Just wondering what the HN crowd does in terms of exercise. Feel free to share your habits,experiences and routines. It can be physical or mental exercise.
You are missing some key options, 3-6 times a week (which is the category I fall under). Exercise is important to ensure that the body stays healthy, and thats important so the mind can stay sharp. Eating right and exercising can have a profound effect on the way people think and act, often in the positive, and will allow you to have the energy to push through rough times and continue down your path. My mental exercise is my work, as I often leave everything I have in the terminal by the end of the day.
I go bouldering (indoor rock climbing) at least once/twice a month. I want to go more, but it works out quite expensive. I used to do a lot of cycling (road bike) but had to sell my bike.
Really I want to start going to the gym. I'm 6ft 3", 10st and a terrible BMI - which is to be expected. Now that I've started putting on a bit of weight (I was 9 stone, regardless of what and when I ate) I feel like I could be doing more to turn it into muscle and actually tone myself a bit.
It's a thing for me to do throughout 2014 I think.
I started bouldering a few times a week during lunchtime this year. It's been great. I had to put money down for the full year membership (having to pay every time you go is a good way to lose motivation to go.)
I find simply lifting weights gets too boring and I lose interest. At a bouldering gym there are constantly new problems to work on. There is also a nice community/vibe to go with it which is great if you work alone from home.
> I find simply lifting weights gets too boring and I lose interest.
I find it hardly boring when I actually lift. I mean, if it's hard (as it's supposed to be), I may be overexerting, but I'm certainly not bored. I also found that bringing a book to read in between the sets helps a lot - before I had been just lounging around the gym for 3-4 minutes every time after doing a set (that was a bit boring).
I also found that for me, lifting is a great complimentary exercise to do in the evening (shortly before going to bed), while the main exercise of the day should be some kind of a cardio workout/sport.
Actually... I could start going on my dinner. It's about a 5 minute drive, which gives me a good 40 minutes to do so. I can eat before/after too. I never thought about that. But that would be expensive at £11 a session. It's the shoe and chalk hire at £4. Might be worth buying some shoes.
There is also a gym 2 minutes down the road, that I've never thought about. Again, that's something else I could do which would be cheaper. I'd need someone to spot me lifting because I'm a "pussy" as my mates call me haha.
Crossfit 4 to 5 times a week. Crossfit is one of the best exercise regiments that I have found for a busy lifestyle. You go 4 to 5 hours a week, learn some great skills, you are a part of a great community and you stay healthy. I credit Crossfit for getting back to a healthy weight, becoming stronger and keeping sickness at bay. Whichever type of exercise you choose I think consistency is key. Keep doing it, make it a habit you can't beat.
Started crossfit 3x a week 2 months ago. I was a bit trepidatious given the horror stories online, but I had a few back and forth emails with the gym owner about my concerns and he was on the same page as me. I was also worried that since I haven't really been in shape since highschool, 20 years ago, crossfit would be a bit much.
It was definitely a challenge, but I am now able to get through the workouts, feel great after and constantly look forward to the next one. I feel better than I have in years. I wish I had done something sooner, but it was admitting that I can't stay self motivated for long periods that finally caused me to seek out a group/instructor led program.
Twice daily burpees (twenty in the morning, twenty in the evening; haven't missed a burpee in two years. Approaching 30,000 cumulative in a couple weeks), though I don't count them as exercise. They are one of my SIDCHAs -- http://joshuaspodek.com/number-one-best-tool-improve-life-se....
For exercise I look for things like marathons or ultimate frisbee occasions to practice for.
Actually, I don't count them as exercise either. They're for fun.
I do Jeet Kune Do at Anderson's Martial Arts in Manhattan. It's an amazing workout, teaches you how to defend yourself, is a huge boost to self confidence, and really is pretty fascinating once you learn the history of the art and the other arts that helped to create it. I've never been in better shape in my life.
not to nitpick, but there are other, dare I say, more important variables that you gotta consider as well - workout intensity being the main one.
there's no 'correct' intensity - just like there's no 'correct' frequency - just depends on the athlete's goals.
what's clear tho, is at the edges of performance, there are gonna be trade-offs between highly frequent and highly intense training - unless you're a pro athlete, of course
for the large majority of peeps, i guess this distinction doesn't really matter, but since hn is about optimizing at the edges, i figured i'd mention!
that's not necessarily true. an individuals capacity for work is flexible. during a period of functional overreaching, you can increase your capacity for work and thus adapt to a greater workload.
obviously a casual gym go-er doesn't have to think much about that, but i just thought i'd point out that it is possible to train intensely every day and also have a day job. i compete as a bodybuilder and work full time in software development.
nah don't think of it that way. its better to exercise moderately unless you have some specific goal in mind. i have an addictive personality, and bodybuilding has been my way to satisfy that in a more productive manner.
