3 ms·

I think the most important thing you can do to make exercise a persistent part of your life is to make it a social activity. At this point, I don't run to stay

I think the most important thing you can do to make exercise a persistent part of your life is to make it a social activity. At this point, I don't run to stay fit. I do it because it's a great way to hang out with my friends while doing something fun. Physical activity doesn't have to be medicalized or mandatory -- it's actually much more enjoyable as an activity you share with others. Going for a comfortable run with a few friends or going rock climbing with a buddy is addictively fun -- I just wish I had the time to meet up for it daily instead of only 1-3 times per week. If you're in Boston and thinking about starting to run, I've had a great time running with The Most Informal Running Club Ever on Saturday mornings -- http://informalrunning.com http://informalrunning.com . Nothing beats getting together with 30-60 new and old friends, running by the Charles at a distance and pace of your choosing, and then hanging out with them all for a potluck breakfast. Our culture for some reason thinks exercise is prescription medicine that should be taken in secret. It turns out that exercise is just like food -- best enjoyed in a convivial group.

dkarl 17y ago
Making it social is very effective. People who have a history of giving up on exercise often find that it's much harder to let other people down than to let themselves down. Being social enough to benefit from this idea but not social enough to enjoy making smalltalk with a bunch of strangers, I never liked the club idea. For those who are less social like me, competitive amateur sports leagues that are segregated by ability and age are a nice alternative. Typically, facility access requires games to be strictly scheduled, ensuring that people play instead of chatting. The competitive aspect ensures a good workout, and there are options to play as an individual (singles tennis and racquetball) or as part of a team (softball, soccer, basketball.) Team sport leagues usually provide some way of signing up as an individual. Either they'll place individuals with teams who need players, or they'll create "house" teams made entirely of people who signed up as individuals. You might be embarrassingly bad, but you probably won't be the worst. If you're playing in the lowest skill level for your age, nobody can really complain -- if they want better teammates, they should "level up" and play in a higher category.

dkarl 17y ago

Making it social is very effective. People who have a history of giving up on exercise often find that it's much harder to let other people down than to let themselves down. Being social enough to benefit from this idea but not social enough to enjoy making smalltalk with a bunch of strangers, I never liked the club idea. For those who are less social like me, competitive amateur sports leagues that are segregated by ability and age are a nice alternative. Typically, facility access requires games to be strictly scheduled, ensuring that people play instead of chatting. The competitive aspect ensures a good workout, and there are options to play as an individual (singles tennis and racquetball) or as part of a team (softball, soccer, basketball.) Team sport leagues usually provide some way of signing up as an individual. Either they'll place individuals with teams who need players, or they'll create "house" teams made entirely of people who signed up as individuals. You might be embarrassingly bad, but you probably won't be the worst. If you're playing in the lowest skill level for your age, nobody can really complain -- if they want better teammates, they should "level up" and play in a higher category.