Google "joyful movement". The idea is to do physical activity you actually enjoy doing. It could walking, hiking, swimming, bike riding, dancing, gardening, larping, or anything that makes you happy. That is the key.
Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
151–160 of 275 posts
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#152Get into motocross or enduro motorcycling. After an hour or so you're exhausted, and you'll have a lot more fun than being at the gym. The only downside is that you can seriously injure yourself.
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#153Your description of the downsides of a gym brought to mind Reinhard Engels' "Shovelglove": wrap something soft around a sledgehammer to protect your floor. Then do shoveling and similar movements for some short period of time every weekday. He has more instructions and a video: http://www.shovelglove.com
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#154Strength training gives meaning and purpose to every gym session for me personally. Look into Stronglifts 5x5 - it's 3 exercises a session and all you really need is a squat rack, so if you go to a proper gym they should always have one open. With proper form, nutrition and patience, you could go from squatting the bar to squatting 2 plates in a couple months. I've done some form of this on/off for around 7 years.
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#155I hate gym too (also mid 30s), and use the hate as a tool. I hate it so much, that nothing will stop me from going, because I'm always at the lowest possible desire level anyway. I don't care if the weather is bad, if my mood is bad, or anything else. I just deliver myself to the place no matter what. For over 13 years now. (People who like gym risk not going when they don't like it. I have no such risk. I'm not teth…
Over the years, I tried gym memberships and always go bored and stopped going after a week or two. I got a personal trainer 7 months ago, and it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I find having someone besides myself to feel accountable to very motivating. It's also nice to have someone walk you through all the movements, proper form, and telling you what to eat. When I started with the personal trainer…
its physically impossible to have gained 25lbs of muscle in 7 months unless you're doing steroids
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#156A 10 minute jog (3 minutes really is enough) in one spot, not moving forward, while holding your hand out in front at elbow height, and knees going up high and touching the hand, or knees going up as high as the elbow, while jogging.
Squats, going down all the way, no more than 10 a day (start with just three). You can kill yourself doing too much.
Full body Stretches.
Should take like 15 minutes. Do that every other day and you will be A Ok.
If you have injured bones or muscles or knees, then you also need to do toning in those areas.
If you only have like an hour a month, go to the gym, get on a bike, and do a full speed spin wheel getting your heart rate to max (160?) for 5 minutes straight. The blood flow will get you renewed for a month.
Focus on three things: cardio, stretching, and endurance (same exercise for long periods).
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#157I hate gym too (also mid 30s), and use the hate as a tool. I hate it so much, that nothing will stop me from going, because I'm always at the lowest possible desire level anyway. I don't care if the weather is bad, if my mood is bad, or anything else. I just deliver myself to the place no matter what. For over 13 years now. (People who like gym risk not going when they don't like it. I have no such risk. I'm not teth…
This. So much.
It's the key I use as well to hit the gym. Just go there physically. Even with the lowest amount of motivation when everything's shit.
The line “if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly” comes to mind. If you are already at the gym, you might as well do it badly and then most of the time you're doing it well in the end.
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#158i started doing crossfit and I love it.
I know some gyms can be toxic, but mine is amazing.
I hate the exact same thing you do: Waiting for equipment and rude people.
At a crossfit gym it is all class based, and you book your time and show up and do your workout in a group setting, get it done, and then move on.
I love the class format for that reason. There is no waiting around because we work in stations, or the gym is designed to support everyone in the class working.
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#159I hate gym too (also mid 30s), and use the hate as a tool. I hate it so much, that nothing will stop me from going, because I'm always at the lowest possible desire level anyway. I don't care if the weather is bad, if my mood is bad, or anything else. I just deliver myself to the place no matter what. For over 13 years now. (People who like gym risk not going when they don't like it. I have no such risk. I'm not teth…
This is me, since 2010 too.
Re: Ask HN: I hate gym. How to stay in shape?
#160I had a friend who I used to go jogging with, he also hated the gym. We had a circuit in a nearby forest (park), and he always found a suitable branch along the way to do pullups, or we did pushups, or belly lifts from hanging down, and stuff like that. Some parks even have benches or exercise bars which you can use. You can do a lot completely for free, and it's more pleasant environment too.
Agreed. The OP mentions not being dependent on the weather, but I find jogging can be done regardless of the weather, it just depends on what clothing you can put on. Also, playgrounds seem to abound here in the U.S., and they're great for catching a quick round of pull-ups or other hanging exercises. I would say most are usually not crowded, and are often empty in the mornings or late evenings.