If you have Wii Fit U, you can find me on the miiverse as user "smt-ddr" in the daily-gym community!
And before anyone says wii Fit is a joke; note that I lost nearly 40lbs doing this. But it took discipline and I do the more intense exercises rather than the light & playful things like hula-hoop.
I voted "everyday", even though it's really 5-6 times/week (which is more than a "few times", IMO). Though I walk the dogs 30 minutes or more every single day (because I don't like my house chewed to shreds), so maybe it really is every day. But what I count as exercise is 3-4 commutes to work on the bicycle and 3-5 runs every week. I'm going to try the new Xbox Fitness app, both out of curiosity of how well the Kinect does, and because running doesn't do much for rock-hard abs and beefy biceps.
My exercise is mainly running, but I do like to swim every now & then. I guess swimming indoors is better suited for the winter period here in the Netherlands. I hate the cold. In the summer I love to run 2-3x a week in the greener areas of my city.
Training for a marathon since 2 weeks now, so 5 days of running a week, 1 day of cross training (skating / cycling / fieldhockey).
Before that it was 2 days of running, 1 field hockey training and 1 field hockey match a week.
Every day 2 x 20 push-ups, immediately when I am out of bed, or going to bed, it's part of my routine since half a year now.
Running clears my mind of things, it feels great to finish and improve your timing, plus you get out. Fieldhockey is mostly a social activity for me, but besides that it feels good to play (and win ;) matches with your team.
I spend at least one day a week hiking, sometimes two or more if opportunities arise. I used to bike 10+ miles daily but haven't been for a while and need to get back into it. Several times per year I do week long backpacking and/or volunteer trailwork trips.
Another vote for hiking. Its awesome for socializing. The sights can be spectacular (depends where you live, I guess). I either hike or "just walk around" almost every day.
Snowshoeing is hiking on snow. Big fun, I love it.
1 hour cycle commuting (30 mins each way) 4 days a week, 4000km a year just commuting, usually another 2000km a year on longer leisure/training rides (best year was an extra 6000km of long-distance rides). 5-a-side soccer twice a week (1h and 40m).
Just started back into using the gym at work to go for a run twice a week (starting at 20 minutes, building up to doing a 10k twice a week).
Even days with no specific exercise involve a long walk or other activity with my 4-year-old (lugging her about is quite a good upper body workout!)
(Ignoring the debate about the suitability of BMI for everyone...) My BMI is currently over 30 (92kg, 1.73cm) but I'm quite stockily built and haven't seen it below 25 (76kg) since my teens, not even when I was running cross country half marathons and doing lots of long-distance cycling (rides of 200km+). It's crept up as I'm eating too much and drinking a bit too much. Aiming to get back to 76kg; at a steady/sensible 0.5kg a week that's 30 odd weeks; done it before, it's not tricky. I find the bit from 85kg to 76kg much easier than the first bit from 92kg to 85kg; running is much more unenjoyable (I dislike it at the best of times) when heavier.
I lurch between years of lots of exercise and fallow years, 2014 should be a good year.
Haven't done any specific lifting for years. Having children means spare time disappears (not that I'm complaining; I just look back and wonder WTF I did with all my spare time before having a kid).
There is a bench at the work gym but there's rarely anyone else around when I use it so I'd be wary of doing anything but light weights; with no-one to spot for me I'm not going to try to get back to benching something near my own weight.
But, as I said, a 17kg 4-year-old is a semi-resonable substitute for proper lifting.
the survey - and certainly the comments - might be biased since the people who look at and respond are self-selecting :-)
i just joined a crossfit ( like today ) but that's cuz the gym I wented to was loud and had broken machines.
coding requires sitting in front of a computer... and coding. my job is far away from my gym. all these things make it difficult to move around on a regular basis.
I think this poll is likely to be very biased - those proud of their habits are more likely to participate and comment. So far in this poll, it's saying that 72% of HNers work out "a few times a week" or more?
