Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?

Oh! And i do this simple thing: 8-10 times a day i do 15 push-ups.

My new goal is to do 20 minutes of kettlebell training 2-3 times a week.

I have found out it is all about habit for me, and it being something I can just do when i want. Like: i have just done 15 push-ups on the toilet at work. When I get home, i do them when i am in the kitchen. It is hard at first, but you will soon feel the difference.

In the end, after giving this a serious shot, I really came to like it a lot. Especially after I realized how much of a difference it makes in terms of mental strength, willpower, and confidence as well. My love life is through the roof.

Even though it takes considerably more than 30 minutes, I now have a power rack in my room and I fill the minutes of waiting between sets by using them on starting the most dreaded tasks on my list. This works incredibly well, as I am so filled with adrenaline after a hard set that it works a bit like the blinking star in super Mario: It makes my mind almost invincible for a few minutes.

Just an experience of many here. YMMV.

Exercise is all about consistency over a long period of time, and there's a chance you just don't have the capacity (willpower/mental health/...) to do it on your own, and that's ok.

Some people will fall in love with some activity and naturally do it consistently. Others have the discipline to keep grinding. Some have something in between, but many have none of those. That might be you and it was certainly me.

Use a step counter and aim for an appropriate target amount per day (10k being the simplest and most popular target for most but anything above 6-8k is going to be beneficial). Park further away from a place you need to go to. Get a dog. Take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator. Set an alarm or get an app to remind you to get out of your chair at regular intervals.

Some people like standing desks, but the evidence suggests shifting between standing and sitting desks is better. Use a balance board while standing for extra smug points.

If you're boxing once a week, you're getting good upper body conditioning. If you want to keep the momentum up at home, skip rope. 15 minutes 2-3 times a week and you're already way ahead of most of the population at your age.

Eat well, hydrate, sleep well. No use working out and then filling your body up with garbage and sleeping too little/poorly. Similarly, don't feel you need to mainline protein shakes and supplements. Gradual changes to your diet and exercise routine are the most important part. Avoid anything that promises too much too quickly. It's probably a scam or a cult.

Avoid injuring yourself. A lot of middle-aged people take up running and quickly wreck their knees/ankles/feet and end up put off by the whole affair or even reversing any progress they made. Trendy fitness cults like Crossfit can be a health and safety disaster for most people let alone those of use who still listen to 80s music.

Weights are good but proper form and technique is more important than big numbers. Get a trainer to teach you these. Learn about progressive overload and measure your progress but keep your workout simple and easy to follow. You don't need to learn some fancy targeted isolation exercises that involve you contracting your medial right glute while you lift a very particular and expensive type of glorified medicine ball rainstick in the air with your left arm pointing to Polaris and singing the national anthem.

Most importantly, do something you enjoy. You'll stick to it better and it won't feel like a chore as much.