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Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
1–10 of 11 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#2I think it is not too hard. For myself I am just feeling a lot better when I eat healthy and go to the gym. I am more productive and more alive. I can learn more, work more and so on.
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#3Exercise: make it part of your commute, by biking or walking to work. Or something you enjoy, like hiking, cycling, basketball, tennis, etc.
Eating healthy: remove everything you shouldn't eat from your home and only eat food out of your home. Eat Soylent for one meal a day.
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#4Besides look in the mirror?
But seriously, in my case, I'm determined to never become an insulin-dependent diabetic. I was over 340 lbs. 16 years ago (and believe it or not, I was not a big eater compared to male peers), then I read about low-carbohydrate eating strategies, and had slow but significant success (lost over 120 lbs in a 20-month span).
But getting back to the question: my motivators were/are: 1) appearance 2) staving off degenerative disease (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) 3) activity enjoyment (e.g. hiking, volleyball, etc... weight is a limiting factor and contributes to injury)
My biggest problem is maintaining a regimen when I am not getting results. This is how I derailed in the first place in my late 20s -- despite running 4-6 miles 2-3 times a week, I couldn't lose an ounce.
Also, keep up on current science: for example, you could expend a lot of effort doing something that isn't that helpful if you a part of the population that is a low genetic responder to cardio (see the University of Bath study as covered in Michael Mosley's "The Truth About Exercise" on PBS). In my case, I also exhibit the classic symptoms of AD-36 exposure, so I have a tougher row to hoe.
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#5By understanding that change does not happen immediately. I read somewhere that it takes 60 days to form a habit. Rather than look for changes, I looked to form a habit of walking every day for an hour. I've lost 25 lbs in the past three months. I didn't see the slightest bit of a difference in the first two weeks, but I kept going. Make it a habit and you won't need to motivate yourself.
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#6Besides look in the mirror? But seriously, in my case, I'm determined to never become an insulin-dependent diabetic. I was over 340 lbs. 16 years ago (and believe it or not, I was not a big eater compared to male peers), then I read about low-carbohydrate eating strategies, and had slow but significant success (lost over 120 lbs in a 20-month span). But getting back to the question: my motivators were/are: 1) appeara…
Wow AD-36 is interesting! I never knew that. I'm curious if we could give it to people having trouble gaining weight?
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#7I had peripheral neuropathy (tingling in my hands and feet). It turned out to be a vitamin B deficiency. But while we were trying to figure out what was causing it, one of the options was that it was an early onset warning for diabetes. I asked the doctor what to do now so that I didn't get diabetes in five years, and he said, "lose X pounds". That set a target weight for me, and gave me a pretty strong incentive to try to hit it.
In actual fact, I tend to run about 2-3 pounds above my target, but I take stronger action above that.
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#8Exercise: make it part of your commute, by biking or walking to work. Or something you enjoy, like hiking, cycling, basketball, tennis, etc. Eating healthy: remove everything you shouldn't eat from your home and only eat food out of your home. Eat Soylent for one meal a day.
Have you played with Soylent at all for flavoring btw? I'm curious if people are doing that or just going with it plain.
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#9Exercise: make it part of your commute, by biking or walking to work. Or something you enjoy, like hiking, cycling, basketball, tennis, etc. Eating healthy: remove everything you shouldn't eat from your home and only eat food out of your home. Eat Soylent for one meal a day.
Have you played with Soylent at all for flavoring btw? I'm curious if people are doing that or just going with it plain.
I'm drinking it plain and quickly, like medicine. It's not offensive but I don't want to become offensive or boring over time.
Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to exercise or eat healthy?
#10Its not about being motivated, its about designing your lifestyle, if you want to eat outside but the table is inside, move the table outside. Design your life so that you have to workout, rather than fighting temptation just don't have crap in your cupboard. Sell your car and buy a bike.