

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