For people who can't get motivated about treadmills or lifting weights and who have the space, a full length (floor to ceiling) punch bag comes highly recommended. I lost 60lbs in 6 months by channelling my aggression and frustration into that bag for 15 minutes at the start of each day. Take a few Muay Thai classes at your local gym so that you know how to punch and kick, then go to town on that bag as often as you can. After the first 3 weeks you won't be able to go a day without using the bag, it's addictive and probably one of the most effective forms of exercise after running.
Exercise More to Hack Better
71–80 of 105 posts
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
Drink more water. Dehydration is your enemy.
You must stay hydrated, but I'm not sure if drinking water is good advice. You have to not forget your electrolytes. Something like Gatorade works, though.
In moderation. Some people consume more calories than they burn by chugging sports drinks during a workout.
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#73My problem with deliberate exercise is that it doesn't feel purposeful (vague notions of improved health notwithstanding). Picking up a chunk of iron just to put it back down again or stomping on a moving platform just to remain in the same place feels about as useful as typing out a bunch of boilerplate code just to delete it shortly afterwards. I might change this attitude should I find more interesting activities.…
I love lifting weights. Particularly the lack of thought and physicality that is required. It's a tremendous break from my norm.
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#74It's even worse than lowered productivity for me. I just start getting straight-up depressed; just absolutely terrible feeling. No energy, no drive, no light. And then I realize that somewhere in the last two weeks I stopped my regular exercise regiment for some reason or another and pick it back up - cured instantly. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking that the funk caused the stop in exercise but that's nearly…
As a rule of thumb, the best predictor of your mental health is what you do physically, and the best predictor of your physical health is what you spend all day thinking about.[1] Kind of funny how that works.
[1] Assuming you're not outright poisoning yourself or something.
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#75Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#76I work from home, and either run or swim during lunchtime. It's great, I get so much more done. If you start, the first weeks you will feel very tired and it seems counter-productive. After a while, you suddenly realize that you are way more productive. If you run races regularly, you'll also see progress, which is great for motivation and general self-esteem. That being said, the trick to keep running is to stay inj…
...and don't buy expensive running shoes. The more padding a shoe has the more it leads to bad technique that actually increases the impact on joints. Humans are made to run, go thin-sole or 5fingers to teach yourself proper technique.
We also weren't made to run on asphalt and concrete. I agree with thin sole for trail running, but don't you need some sort of artificial cushion on hard surfaces?
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
You must stay hydrated, but I'm not sure if drinking water is good advice. You have to not forget your electrolytes. Something like Gatorade works, though.
In moderation . Some people consume more calories than they burn by chugging sports drinks during a workout.
And most people aren't exercising any anywhere near the level that they need something more than water to stay hydrated.
Mind you, it's amusing when you see unhealthy people drinking them thinking that they're better than any other sugary drink.
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
It could be your shoes as well. I've been running for a couple years, and take frequent breaks now. Vary your run; do different distances, speeds etc. But don't neglect shoes; indulge in a new one every 500 Km.
I don't use shoes at all when I run. However, I would be willing to buy shoes like the vibram 5 fingers to protect me from the occasional pebbles and the dangerous glasses but not modify how I run barefoot.
what do you do in winter?
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#79My problem with deliberate exercise is that it doesn't feel purposeful (vague notions of improved health notwithstanding). Picking up a chunk of iron just to put it back down again or stomping on a moving platform just to remain in the same place feels about as useful as typing out a bunch of boilerplate code just to delete it shortly afterwards. I might change this attitude should I find more interesting activities.…
"Picking up a chunk of iron just to put it back down again"
Then you sort of missed the point a bit. The point of the exercise is
a) to challenge your physical, and yes, mental limits in a ways nothing else in the modern world really does, and b) master the form of the exercises, which can be surprisingly intricate, and c) become stronger, moving on to ever more challenging weights.
Re: Exercise More to Hack Better
#80After going outside and walking in the sun for a couple of hours, I'm too tired to get any work done the rest of the day. As far as I can tell, everything said about exercise is lies. Or perhaps mileage varies. Just remember, mileage varies, and also, you're not alone.
I believe there's a hockey stick there. I too had such experiences regarding exercises a few year back then, but after I decided to stick to it things started to improve, and now I do get more energetic even after rigorous workouts. I would theorizes that if you don't really exercise that regularly, exercise is indeed more a burden at first, and you need to work on it until it becomes 'profitable' one day.