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My 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 p

My 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. Instead, I choose to integrate exercise into my lifestyle rather than go out of my way to do it. Serious gym rats will scoff at me, but it's far more satisfying to carry a 10-kg watermelon home from the supermarket 3 km away. It's also a lot easier when the exercise is compulsory. Twice a day I pass through 1.5 km of hilly terrain to reach my bus stop, and the panoramic view of the city along the way is certainly a nice bonus.

jamesjyu 16y ago
Try a sport! I too hate treadmills and lifting weights -- it's just dreadfully boring. However, if you pick up a sport, you can hone your coordination skills and progress to become a better player. I find that it's much more motivating when you're competing with people. And, I feel much better knowing that I am acquiring a useful skill that can be measured against in competition. Personally, I play competitive table tennis (very unlike garage ping pong). What's good is that you can actually do this inside, and, it's cheap to play at clubs. It's also a sport that keeps your mind sharp. I even wrote a whole article about why I think it's a great hacker sport: http://jamesyu.org/2009/01/11/why-table-tennis-is-a-great-hacker-sport/ http://jamesyu.org/2009/01/11/why-table-tennis-is-a-great-ha...
- jamesaguilar 16y ago
  I want to echo your advice. I recently started playing a combat sport after a few years of not really exercising. I have no illusions about its likely effectiveness in a real fight (not much), but since I don't plan on getting in a real fight that doesn't matter. It is fun and interesting compared to other forms of exercise I've tried, and it definitely helps me get my cardio up. There are a couple other benefits too: when you are paying $150 a month for the class sessions, you show up. And it's easier to keep going with an instructor there pushing you than by yourself. There's also no team depending on you to be good, so there's not the same kind of pressure to perform. For someone like me whose self-control and discipline are perhaps below average, these benefits are no small issue. I didn't start doing this to be a better worker; my primary motivation was vanity. But anecdotally, I have noticed that my productivity level has been somewhat elevated in the month since I started doing it. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I have to leave work at exactly six PM every day, giving me a solid deadline for whatever I want to accomplish in a day, or if it's the exercise itself. Heck, it could be a mix. But as far as I've seen so far I would definitely recommend it.
  - jamii 16y ago
    Martial arts have an extra motivation bonus as well. You're much less likely to give up and stop moving when your opponent is still trying to hit you.
- jpr 16y ago
  Treadmills suck of course, if you are on treadmill, you could more easily and cheaply just go outside to walk/jog/run and get some fresh air while you're at it. But I disagree on "lifting weights". I suppose that most people don't see it as a sport, which "lifting weights" isn't, granted. But things like powerlifting, olympic weightlifting, strongman competitions are sports, which require coordination, skills and progress to become better at them. And they can be very satisfying since they are so easily measurable. I still remember the first time I dead-lifted twice my body-weight. Feels good man.
  - cfb 16y ago
    I strongly disagree. While I prefer cycling or running to a stationary bike or threadmill, I can use the latter without worrying about the hazards of traffic or terrain when I'm exhausted after a long day of work. I've hurt my ankle too often while running in nature absent-mindedly.
