I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week • Hacker News Board

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

#121

Post by loevborg » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:12 PM UTC

prirun wrote: post #74

I started working out 6 months ago for the first time, with a personal trainer. I had tried a few times to do it on my own or with a friend, but with a friend it's too hard to coordinate schedules, and without a pro, it's too easy to get hurt (tore my shoulder up the first day and it took a year to sort of heal). Hiring a good trainer has lots of advantages: - you don't have to think about what you need to do - they…

Working out with a PT also really helped me a lot. We work out outside, twice a week. Someone's waiting for me, which completely fixes the motivation problem for me. I'm still not someone who's naturally good at sports, but I've missed maybe 5 workouts in 3 years max (excepting vacations, sickness). I couldn't keep a routine before.

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

#122

Post by loevborg » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:13 PM UTC

davidivadavid wrote: post #114

astura wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used a personal trainer for 3 years and I can't say I'd really recommend it. Definitely had it's advantages, but too many disadvantages to be worth the cost. High turnover - I had about six different trainers during that time. They all picked some random exercises for me to do whereas I'd rather have a well thought out schedule. They are all flakey, lots of appointments cancelled last minute for "family emergencies…

Sounds like you had bad trainers. Definitely wouldn't recommend that. Finding a good one on the other hand is easily one of the best investments you can make.

Yes and a good, educated trainer might be more expensive than you might think (or feel comfortable with initially).

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

#123

Post by jlawson » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:25 PM UTC

marcrosoft wrote: post #18

atarian wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how little body fat do you need to be at to have a 6 pack?

It probably depends but roughly <= 10%

No, to see a decent sixpack in normal situations without intense flexing/lighting, a male typically needs to be at about 13-15% bodyfat.

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

#124

Post by popupeyecare » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:30 PM UTC

My friends and I do something similar.

We text the group- gym 1, gym 2 etc as we start our workout. Anyone can say “proof” which means we have to send a selfie. If you don’t do 3 gyms in a week, there is some penalty which no even remembers or enforces.

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

#125

Post by Zacharias030 » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:31 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #71

watwut wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Genuinely curious, why would you force yourself into daily run for months when you feel bad after it? I mean, there are many sports, chances are one of them you will like. So why forcing yourself into obe you hate?

I made this same point in another response. To answer your question, I was sedentary, not particularly overweight but I knew it was unhealthy, and I wanted to do something to get in better shape. I knew some people who were into running and they talked about how great it made them feel. I tried it, kept at it for a while despite what a miserable an experience it was, in the hope that there would be a "breakthrough" a…

Dunno if you are still interested in hearing what helped others, I suppose not everybody has to like running, but I know that I learned to like both seimming and running at some point when before it was dreadful.

* It helped me to learn a lot about running form, which would make going for a run interesting because there are so many things to observe about one‘s body and form while doing it. Like honing a difficult skill. Same for swimming.

* Finding an intellectual interest in learning about running helped me as well. If I want to do something for hours, I better be really interested in it… (e.g. Daniel Lieberman‘s work / Born to Run / watching races / learning about how athletes today can run so much faster than before, ultra running,…)

* Running without shoes sometimes is a much richer sensory experience and not boring at all.

* I still way overestimated what a proper pace would be for me, and only started slowing down and enjoying running more recently. I know the feeling of feeling shredded the next day, but that means the workout was too hard. It took me over a year to go from a pandemic/work induced low-point to enjoying 5k runs regularly, and I underestimated how slow and steady the change would be. Can‘t emphasize enough how easy the easy runs should be. I can now enjoy 5k at a slow pace even though I could run 20k at a faster pace if I wanted to on any day.

* Finally, I think running is better with friends. [cf. Daniel Lieberman‘s work]

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

#126

Post by yosito » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:34 PM UTC

Tarsul wrote: post #29

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 motivat…

Agreed. I'm not motivated by punishment, especially arbitrary and voluntary punishment. And I'd have to bet $1000 per workout to even feel the financial pain, and at that point, it would also be directly conflicting with my financial goals. The whole made up agreement seems like it would take a lot of willpower for me to keep.

What motivates me to exercise is to focus on the tangible benefits I get from exercise. The main one: I feel great after a good workout. I also love to use running and swimming as excuses to explore new places, which gives me another immediate tangible benefit.

One of the best runs of my life was during pandemic lockdowns in Spain when we were finally allowed to leave the house after 3 months, but only as long as we were exercising. The easiest excuse for me to get a change of scenery was to run a 15k (I had been running 5ks in circles on my roof, so I was in shape). I have never enjoyed a long run so much.

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

#127

Post by WheelsAtLarge » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:34 PM UTC

Tarsul wrote: post #29

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 motivat…

It sounds like you are relatively new to running. Have you had any problems with your knees? I have friends that want to start jogging but are hesitant to start. I've suggested walking instead.

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

#128

Post by pie_flavor » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:35 PM UTC

For people who don't have a friend in the exact same boat, Beeminder[0] is this exact system as a service - you put in your goals, you report whether you completed them, they charge you for slipping up.

[0]: https://www.beeminder.com/

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

#129

Post by code_runner » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:49 PM UTC

WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #127

Tarsul wrote: post #29

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 motivat…

It sounds like you are relatively new to running. Have you had any problems with your knees? I have friends that want to start jogging but are hesitant to start. I've suggested walking instead.

Running is bad for your knees is a common misconception. Just gotta ease in. I’ve been running for years and have had no knee issues. I know many people with tens of thousands of miles on their legs (approaching 6 figures in some cases) and their knees are fine

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

#130

Post by bern4444 » Sun, Sep 04, 2022, 9:54 PM UTC

This is a well known phenomenon and its great to see it verified anecdotally again.

Some Econ professors also discovered this a while back and created stickk.com which allows you to put up a monetary punishment when you don't meet your agreed upon goal. The loss of money and having someone else keep you accountable greatly increases your motivation to achieve your goals.

The money you pay if you don't meet your goal is donated to charity.