How Working Out Makes Us Better Entrepreneurs

http://www.derekflanzraich.com/2011/06/how-working-out-makes-better-entrepreneurs/

by jasonshen • 15 years ago

62 43 15 years ago

tomjen33• 15 years ago

I am not quite sure why these links keep getting posted - it is pretty well known by now that exercise is good for you in a number of ways, what those ways are, etc.

And no, you are not going to convince me to exercise before some routine is invented that:

Takes no time at all (literally: 0 Seconds, not "really quick if you are already in great shape") Doesn't make me sweat

Personally I am holding out for the pill that will give the same effects to my body as exercise does (it is all just chemicals, anyway).

zheng• 15 years ago

Just out of curiosity, what have you done in your life to make you so against exercise?

tomjen33• 15 years ago

I tried it, (ten kilometer commute on a bicycle) and a month after I stopped it I was back to what I had been previously. Nothing gained.

Whereas if I learn a new technique, read an interesting article or write some code it is still there half a year later.

sixtofour2• 15 years ago

It's helpful for some people to see the same message multiple times in different ways. This particular message (exercise for brain and stamina improvements) is relevant to a crowd of sedentary brain workers.

Not everyone's HN history is as long as yours or others', so it's helpful to newcomers to see relevant posts and ideas that may have appeared before.

Not everyone has analyzed the world as completely as you or others, and could use a little nudge forward in many areas.

brianmwang• 15 years ago

I'm genuinely curious to hear why you're so obstinate in your refusal to exercise.

jasonshen• 15 years ago

I think the benefits of exercising a few times a week on your productivity, health and happiness massively outweigh the time loss of several hours + the discomfort of being sweaty.

sixtofour2• 15 years ago

"It is all just chemicals."

No, it's not. Your body has evolved with a set of chemical requirements managed by physical processes. Until the day comes when we can be just brains floating in jars, we must attend to the entire set of physical processes that manage our chemical requirements. The uptake, management and production of chemicals depends on an efficient and healthy physical body. No pill will change that.

Even if such a pill is invented one day, that day is not today. You're dragging your body around behind your brain all day long, it may as well be healthy (which means more than not sick) and not a burden.

Besides, there's joy to be found in fitness. I was a slug my whole life, did almost nothing. I started CrossFit a couple years ago, and it was really hard, but it got easier and my health and capability grew. I knew my enjoyment of the world had changed for the better the day I outlasted my thirteen year old son playing frisbee.

That pill you're holding out for probably won't be invented before you die. It may never be invented, because it's more profitable for Big Pharma to treat problems than cure or prevent them. Do you want to be the 70 year old that's rolling through the super market in a motorized wheel chair, or the one that you see in your neighborhood every day taking a brisk walk?

lsc5• 15 years ago

Personally, I work out while watching movies, so if you plan on spending some time watching movies outside of a theater, this ends up taking almost zero additional seconds. I mean, I still need to take a shower, but the majority of the time can come out of the entertainment budget.

I personally enjoy embarrassingly stupid action movies, and I think that running (or elipticaling or pedaling or stair climbing or rowing) while watching both improves the enjoyment of the steroid-fueled cheesefest and the enjoyment of the exercise.

On the other hand, I'm still fat, so maybe I'm doing it wrong. Most likely, though, it's just that I've only been at it a few months and I'm still not eating right.

itswindy2• 15 years ago

same here. That's the only way I can stay on the treadmill for 45+ minutes.

scythe2• 15 years ago

>Personally I am holding out for the pill that will give the same effects to my body as exercise does (it is all just chemicals, anyway).

Some of those chemical reactions likely depend on the fluid dynamics of heavy exercise -- lots of blood flow (I'd almost call this a given) and tension in muscle tissue.

mattdeboard2• 15 years ago

What scythe is saying, take Viagra for increased blood flow in conjunction with some adderall for the muscle tension. (I kid.)

flocial2• 15 years ago

I don't mind seeing these articles. We know exercise is good for us but it's not easy maintaining motivation and consistency. I'd like to see a follow-up on the psychology to accomplish that, how to hack your motivation to exercise.

One inspiration is Marc Jacob. He transformed his body, self-image, and business dramatically with fitness.

tomjen33• 15 years ago

I agree, that would have been an interesting article to read.

quinndupont• 15 years ago

Meditation is also well known to increase mental acuity.

lsc5• 15 years ago

I dono. I believed this in high school when I practiced meditation regularly. I think I even compared it's effects to exercise, but I believed a lot of things in high school that I now consider silly and/or obviously untrue. Do you have credible citations?

KeyBoardG• 15 years ago

I've always been a big supporter of a fit body = a fit mind either entrepreneurial or otherwise. I've solved many software issues running around a lake in the evenings.

bonch3• 15 years ago

What's with all the entrepreneur and startup articles? I thought this was Hacker News, not Yuppie News.

daveungerer• 15 years ago

This site used to be known as Startup News, a long time ago. It's also hosted on a sub-domain of a company that funds startups.

bonch3• 15 years ago

Paul Graham

14 August 2007

As of today we've expanded the focus of news.ycombinator.com from news about startups to news interesting to hackers generally. To reflect that we've changed the name to Hacker News.

vailripper• 15 years ago

I do Crossfit every day. It's quick (a "long" workout might be 20 minutes) and it works. You're always working out with others, who are there to push you and support you. It's incredibly gratifying to accomplish something you've been working towards. And like the article says, you get a nice energy boost.

mattdeboard2• 15 years ago

Amen. I did crossfit for ~1.5 years, stopping last summer when I got out of the Marine Corps. Though I can no longer afford a CF gym membership, I've started getting back into "CrossFit-style" workouts.

Does wonders for my motivation levels and productivity.

How Working Out Makes Us Better Entrepreneurs

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