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Ask HN: In 2018, what are you doing to get into or stay in shape?
- mattbgates 9y agoMy wife and I bought a stationery bike and a mountain climber and at least I have committed 10-20 minutes a day, to the best of my ability, on each.
- mrfusion 9y agoWhat’s a mountain climber?
- mod 9y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k394gKM2HTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k394gKM2HTA
- mattbgates 9y agoMaxi Climber, sorry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvS4KnC8BcM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvS4KnC8BcM
- TheAlchemist 9y agoRunning back home from work, twice a week. I started this last year and it's great ! I have ~13kms which I cover in a bit more than 1h. That's only 10 minutes more than using the public transport and let me tell you that it's much more enjoyable ! I Highly recommend !
- mlevental 9y agoi did this for 6 months (15 miles round trip) and got tendonitis :(
- hanniabu 9y agoI'm assuming you take public transport to work in the morning. I'm also assuming you change clothes before your run home. What do you do with your clothes? Run with a bag? Leave them at work and bring them home on your rest day?
- TheAlchemist 9y agoExactly. At my company, unfortunately there are no showers, so I can't run to the office in the morning. So I'm running every other day and on the rest day I'm brining my clothes from the previous one
- paulcole 9y agoI run about 50 miles a week.
- ddorian43 9y agoHow much in 1 run ? Do you get runners high ?
- paulcole 9y agoMy schedule is usually 20 miles Saturday, 10-12 Sunday, 8-10 Tuesday, 8-12 Thursday. I do this in singles, meaning 1 run per day. I don’t know about a runners high. I just find long slow distance running (mostly on trails) to be very relaxing and enjoyable.
- ddorian43 9y agoNo pain from the 20mile run ? Any special shoes ? How long to run 20 miles ?
- jnordwick 9y agoNotice he's running on trails, and dirt is much nicer on your body than asphalt. Pavement is the worst. I'm a road runner, but I really do envy trail runners.
- paulcole 9y agoThe biggest advantage to trails for me is the variation in elevation. When it gets steep or I get tired I walk. Less constant stress and pushing myself than when I was running long distances on roads.
- paulcole 9y agoNo pain at all. I run in Altras. My long run is 3 miles to the trailhead on city sidewalks then 7 miles on trails and then back home the way I came. Usually takes 5 hours.
- afarrell 9y agoI turn 28 this year so I've been doing some lumbar exercises every* day to make sure my lower back doesn't hate me when I'm 58. I generally run and lift weights in the mornings, but thats more to sharpen my focus than any physical effect.
- dbish 9y agoRunning and indoor bouldering. I usually sign up for half-marathons periodically throughout the year as a forcing function to make sure I run frequently. Bouldering is challenging physically and mentally (figuring out the right way to make it up a route) and the indoor version is reasonably safe.
- dharness 9y agoCaloric restriction
- balladeer 9y agoThis. People often miss the fact that when it comes to losing weight or avoiding putting on weight in the first place the biggest challenge is dietary discipline. Unhealthy diet and excess of it combined is also the biggest cause of weight gain. When you curb it, control it, start eating healthy, and only as much as your body needs, it contributes massively more than exercises in losing weight. It's so strange to see hundreds of posts on social media promising to run a marathon, do some exotic exercises and follow fancy sounding fitness regimes but no one even mentions responsible and healthy diets which actually defeats the purpose.
- ecesena 9y agoI run on avg 1 mile/day, and I play capoeira on avg 1-2 times/week. I've started both 2 years ago (it was when Mark Zuckerberg was running 1mi/day), and successfully maintained both for the past 2 years. I really like especially the running part, because I typically can't commit to anything on a daily basis, and even weekly when I travel I typically screw up my plans. With this arrangement, I know I that have to run 365mi in a year, and every month I do a check and correct my trajectory, including planning for a light period if I know I'm particularly busy with other things.
- masonic 9y agoRunning 2 miles a day. Problem: now I'm 26 miles from home and too tired to run back.
- grizzles 9y agoCrossfit. As someone who's spent too much time in the past mixing up the same boring gym routine, I can attest to the awesomeness of crossfit. *new religion
- iopuy 9y agoHow long have you been doing crossfit?? I did it for about 4 months before getting injured, my shoulder still hurts me to this day and that was 4 years ago.
- grizzles 9y agoFirst time for me was about 4 years ago, and I ran my first marathon shortly after starting (6 mos) of intensive crossfit, without even really training for it at all. TBH my commitment level varies but when I am committed to getting in serious shape, it's now my go to thing. I agree that you definitely need to be really careful / mindful about avoiding injuries.
- r0br0dz 9y agoNot for beginners first of all. Just like all fads it will eventually fade. Be aware of the basic principles before blindly joining such a lifting cult. Reminds me of the HIT cult. I don't recommend this stuff to anyone since most folks won't ever compete not have the dedication to stick with it since it's consider a religion. Another capitalistic venture banking on people's ignorance. Sports and fitness are different things
- cthalupa 9y agoI wouldn't generally recommend CrossFit. There are two main problems with it: 1) CrossFit is exercise. A randomized program like it doesn't provide actual training. A strength program or running program or whatever will have better results. Exercise is great for beginners or for people that would otherwise do nothing, but it's not going to get you nearly as good of results as a more specific program. 2) Which leads me into the next problem. While there are definitely CrossFit gyms that have instructors that teach proper form and know enough to help keep the people they're training safe, the quality of instructors varies wildly. All it takes to be a qualified instructor is to take a weekend class: https://training.crossfit.com/level-one https://training.crossfit.com/level-one CrossFit's benefits are really only going to be realized by newbies, and newbies are the exact people that lack to ability to determine if they are getting quality instruction. There's a reason people like Mark Rippetoe and others distanced themselves from CrossFit.