- icegreentea 16y ago
  The best part when you pick up a sport is that it'll often make treadmills and lifting weights less boring. Once you realize "this hunk of iron I'm moving will let me throw further" or "this moving platform lets me play longer", then you'll have a much better time doing that stuff. If your looking for sports, many cities have adult social/recreational sports clubs. I know Toronto has several. And if you don't know any sports, dodgeball is always fun! Just keep moving the whole time. Apologies to anyone to whom dodge ball is linked to poor physed memories.
usaar333 16y ago
I find that biking works well if you get bored of exercising for only exercise sakes. 1) Commute with it rather than taking a car or bus 2) Explore the neighborhood / local trails /etc with it.
sliverstorm 16y ago
I used to think EXACTLY like you. I'm not kidding, exactly. A friend got me into the gym, and it turns out it's a hell of a lot different than I thought. Lifting 10-lb dumbbells forever will make your brain go numb, but if you boost the weight up to the point you can only do 3x5 or 5x5 (3 or 5 sets of 5), the weight becomes the purpose. I don't know how to put it better than that- once you're halfway through a rep, you have to devote all your ability to getting the damn thing back in the air. The first 1-2 trips will not be very exciting because you'll be learning technique and starting with low weights so as not to overshoot your abilities, but give it a shot and stick it out for 2-3 weeks, and see how it goes. (It will get to the point where you don't want to go or you don't want to do the next set because it's hard- but that is easier to get past than the frustration with pointless menial labor) http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra... p.s. as noted in the article, the gym is not quite the same as exercise, but this was in response to your specific point.
- gonzo 16y ago
  first 1-2 trips? Heck, I go 3X/week, and the first 1-2 months weren't very exciting. but now I look forward to every session. I'm still in the 'rapid gains' part of the curve. (And I'm 48.)
megablast 16y ago
So you buy a watermelon every day? No. That is the problem with your method, you really should be doing something every day. And if you are not sweating, it is not exercise. Make as many excuses as you want, lots of people do, but you will feel better if you do actually exercise.
brown9-2 16y ago
Do you have any sort of physical or fitness-related goals you could set for yourself for your exercise? Working towards a goal makes all the difference. A goal could be anything from training to run a 5K, a marathon, being able to squat your body weight, be able to do five pull-ups, lose 10 pounds etc...
sga 16y ago
I love lifting weights. Particularly the lack of thought and physicality that is required. It's a tremendous break from my norm.
- gonzo 16y ago
  'lack of thought'? I find weight-lifting at least 1/3 'mental'. More mind: more recruitment.
grammaton 16y ago
"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.
rjurney 16y ago
That is why I started surfing. Nothing motivates you to max your heart rate than another set coming that will put you through a spin cycle if you don't get back outside the impact zone before it arrives. It has to be a part of your life.
- gonzo 16y ago
  there is always the option of not returning through the break.
  - rjurney 16y ago
    When you're in the impact zone, returning that way can be pretty unpleasant. But yeah - its the fun that compels you to keep going.

