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Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

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Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#101

Post by metabagel »

darkerside wrote: post #73
phatskat wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm more describing making this important enough to you that you start looking for places to slot it into your day I get where you’re coming from, and I think you’re missing the point. Executive dysfunction (for me at least) means I can “want to do the thing” a LOT, heck I can even have the motivation, but getting my brain and body to actually do the damn thing can feel insurmountable. There are certainly ways to w…

As someone who's been there, and now leads an active lifestyle, I'd say it's best to avoid looking at things as black and white. The ability to build habits is a skill you can learn, just as you can learn to ride a bike, program a computer, or cook a meal. It comes more or less naturally for different people, but if you can a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset, it won't come at all. One lever I used was self h…

Sometimes, emotional leverage helps. I sometimes use anger at perceived slights. I think it's OK if you leave it on the exercise bike or treadmill and don't carry it through your day.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#102

Post by p_j_w »

kortex wrote: post #19

> Maximal effects were found for tasks related to executive functions, (i.e., aspects of higher cognition principally associated with the functions of prefrontal cortex). Oh good, exactly what I'm looking for. If only the executive dysfunction didn't mess with my ability to form any kind of stable exercise routine.

Have you tried approaching it with the idea that you don’t have to form a stable routine? The next time you’re sitting around with >20 minutes to kill, go for a run instead of doing social media/HN/Netflix/whatever it is you might do to kill time. If you found you woke up an hour early and can’t get back to sleep, go for a run. Maybe it’ll eventually lead to a routine, but maybe it won’t and that’s fine, too, you’re not trying to win a marathon. Running once is better than never, so no need to put pressure on yourself to form a stable routine.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#103

Post by beepbooptheory »

phatskat wrote: post #52
beepbooptheory wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have executive function disorder, but I have found the best thing for me is just, simply, running. You can reduce the friction getting from A to B a lot if from the beginning you resolve to be minimalist about it. Just buy shoes (don't think too much about it, go to running store and get fitted) and shorts, and... thats it. Don't try to get any other products, and don't even worry too much about how you do it…

> I know what you mean I’m not sure that you do, because > The only thing ever stopping you from going out the door and running is putting on shoes and shorts, its easy to form a habit! feels very invalidating, as someone who struggles with an executive dysfunction disorder.

Oh geez I am so sorry. Truly. I guess I had a false notion that "executive dysfunction" was a softer term/catch-all for various problems around procrastination/focus, not something that is diagnosed explicitly such that you could feel this invalidation. Really sorry. I will edit accordingly.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#104

Post by yieldcrv »

sergiosgc wrote: post #38
yieldcrv wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want a substance that tricks my mind into feeling this way about exercise. hold up gym bros! I don't want your technique. I want a drug like Ozympic that alters my behavior towards that lifestyle change.

That substance is exercise itself. Once you get going for a couple of months, you miss it if you skip it.

imagine if we dropped that barrier to entry

disrupted, some might say

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#105

Post by beepbooptheory »

AimForTheBushes wrote: post #81
tsimionescu wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This may work for some people, but not others. For me, nothing is as unpleasant as running. Back when I tried to forcd myself to do it as part of my gym routine, I was actively dreading it the moment I woke up, after a week or two. It took all my willpower every time to run another minute, another 100m, etc. No other exercise I tried is as unpleasant and demotivating to me.

This is usually the side effect of people running too fast. Slow it down- even if you feel like speed walkers can pass you. Or you actually hate running.

Yes, this is super important! And, at least initially, stopping to walk is perfectly good too. Whatever pace and time it takes to not feel bad during or at the end of the run is what you should go for.

And you will be surprised how quickly you scale from wherever you begin.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#106

Post by GrinningFool »

dymk wrote: post #49
kortex wrote: post #19

> Maximal effects were found for tasks related to executive functions, (i.e., aspects of higher cognition principally associated with the functions of prefrontal cortex). Oh good, exactly what I'm looking for. If only the executive dysfunction didn't mess with my ability to form any kind of stable exercise routine.

The hardest part of bootstrapping a routine with executive function problems is getting on medication to fix the executive function problems

Medication doesn't fix them though. It makes it possible for them to /be/ fixed -- but a lifetime of ingrained habit from when it was much more challenging is still a mountain to overcome.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#107

Post by jassyr »

striking wrote: post #67
bitcurious wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can’t articulate this as a how-to, but I’ve found that I can occasionally rewrite some low-level assumptions about myself in such a way that let me accomplish stuff. Like I convinced myself that working out every day isn’t a choice, it’s a default. It’s how I am. This means that the choice is to not work out, and that’s kind of lame, so no choice == working out.

Atomic Habits phrases this more or less as telling yourself e.g. "you are a runner" and then every time you could work out is an opportunity to prove it to yourself.

This trick has helped me a lot. I think to myself "I'm the type of person that . . . " And it helps overcome the mental anguish of should I or shouldn't I. "I'm the type of person that works out everyday," and the decision has already been made.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#109

Post by siliconc0w »

I went from pretty sedentary to training everyday - the thing that helped me set the habit was a pre-workout at lunch. Aside from the extra energy, I think Huberman mentions this but something about the pleasurable effects of the caffeine causes you to build up an association with the activity.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#110

Post by bittercynic »

pc86 wrote: post #29
kortex wrote: post #19

> Maximal effects were found for tasks related to executive functions, (i.e., aspects of higher cognition principally associated with the functions of prefrontal cortex). Oh good, exactly what I'm looking for. If only the executive dysfunction didn't mess with my ability to form any kind of stable exercise routine.

I don't say this to sound dismissive, which I think is all too common in discussions like this. If we're talking about aerobic exercise, you don't need to "form" anything. It's a monostructural movement. Buy a treadmill and jog on it for 20 minutes when you wake up. Buy a rower and do 5k every morning, or evening, or over lunch. Get a stationary bike and do 10 minutes on that whenever you remember to do it. This isn'…

I tried a rower for the first time a couple days ago, and found immediate relief from ADHD-like symptoms that lasts a few hours.

I'm not diagnosed, but have pretty severe trouble getting into a task-oriented mode, so much that dishes go unwashed, and my home is a mess. I feel the mess wearing away at me, but just can't deal with it. I'm not overly busy or tired, just procrastinating.

After 5 minutes on the rower my mood drastically improved and I was much more productive than usual, and the effect lasted about 3 hours. I've had a few more sessions since then with similar effects.

Also, it's a little spooky how often a subject comes on my radar, and then a few days later the subject surfaces on HN. Feels too frequent for it to be a coincidence.

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