Need criteria defined like "do you need to shower"
For example your bodies thermoregulation system has not evolved to understand clothing, so when its 0F out and you're snowshoeing if you sweat and soak your clothes you'll more or less promptly die of hypothermia, or at least its going to really suck. So do my couple mile snowshoe hikes count if I carefully never break a sweat? If I knock back 2+ miles walking after lunch and dinner (only takes 45 mins or so each time) is that real exercise or not? It adds up to a marathon or so every week, its not like I'm only walking to the vending machine or something.
Background on myself. I weighed 245 lbs, 5' 10" at age 17. After a self administered diet and exercise regiment I dropped to 170. Today, age 27, I weigh 205 - 208. I have learned a lot about weight and health management.
I am not a fan of the "fad" diets or diets that have "claims." Throughout the years, I have found that balance in life facilitates happiness/mindfulness.
I have found that my body feels best, when it has good rest, good food, and has been active. Those are subjective to each person and their current state of health.
I have a few tips for anyone looking to live a bit healthier. These are from my experiences.
Exercise is important. But, the opposite is just as important, rest. I used to run at least 5 miles every morning, and sometimes run again in evening. I found that I was increasingly tired, and anxious. Rest days are important, and so is sleep in general. Listen to your body.
Throughout the years, I have found that my body responds best to a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. I used to lean 75% aerobic and 25% anaerobic, but today its more like 35% aerobic and 65% anaerobic.
Learn proper techniques in everything. Food intake and exercise have direct impact on your well being, there is no reason to injure oneself.
Do not compare your physical fitness to others.
Set goals. I find that achieving success, whatever you deem that to be, is just a series of steps done in a linear progression.
I like to keep calendar/alarms to remind me to eat properly and exercise. For example, right now, during the holidays. I made sure to have cardio built into my week, otherwise it gets pushed aside.
Was a college athlete but fell off after I graduated. For 5 years I didn't do anything and found it hard to motivate myself because I was used to daily practices, my coaches/teammates and the associated competitions motivating me. I started working at (and using) Fitocracy a few months ago and it has done wonders to motivate me again. Not for everyone, but the gamification elements and community definitely help to get you going. you can also learn a lot from the users.
67 comments
[ 0.30 ms ] story [ 118 ms ] threadReally I want to start going to the gym. I'm 6ft 3", 10st and a terrible BMI - which is to be expected. Now that I've started putting on a bit of weight (I was 9 stone, regardless of what and when I ate) I feel like I could be doing more to turn it into muscle and actually tone myself a bit.
It's a thing for me to do throughout 2014 I think.
I find simply lifting weights gets too boring and I lose interest. At a bouldering gym there are constantly new problems to work on. There is also a nice community/vibe to go with it which is great if you work alone from home.
It's definitely expensive though!
I find it hardly boring when I actually lift. I mean, if it's hard (as it's supposed to be), I may be overexerting, but I'm certainly not bored. I also found that bringing a book to read in between the sets helps a lot - before I had been just lounging around the gym for 3-4 minutes every time after doing a set (that was a bit boring).
I also found that for me, lifting is a great complimentary exercise to do in the evening (shortly before going to bed), while the main exercise of the day should be some kind of a cardio workout/sport.
There is also a gym 2 minutes down the road, that I've never thought about. Again, that's something else I could do which would be cheaper. I'd need someone to spot me lifting because I'm a "pussy" as my mates call me haha.
I don't call it exercise because it's all a lot of fun
It was definitely a challenge, but I am now able to get through the workouts, feel great after and constantly look forward to the next one. I feel better than I have in years. I wish I had done something sooner, but it was admitting that I can't stay self motivated for long periods that finally caused me to seek out a group/instructor led program.
For exercise I look for things like marathons or ultimate frisbee occasions to practice for.
Actually, I don't count them as exercise either. They're for fun.
I guess I just try to lead an active lifestyle.
there's no 'correct' intensity - just like there's no 'correct' frequency - just depends on the athlete's goals.
what's clear tho, is at the edges of performance, there are gonna be trade-offs between highly frequent and highly intense training - unless you're a pro athlete, of course
for the large majority of peeps, i guess this distinction doesn't really matter, but since hn is about optimizing at the edges, i figured i'd mention!
obviously a casual gym go-er doesn't have to think much about that, but i just thought i'd point out that it is possible to train intensely every day and also have a day job. i compete as a bodybuilder and work full time in software development.
that said, you train hard every day? respect, but jesus, better you than me ;)
http://blog.sanriotown.com/minusworld:hellokitty.com/2011/06...