jamesjyu 16y ago

Try a sport! I too hate treadmills and lifting weights -- it's just dreadfully boring. However, if you pick up a sport, you can hone your coordination skills and progress to become a better player. I find that it's much more motivating when you're competing with people. And, I feel much better knowing that I am acquiring a useful skill that can be measured against in competition. Personally, I play competitive table tennis (very unlike garage ping pong). What's good is that you can actually do this inside, and, it's cheap to play at clubs. It's also a sport that keeps your mind sharp. I even wrote a whole article about why I think it's a great hacker sport: http://jamesyu.org/2009/01/11/why-table-tennis-is-a-great-hacker-sport/ http://jamesyu.org/2009/01/11/why-table-tennis-is-a-great-ha...

jamesaguilar 16y ago
I want to echo your advice. I recently started playing a combat sport after a few years of not really exercising. I have no illusions about its likely effectiveness in a real fight (not much), but since I don't plan on getting in a real fight that doesn't matter. It is fun and interesting compared to other forms of exercise I've tried, and it definitely helps me get my cardio up. There are a couple other benefits too: when you are paying $150 a month for the class sessions, you show up. And it's easier to keep going with an instructor there pushing you than by yourself. There's also no team depending on you to be good, so there's not the same kind of pressure to perform. For someone like me whose self-control and discipline are perhaps below average, these benefits are no small issue. I didn't start doing this to be a better worker; my primary motivation was vanity. But anecdotally, I have noticed that my productivity level has been somewhat elevated in the month since I started doing it. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I have to leave work at exactly six PM every day, giving me a solid deadline for whatever I want to accomplish in a day, or if it's the exercise itself. Heck, it could be a mix. But as far as I've seen so far I would definitely recommend it.
- jamii 16y ago
  Martial arts have an extra motivation bonus as well. You're much less likely to give up and stop moving when your opponent is still trying to hit you.
jpr 16y ago
Treadmills suck of course, if you are on treadmill, you could more easily and cheaply just go outside to walk/jog/run and get some fresh air while you're at it. But I disagree on "lifting weights". I suppose that most people don't see it as a sport, which "lifting weights" isn't, granted. But things like powerlifting, olympic weightlifting, strongman competitions are sports, which require coordination, skills and progress to become better at them. And they can be very satisfying since they are so easily measurable. I still remember the first time I dead-lifted twice my body-weight. Feels good man.
- cfb 16y ago
  I strongly disagree. While I prefer cycling or running to a stationary bike or threadmill, I can use the latter without worrying about the hazards of traffic or terrain when I'm exhausted after a long day of work. I've hurt my ankle too often while running in nature absent-mindedly.
icegreentea 16y ago
The best part when you pick up a sport is that it'll often make treadmills and lifting weights less boring. Once you realize "this hunk of iron I'm moving will let me throw further" or "this moving platform lets me play longer", then you'll have a much better time doing that stuff. If your looking for sports, many cities have adult social/recreational sports clubs. I know Toronto has several. And if you don't know any sports, dodgeball is always fun! Just keep moving the whole time. Apologies to anyone to whom dodge ball is linked to poor physed memories.

usaar333 16y ago

I find that biking works well if you get bored of exercising for only exercise sakes. 1) Commute with it rather than taking a car or bus 2) Explore the neighborhood / local trails /etc with it.

sliverstorm 16y ago

I used to think EXACTLY like you. I'm not kidding, exactly. A friend got me into the gym, and it turns out it's a hell of a lot different than I thought. Lifting 10-lb dumbbells forever will make your brain go numb, but if you boost the weight up to the point you can only do 3x5 or 5x5 (3 or 5 sets of 5), the weight becomes the purpose. I don't know how to put it better than that- once you're halfway through a rep, you have to devote all your ability to getting the damn thing back in the air. The first 1-2 trips will not be very exciting because you'll be learning technique and starting with low weights so as not to overshoot your abilities, but give it a shot and stick it out for 2-3 weeks, and see how it goes. (It will get to the point where you don't want to go or you don't want to do the next set because it's hard- but that is easier to get past than the frustration with pointless menial labor) http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra... p.s. as noted in the article, the gym is not quite the same as exercise, but this was in response to your specific point.

gonzo 16y ago
first 1-2 trips? Heck, I go 3X/week, and the first 1-2 months weren't very exciting. but now I look forward to every session. I'm still in the 'rapid gains' part of the curve. (And I'm 48.)

megablast 16y ago

So you buy a watermelon every day? No. That is the problem with your method, you really should be doing something every day. And if you are not sweating, it is not exercise. Make as many excuses as you want, lots of people do, but you will feel better if you do actually exercise.

brown9-2 16y ago

Do you have any sort of physical or fitness-related goals you could set for yourself for your exercise? Working towards a goal makes all the difference. A goal could be anything from training to run a 5K, a marathon, being able to squat your body weight, be able to do five pull-ups, lose 10 pounds etc...

sga 16y ago

I love lifting weights. Particularly the lack of thought and physicality that is required. It's a tremendous break from my norm.

gonzo 16y ago
'lack of thought'? I find weight-lifting at least 1/3 'mental'. More mind: more recruitment.

grammaton 16y ago

"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.

rjurney 16y ago

That is why I started surfing. Nothing motivates you to max your heart rate than another set coming that will put you through a spin cycle if you don't get back outside the impact zone before it arrives. It has to be a part of your life.

gonzo 16y ago
there is always the option of not returning through the break.
- rjurney 16y ago
  When you're in the impact zone, returning that way can be pretty unpleasant. But yeah - its the fun that compels you to keep going.