

Ask HN: Pragmatic Fitness? - jfdi

Hi HN, many of us are basically workaholics and don&#x27;t make time for fitness. Summer&#x27;s around the corner and no time like the present right. For me, there was a time I felt like I was in great shape, but that time&#x27;s long since passed. I&#x27;m starting to get that itch again - yes, to build habits so it&#x27;s built-in, but also to jump start things and get leaned out for summer. Any suggestions out there for getting jump started? Looking to put together a simple, pragmatic plan that ultimately is surprisingly effective without taking too long to begin to see results... The idea being that results re-enforces things are working, which gets the habit machine turning in the right direction. Maybe many of us could benefit from taking a hard look at this side of ourselves, no better time like now. Would love your thoughts, ideas, anything that you know to be effective.
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benologist
I started 2013 with a small exercise routine, initially just a few minutes
every other day. As I got stronger it eventually grew to 30 - 40 minute
sessions mon/wed/fri, still just simple exercises and a pullup bar.

When that became routine I started building positive routines around it,
exercise was just one missing habit, I had plenty others that were missing or
bad, largely because I'm a lot more passionate about my work than many other
things. I elaborated on this just the other day with a morning routine that
prioritizes everything _but_ work [1].

On Elon Musk's most recent AMA someone asked him what his most important daily
habit was, and it was just showering. Makes me rethink the little stuff.

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9095514](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9095514)

[2]
[https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2rgsan/i_am_elon_musk...](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2rgsan/i_am_elon_musk_ceocto_of_a_rocket_company_ama/cnfpv7q)

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Throwaway90283
Few things to keep in mind...

1\. It takes a while to see results. This is something you do for life. Don't
start working out 2 hours a day, get burnt out because you're not looking like
a Greek God by next month, and give up. Your goal isn't to get fit the next
few weeks, it's to turn your life around and to get into a balanced routine.

2\. Find exercises you enjoy. I hate treadmills, I get bored after a few
minutes and I can never stay motivated to use them. However, I enjoy biking, I
can bike for hours in a nearby park, my legs will be burning, and I'll be
having fun. Indoor exercise bikes I don't mind either. The same applies to
weights, I use a few dumbbells and they're alright, but I really enjoy
bodyweight exercises. I've been having a lot of fun with weighted parallel bar
dips, and pullups lately. I see results with them, and look forward to it. My
advice is to try out lots of difference exercises, and pick the ones that feel
right for you, while still covering all the major muscle groups. This is the
difference between going to the gym on a regular basis, and making excuses not
to go. If you hate your workout routine, you're not going to stay motivated.

3\. Work is always there. Until you die, there will always be code to
refactor, bugs to fix, support questions to respond to, features to add, and
higher revenue targets. It doesn't end, you'll never be done. Similar to
exercise, it's a lifetime process, so you need to find balance. Set aside a
day a week, like Sunday, where you don't work at all, you just clean your
house, organize your desk, wash dishes, go shopping, return e-mails to friends
and family, and get everything non-work related finished. Also, do the same
daily, and set aside certain hours for yourself. For example, every evening,
5-8, you spent time exercising, then making a decent dinner. It doesn't matter
what you do, just pick specific hours, and spend it improving yourself.

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fsethi
Below is one of the best articles about the "truth" of exercising I have ever
read.

In sum: Lift. Move. Regularly.

The lifting (building of muscle) is seemingly more important than anything
else.

[https://medium.com/message/put-down-the-pink-
dumbbell-104940...](https://medium.com/message/put-down-the-pink-
dumbbell-1049400ede28)

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gadders
[http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-
ebook/dp/B006XJR5ZA/](http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-
ebook/dp/B006XJR5ZA/)

(that link is taken from the Starting Strength website, so if that is an
affiliate ID on the end it's not mine)

~~~
WaltPurvis
Not an affiliate ID — just an ordinary Amazon sku number.

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FlopV
What I'd recommend depends on what current condition you're in right now.
Leaning out happens more in the kitchen than the weight room though. Without
any idea what you are currently doing (if anything) and what you eat it's
difficult to point you in the right direction.

I'd be happy to help come up with some habits that work for you, feel free to
reach out to me.

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singold
For me, the 7 minute workout was kind of effective. I say kind of, because i
couldnt build the habit, but got some light results in less than a week.

So even if it isnt the most effective it could help you start building the
habit.

~~~
infinii
[http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-
scientific-7-mi...](http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-
scientific-7-minute-workout/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1)

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_august
Take a look at [http://fitloop.co](http://fitloop.co). It's a site I've build
based on the advice on reddit's bodyweight fitness subreddit. It lets you do a
workout from home with minimal equipment, so even if you don't have that much
time you should be able to get started fairly easily.

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jfdi
Thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts down this is awesome, many
great ideas and references here. Started yesterday with a basic gym trip,
stretching, treadmill time, situps - no headphones just thinking about some of
these ideas. Thank you again guys!

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dredmorbius
[http://liamrosen.com/fitness.html](http://liamrosen.com/fitness.html)

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