

Ask HN: Why is it so difficult to achieve a fitness habit? - pabloarteel


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FlopV
Chances are you're showing up to the gym without a clear intention of why
you're there and what you're doing there. Do you have a plan to follow? Do you
have goals you are working towards and a way to measure you're progress?

Don't fly blind. Make a plan, execute on that plan. Make short term goals you
can achieve to get you towards a bigger achievement. Work towards something,
make a plan that can get you there. It's not a habit its a journey to an
achievement of some kind (running a mile under 6 minutes, benching 225,
completing a race, losing a few inches on your gut).

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ohnoesmyscv
Habits are easier to form if the person somehow derives a sense of enjoyment
from it, or if there isnt too large of an obstacle, or if it's subconscious.
Even if you live next to a gym, going there means making the effort to change
to gym clothes, break from your usual routine and take time off - time that
you couldve used watching tv for example.

What would help is if the act of going to gym does not void you of your usual
joys. For example, if you were to watch a tv show, watch it at the gym while
you're working out. Like hanging out with friends? Bring one to the gym with
you.

~~~
joshschreuder
Good point. I found that changing what I was doing was a massive help. For
instance, I don't enjoy running, so I started reading up on Stronglifts /
Starting Strength and got into weight training. I log what I do on Fitocracy
to track personal bests as I tend to get addicted to quantified life type
stuff.

Replace weights with sports (especially group sports where you are accountable
to others), cycling, running or whatever you enjoy.

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byoung2
For me the hardest part was just getting started. I had been putting off going
to the gym for years. Every few years I'd sign up for a membership and then
never end up going. I'd be too busy, too tired, you name it. Then 6 months ago
I just walked into the gym and hired a personal trainer on the spot. I've been
working out 3-4 times a week since. Now it feels weird if I miss a day. So far
I've lost 35 pounds, 6 inches from my waist, and my bodyfat % is down from 26%
to 21%. The hardest part was just walking into the gym that first day.

~~~
jzwinck
It sounds like part of it was also hiring a trainer. Many people seem to
experience something like that: without a social component, like someone to
encourage you, you don't bother. But a trainer, or a partner, or an opponent
can easily keep you on track--even if they don't really "do" anything other
than make you show up.

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juleska
First, sorry for my bad english.

It's because working out is againts the human race, we will "crafted" in a
time that se haven't nothing, in a misery age back then and we were built to
livre, which means that tour body will work to keep you alive. You will never
see a Lion for example running to loose his belly fat, animals just spend
energy for 3 things: food, sex and running from a predator, basicaly.

So, to achieve this habit, you have to have a "military" willing, because your
nature will always fight against you.

------
pizza
Ever been like, "Damn, I'm going through this bag of chips really quickly",
made a mental effort to eat a little slower, and still continue to eat at the
same rate? If so, it's probably because you held the bag of chips in your
hands.

Now, if you were sitting at a table or something, and perhaps put the bag of
chips under the table, you'd have to make a little more effort to get the
chips (reach under the table, extend arms and so on) and you'd most likely eat
a little slower.

My theory is that habit-space is hyperbolic (close is close, far is v. far,
etc.). So perhaps if you had a fitness habit that was easy to keep up wherever
you spend most of your time, it would become easier.

Am I out of mistaken in presuming that you don't have a way to achieve your
habit from within your household? Maybe that could be a way to start.

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pabloarteel
When we are deciding whether or not to exercise, we use a present-biased
mentality. We don't see big short-term benefits (although there are), and
definitely don't see short-term costs of not going. (It's easier to stay in
the couch than going to the gym).

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companyhen
My co-worker started taking me after work 3-4 days a week and after a couple
months it became a habit. Feels weird when I don't go now. Before, I had no
clue about a routine, but thanks to him I developed a good one.

Mon and Th I will do Chest and Shoulders Tue and Fri I will do Back and Legs

If I only go M-W-F, I'll hit everything each day (called Starting Strength)
with Bench (flat and incline), Squats, and Deadlifts.. among a few other
things depending on what parts I want to work on.

r/gainit on reddit was also a helpful place for me, as I am one of those
people with a super fast metabolism and have a hard time gaining weight.

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sgdesign
It's difficult _for you_.

This means there are specific, identifiable factors in your life that make it
harder for you to exercise. Maybe you live far from a gym, or you don't have
time during the week, or you have back pain that prevents you from exercising.

My point is that you're not going to do any progress until you make concrete
changes based on your own specific situation.

So I guess my answer would be that it's hard because most people think it's a
matter of motivation and self-control, whereas small, practical changes to
your environment (for example, buying a bike) are actually much more
effective.

~~~
ferrari8608
Can you give some more examples on productive environmental changes? In my
personal experience, it really seems like what makes me stop working out after
a few days or a month is simply lack of motivation.