- megaman22 9y agoCutting back drastically on alcohol consumption, combined with bumping up exercise.
- jnordwick 9y agoNo need to cut back, just work your alcohol consumption into your exercise: http://www.beermile.com http://www.beermile.com
- deepnotderp 9y ago6 miles a day plus lifting. One of the most motivating factors I found for me was to read about tech while between sets and to turn on EE380 and other talks when running. It fixes two things in one go: 1. Keeping up with tech news in general (not TechCrunch mind you, but ISSCC and EE380 type). 2. Keeping my fitness and energy levels up. I found through tracking my productivity that 7 miles and lifting gives me lowest # of bugs. Not enough time to run 7, so 6 it is.
- nicholas73 9y agoTraining with a heavy boxing bag.
- dmode 9y agoPeople with kids, how are you staying in shape ? I have put on 30 pounds since my daughter was born two years back. Have barely anytime for myself and whatever I had , didn't want to use it for exercising
- sidlls 9y agoYou use that time for exercising, even if you'd rather not. For me that means four days a week I use the entire quantity of my daily leisure, a bit less than two hours, exercising and cleaning up. I have a power rack, a bench and a treadmill in my garage which I bought specifically to save 20 minutes' drive to the gym and back.
- tuccinator 9y agoInsanity Max 30 and lowering my caloric intake.
- hkmurakami 9y agoSwimming with US masters swimming. Running ~30 miles/week (not recommended). Yoga/core/mobility work.
- tothrowaway 9y agoStarting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. I'm four years in, and still getting stronger (albeit, at a much slower rate than when I first started). Some people need variety to keep their interest in exercise, but I like measuring my progress with the same 5 lifts year after year. I bought fractional Olympic weight plates to help me when I plateaued. Recently tried creatine, and that was a nice boost (10% increase in most lifts), but the side effects weren't worth it.
- r0br0dz 9y agoFor long lasting effect you might want to stay away from excessive cardio. One mile a day? Getting ready for a race? All you need is to Lift Weights and follow Dan John's advice. If you are not an athlete then running has no benefits. Sprinting on your toes on the other hand is great. One kind of effective cardio is walking like a madman(Chad Waterbury) meaning that the gait and pattern is so confusing to your body that it won't ever get efficient. Personal experience with above suggestions.
- jnordwick 9y agoA lot of studies disagree with you of the health effects of distance running http://pitjournal.unc.edu/article/long-distance-running-investigation-its-impact-human-health http://pitjournal.unc.edu/article/long-distance-running-inve... "Long-distance running has helped our species survive and evolve. Elements of the human physique, like the Achilles tendon and the length of the human body, make our bodies primed for running. Studies show that running can ease depression and anxiety. It can reduce risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity."
- r0br0dz 9y agoYes of course. Everything works for 6 weeks. Studies are nice and I'm glad for the people who publish them yet real world experience shows that running is problematic. There is not enough space to explain. Longevity is key word here. If you want to be a middle age man with hip and knee issues then go ahead and pound yourself into the pavement. Your connective tissue can take so much of a beating. Marathon runners are skinny as f* so if u want that look and feel go ahead and run. If you want health walking as fast as you can and feeling like a clown while doing it will keep you slim and allow you to develop muscle weight. Let me ask you guys, would you want to carry your wife/husband in case of an emergency? How about being able to with stand a fall? Armor building is the name of the game. Try it all but stick to the plan for six weeks and move on. Personally I have achieved my maximal strength goals and I can out play most kids on the court and field and it's all been done with a basic free weights gym in my porch. I've been lifting for 17 years and not one injury. Pace yourself. While your fellow partners are growing guts and becoming pale, you can hike a trail with 75 lbs of supplies and wake up each morning ready to go ape on anything. Strength is King. Read Dan John's works.
- Focalise 9y agoRoad biking with some HIIT and body weight exercises for me. PS be careful with excessive endurance cardio. It's not good for your heart in the long run, look up the paper and talks from Dr James O Keefe.
- ablokker 9y agoPrancercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIXIZ_8aGM8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIXIZ_8aGM8
- jnordwick 9y agoBetter link: https://youtu.be/MoRMUzljoAA https://youtu.be/MoRMUzljoAA
- CodeWriter23 9y agoCommitment to closing my rings every day (Apple Watch, 700kcal/day goal), eating a bit less, avoiding refined sugar, and supplementing probiotics. The Apple Watch + probiotic supplements helped me drop 20lbs over the past 12 months or so, without the intense focus on closing the rings every day. I'm shooting for 30lbs this year, which will get me within 15 of my target weight based on my height. I was going for a perfect month this month, then I wussed out during two days of rain. But I'm back on track.
- uptownfunk 9y agoWith 30 years of experience being overweight, I’ve finally found a secret that works for me: Exercise doesn’t work. Controlling your diet is king.* Did you see the *? It should be much bigger. The statement “(Calories in < Calories out) -> Weightloss” is BS. It’s never worked well for me. Hundreds of years of poverty and famine has made my body just too good at storing energy reserves as fat. The hypothesized insulin related pathway I believe is the culprit. I said adios to wheat/rice flours, rice, pasta. My diet these days is mostly cruciferous vegetables and beans based. It’s taken some work to be creative, but the bottom line is I no longer have to starve myself, or exercise excessively (I do practice yoga asana lightly) and I am lighter and feel much healthier. No more afternoon crash either.