Ask HN: When do you exercise?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2149681

by mcantor • 15 years ago

10 15 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

(Inspired by the "Fitness for Geeks" thread.)

Hi HN!

I am out of shape.

I am less out of shape than I was 3 years ago, because I have dabbled in everything from fencing to P90x. Consistency is my most formidable bugbear, and I am trying to figure out what is stopping me from achieving it.

When I plan my days or weeks, scheduling has been very difficult, and I'm interested to see how the fit hackers out there have handled it, particularly those of you who have 9-to-5's (or similar) like me.

I have tried exercising before work, immediately after work, and in the evenings. Each has had its own roadblocks:

Getting up early worked well, but I am a night person. Trust me, I have tried it all: consistent wake-up times, quitting caffeine, UV light bulbs, redundant alarm systems. If you can suggest a way to make it stick, please do.

Exercising immediately after my day job is tough. I get home anywhere between 5:30 and 7:30PM; when I get home, I often feel like drawing/painting or coding, and it feels counterproductive to sacrifice creative productivity (a goal that is just as important to me), even in the name of fitness. Also, if I want to do anything social and still get to bed at a reasonable time, then exercising for a significant duration is tough to sneak in before I go, and impossible if I get home from work too late.

Finally, nights are a problem because I sometimes have trouble sleeping too soon after I exercise, and it's much more difficult to muster the energy when winding down after a long day.

When do you work out? How is your free time structured, and how much of it do you have? Is there anything you did, or read, or saw, that worked extremely well or very poorly for you?

P.S. - I am aware that the best solution is to "just do it". However, I have been attempting to "just do it" for the last 3 years. I am also aware that there is no try, only do. However, I currently appear to be unable to "just do it", and my intention in posting this question is to see how other people curated their environments and daily routines in such a way that they were more likely to be consistent. Balancing a day job, ambitious personal projects, personal fitness and a social life is very difficult; we need all the information we can get.

mbesto• 15 years ago

At lunch. 12:30-1:30. Tell your boss that it's necessary for you to work and if he refuses just do it anyway...trust me it will help both you and him/her in the long run.

ZeroGravitas• 15 years ago

Cycle commute.

briandoll• 15 years ago

5:15 AM. I have never been a morning person, but I have two kids and a job I commute an hour to and from, so this is the only time that works for me.

As to your problem of not being able to get up: try doing something in a group setting, no solo. My Crossfit gym has a 5:15 AM class, so I know that when my alarm goes off, there are a dozen or more people also waking up to head to that same class. I'm closer with my Crossfit community than many of my friends. Not showing up feels terrible and I've never regretted a single workout.

avstraliitski• 15 years ago

Cycle to/from work, preferably with some mountains in between.

Swim laps (it's faster than you think, and meditative too).

Use your weekends to socially exercise (kayak, rock climb, ski, whatever!)

Work one less day a week (I just had this approved, I am over the top about it!) and use that extra time to improve your health, lifestyle and happiness in ways that money cannot.

atgm• 15 years ago

I walk absolutely everywhere I can to make up for not exercising; if I find myself with an empty evening, I force myself to walk an hour down the mountain to the grocery store instead of taking my bike or sitting around at home in front of my computer. It's terrible and I hate it, but about 10 minutes into my walk, I realize it's actually giving me time to think and literally appreciate the scenery.

I also do the 100 push-ups program after work; it's literally 5-8 minutes, so even if I feel like skipping it, I just tell myself "Hey, it's just five minutes of your time. Skip hitting F5 on all of those sites and just do it."

The best tip I can offer is to find something that suits your personality. It sounds like you feel stretched for time, so maybe you should find a quick workout, or even a quick stretching routine. Start small] five minutes three times a week, then expand once you're in the habit.

As far as sleeping... it's a lot like jet lag, in my experience -- it takes at least a month, if not more for your body to not only switch to begin tired/awake at all of those times, but also to switch a lot of other things over (for example, bowel movements?) so that you feel more comfortable waking up at those times. All I can suggest is to try it for at least two months without breaking your habit for any reason. Go to bed early, wake up early... give yourself something nice to look forward to every morning.

Best of luck!

dstik• 15 years ago

I think of exercising as a necessity in my life and make time for it as such; similar to how you're able to brush your teeth everyday - make time for it. Prioritize it and don't compromise - I promise as you get into the routine it gets easier.

I also can't wake up early (I've tried morning workouts too), I used to work out immediately after work. Find a gym close to work, it will help avoid the traffic from your commute home. I now work out at lunch, typically it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes (don't forget to shower or your coworkers will hate you).