If you have Wii Fit U, you can find me on the miiverse as user "smt-ddr" in the daily-gym community!
And before anyone says wii Fit is a joke; note that I lost nearly 40lbs doing this. But it took discipline and I do the more intense exercises rather than the light & playful things like hula-hoop.
My exercise is mainly running, but I do like to swim every now & then. I guess swimming indoors is better suited for the winter period here in the Netherlands. I hate the cold. In the summer I love to run 2-3x a week in the greener areas of my city.
Before that it was 2 days of running, 1 field hockey training and 1 field hockey match a week.
Every day 2 x 20 push-ups, immediately when I am out of bed, or going to bed, it's part of my routine since half a year now.
Running clears my mind of things, it feels great to finish and improve your timing, plus you get out. Fieldhockey is mostly a social activity for me, but besides that it feels good to play (and win ;) matches with your team.
Snowshoeing is hiking on snow. Big fun, I love it.
Just started back into using the gym at work to go for a run twice a week (starting at 20 minutes, building up to doing a 10k twice a week).
Even days with no specific exercise involve a long walk or other activity with my 4-year-old (lugging her about is quite a good upper body workout!)
(Ignoring the debate about the suitability of BMI for everyone...) My BMI is currently over 30 (92kg, 1.73cm) but I'm quite stockily built and haven't seen it below 25 (76kg) since my teens, not even when I was running cross country half marathons and doing lots of long-distance cycling (rides of 200km+). It's crept up as I'm eating too much and drinking a bit too much. Aiming to get back to 76kg; at a steady/sensible 0.5kg a week that's 30 odd weeks; done it before, it's not tricky. I find the bit from 85kg to 76kg much easier than the first bit from 92kg to 85kg; running is much more unenjoyable (I dislike it at the best of times) when heavier.
I lurch between years of lots of exercise and fallow years, 2014 should be a good year.
There is a bench at the work gym but there's rarely anyone else around when I use it so I'd be wary of doing anything but light weights; with no-one to spot for me I'm not going to try to get back to benching something near my own weight.
But, as I said, a 17kg 4-year-old is a semi-resonable substitute for proper lifting.
i just joined a crossfit ( like today ) but that's cuz the gym I wented to was loud and had broken machines.
coding requires sitting in front of a computer... and coding. my job is far away from my gym. all these things make it difficult to move around on a regular basis.
For example your bodies thermoregulation system has not evolved to understand clothing, so when its 0F out and you're snowshoeing if you sweat and soak your clothes you'll more or less promptly die of hypothermia, or at least its going to really suck. So do my couple mile snowshoe hikes count if I carefully never break a sweat? If I knock back 2+ miles walking after lunch and dinner (only takes 45 mins or so each time) is that real exercise or not? It adds up to a marathon or so every week, its not like I'm only walking to the vending machine or something.
But now it's winter so snowboarding has kicked in so I hit Tahoe on the weekends.
I am not a fan of the "fad" diets or diets that have "claims." Throughout the years, I have found that balance in life facilitates happiness/mindfulness.
I have found that my body feels best, when it has good rest, good food, and has been active. Those are subjective to each person and their current state of health.
I have a few tips for anyone looking to live a bit healthier. These are from my experiences.
Exercise is important. But, the opposite is just as important, rest. I used to run at least 5 miles every morning, and sometimes run again in evening. I found that I was increasingly tired, and anxious. Rest days are important, and so is sleep in general. Listen to your body.
Throughout the years, I have found that my body responds best to a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. I used to lean 75% aerobic and 25% anaerobic, but today its more like 35% aerobic and 65% anaerobic.
Learn proper techniques in everything. Food intake and exercise have direct impact on your well being, there is no reason to injure oneself.
Do not compare your physical fitness to others.
Set goals. I find that achieving success, whatever you deem that to be, is just a series of steps done in a linear progression.
I like to keep calendar/alarms to remind me to eat properly and exercise. For example, right now, during the holidays. I made sure to have cardio built into my week, otherwise it gets pushed aside.
Feel free to give feedback or advice.
Certainly great in terms of workout, although fairly high risk of injuries tbh