~~~
jzwinck
Move so that your home and office are 20 minutes apart by walking. You will
walk to and from work, guaranteed, because it's the most efficient of time in
that scenario. Maybe even 30 minutes, but beyond that most people will fall
back to driving or taking mass transit.

When you plan vacations, decide to only go to places where you will be active.
Walk, swim, hike, surf, bike, whatever. Don't go on a cruise. Don't go
somewhere just because it has good food and shopping. Go somewhere where
exercise will be inevitable, part of the experience. If you do this four weeks
a year, it makes a difference.

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kyllo
Exercising is difficult because you're doing it for fitness, not enjoying the
act of exercising itself.

Play a sport instead, that way you get exercise and the time passes much more
quickly because it's fun.

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nicholas73
A fitness habit is unnatural. We are not designed to be motivated by exercise,
but by goals, fun, necessity. So, to keep up a "workout" routine is something
that takes serious discipline. It is the hard way.

When I was younger and had more time, I had a body you could put a muscle
chart on (I did grappling sports). Yet, I'm terrible about actually going to a
gym, and I eat whatever I want. I simply did what I had fun doing, was
motivated by competing with others, and that was also intellectually
interesting to me.

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mingusdew
For me its difficult to quit. If I don't do any moderate/intense physical
activity for a day, I become unbelievably restless and all I can think about
is going on that next run or hitting the gym.

Basically its just another habit you need to do consistently if you want to be
able to stick with it long term.

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HarryPPotter
Because lacking such a habit is not a problem. People tend to focus on and
solve problem because they are comfortable when spotting the cause of problem
and then solving it.

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zacoder
Because you lack discipline. You never learned to accept pain and effort now
for a valuable gain in the future. You're chasing pleasure and trying to avoid
pain. And you're simply living in the present, satisfying every random whim
and craving.

Every good thing in your life comes at a price. You may not see it yet, but
there are no freebies. If you want a fitness habit, you need to pay for it
with time and effort. There are no magic solutions. You simply need to force
yourself to suffer. Embrace the pain. If you're not feeling like you're dying,
you're doing it wrong.

Go do 10 push-ups right now. Get up from your chair and do them. There is
nothing really stopping you. Only the excuses you make for yourself.

~~~
coralreef
Discipline is only a small part of the answer and IMO the wrong place to start
with, especially for people who have never had good fitness habits. You can
only begrudgingly force yourself to do difficult tasks for so long. That's why
fitness gyms see big influxes during the new year and then traffic dies off a
month later. It's not necessarily that people aren't disciplined, its that
they're bored.

What's more important is finding activities that are naturally motivating and
fun to do. These habits are far easier to build when they are more rewarding.
Rock climbing, squash, swimming, martial arts. If its fun, then you WANT to go
more often. You actually think about improving your skills. And then you
naturally build discipline because the cost of missing out becomes more
expensive to you.

~~~
zacoder
I know you love talking out of your ass. But if you ever decide to push
yourself for more than two months, you will understand that a fitness habit
never feels forced. You will chase it in an active manner because you will
love it.

Ask any fit or sporty individual you know. They don't do it because they have
to. They do it because they want to.

The boredom you mentioned is natural. Everybody gets it at the exact same
strength and at the exact same moments. The difference is that some people are
disciplined enough to continue and burn through it. And only then you get to
see the fun and enjoyment part.

Discipline is king. With anything else you're just lying to yourself. Nobody
will create the perfect environment for you to be comfortable with physical
effort. You're the one that has to do it.

~~~
coralreef
Thanks for this reply, now I know not to waste any more time with you. You
clearly know everything. Best of luck.

~~~
zacoder
I'm afraid that you misunderstood. I was the one wasting time with you. You're
clearly having a problem with maintaining a fitness habit. Don't blame me if
don't like the reality. I'm just giving you the cold hard truth everybody else
tries to sugarcoat.

~~~
coralreef
Heh, you don't know me, and I don't have a fitness problem. I spent two months
this year fighting and training muay thai in Bangkok. That includes waking up
at 5:30am and running 6k before padwork/bagwork/sparring, and then training
again in the afternoon. That's the lazy fighters regimen, pro fighters are
required to run twice that. At home I train 4-5 days a week. My vacation is
literally going to Thailand for fight camps.

You know how I know you're full of it? Its the bullshitter's law: the amount
of knowledge a person has is inversely related to how well they claim to know
a topic.

Since you already know everything about motivation and achievement, there's
nothing for me to discuss here with you. Everyone is weak and stupid except
for you.

~~~
zacoder
And in all of that training discipline is a small part? Who is the bullshitter
now?

~~~
coralreef
_Discipline is only a small part of the answer and IMO the wrong place to
start with, especially for people who have never had good fitness habits._

 _What 's more important is finding activities that are naturally motivating
and fun to do. These habits are far easier to build when they are more
rewarding._

 _And then you naturally build discipline because the cost of missing out
becomes more expensive to you._