You might also be able to motivate yourself with Jerry Seinfeld's "Don't Break the Chain" method: http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-se...

Strive for 5 days a week (this makes it easy to workout on work days and frees up your weekends), I like to do them in order but balance them as you choose. If you miss a day don't stress, just don't let it break your stride. Also, ease into it, don't try to "hulk-out" your first week and go crazy.. you don't have to prove anything to anyone, remember: you're doing this for yourself. (It's also okay to ask people in the gym for suggestions, advice, and for help - most people don't mind).

Hope this helps!

limedaring• 15 years ago

Lunch break — gives you a break from the job and you can be active for (hopefully) around an hour. I would eat lunch at my desk around 11:30 or would eat after the gym (again, at my desk) in order to fit in some exercise.

If I couldn't hit the gym, I'd take 10 minute breaks from work and walk around outside, taking a break halfway through for pushups/squats/lunges/etc. I also experimented with running outside the gym but it was hard working afterwards when I was sweaty without a shower :)

If that doesn't work for you, if I always carved out a time in the evenings to work out and stuck with it, it worked pretty well. Doesn't have to be huge — do a crossfit like uber workout for 30 minutes.

Good luck!

dsawler• 15 years ago

If you cannot wake up before work to work out, you cannot motivate yourself to work out after work, you cannot find time to set aside time during the day to work out -- then your goals aren't important to you. Let me explain. If you genuinely like what you're doing, your routine, then you'll do it.

For example, I absolutely love my new gymnastics routine. I want to do it on my rest days because I find it so much fun. I even love setting up my schedule. However, I dread the days when I have to do Plyo X from P90X or a workout form the Insanity set. So, what happens? I slack off, I don't do them, I make excuses.

In short, find a goal and a routine to reach that goal, and you'll have the motivation and make the time.

maxdemarzi• 15 years ago

I bought (but haven't received) an exercise bike with a small desk big enough for a laptop, so I could theoretically work and work out at the same time.

Now I haven't received it, much less tried it out or battle tested it for a few months... and it was more of a desperation move. But it's here http://www.fitdeskbike.com . If anyone has this and has used it, please chime in.

olegious• 15 years ago

The truth is health is in large part determined by your diet, as for fitness- you don't need to spend hours in the gym. Intensity is more important than time spent- a program like the one mentioned at simplefit.org combined with a paleo like diet (google it) will get you fit and healthy in a minimum amount of time (about 30 minutes per workout, 3 days a week).

NZ_Matt• 15 years ago

Your first step should be to get your diet and gym routine right. In the past you have probably been doing some halfhearted gym routine and not seeing any results. When you start seeing real results the motivation will come easy.

Check out these two links: http://www.liamrosen.com/fitness.html http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness...

psg• 15 years ago

When do you work out? Like yourself, I have had phases where I worked out in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Each has their pros and cons, depending on your other activities.

I get to the gym most often when the rest of my life is "structured". You seem to be looking for the same qualities. Here is what worked for me.

1. Set a specific goal, with an end date. If you have a goal, then you are more likely to work hard to accomplish it. Working out without a goal means it's easier to quit, as you're not working to accomplish anything. Your goal should be specific. Just don't say "I want to be in better shape." Specific goals could be losing a certain amount of weight, completing a set of workout routines (such as P90X), or lifting more weight after a set amount of time.

Also, make sure you time bound the goal.

2. Don't let your job get in the way. My best time to workout has always been the early morning. However, like yourself, I'm also very productive in the morning, so I switched my workout to after work during the winter. To make this work, I have to force myself to leave work by a certain time. Getting home too late leaves me tired and gives me an excuse to not workout.

3. Think about the other 23 hours. I've read that while the 1 hour you workout is tough, you feel better the other 23. This is true.

djb_hackernews• 15 years ago

Don't go home after work. That's a killer right there.

Ideally for me I work out during working hours, sometime between 2-330, when the gym isn't as busy. If not then, then late at night, like after 8-830, for the same reason. I don't go to bed till midnight anyway so I have plenty of time to unwind. And if all else fails I battle the crowds directly after work.

imp• 15 years ago

The morning works out best for me. I consider myself a "night person," but that can easily be changed. Have you read this: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-ea... ?

Also, the fitness subreddit is a great place to talk about this stuff too: http://www.reddit.com/r/fitness

ulisesrmzroche• 15 years ago

I've struggled with the same thing, and I found that the best way to handle this is to find a wingman.

The guilt of flaking on a friend is heavier than that of procrastination, so you're bound to show up to the gym ten minutes late, but hey, at least you showed up.

And you have someone to work out the details with, so there's that as well.

Ask HN: When do you exercise?

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