11 ms·

Poll: How much time on average do you exercise in a week?

59 points by Victerius 5y ago

purplerabbit 5y ago
I’m curious how much the results of this poll will be affected by selection bias… it’s not only going to be “hacker news” types results, but “hacker news types who open and vote on this poll” types results
- spcebar 5y ago
  And who is on a time zone to currently be awake or are night owls.
- logosmonkey 5y ago
  I suppose there isn't really any way around it. It will probably also select for those who exercise more since they are more likely to have a stronger opinion on the subject. If you exercise a lot it likely has a strong net benefit for your life and you therefore value it to a greater extent than someone who doesn't exercise at all. By valuing it more you're more likely to engage in the subject. But that's probably true of all polls like this no matter the subject.
jimbob45 5y ago
For those looking for a good starting resource on fitness and diet, I recommend the 4chan /fit/ sticky guide. https://boards.4channel.org/fit/thread/17018018#p17018018 https://boards.4channel.org/fit/thread/17018018#p17018018
juice_bus 5y ago
The lack of exercise is starting to catch up with me. I enjoy remote work but at least when I was going to the office I moved my body a bit more.
- trebligdivad 5y ago
  Go for a walk at lunch time! I try and do a 1 hour walk ~6 days/week. I've been working at home for 8 years now, and have always been doing this; but since Covid, those have been longer walks without going into shops.
justinator 5y ago
Most weeks have a day of more than six hours; every other day of the week is at least two. Feels good to feel strong.
vl 5y ago
It is better to ask how many times do you exercise per week. I.e. somebody who exercises 30 minutes 6 days a week is better off than someone who exercises once for 3 hours. I exercise daily because otherwise it's too easy to start skipping. This way you know that you have to exercise and have to plan for it. (I have a home gym, which I built, lucky enough, pre-covid)
- technothrasher 5y ago
  Building a home gym helped me enormously. Since I built the gym ten years ago, I've been exercising pretty regularly for 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week. I basically don't allow myself to watch TV shows except while exercising, which keeps me motivated.
- ljhsiung 5y ago
  I'd agree. Frequency and intensity, aerobic or strength, all matter too. My mom walks for 30 minutes a day, while I run rather fast for the same time. I always tell her she should run a little, but she doesn't like to sweat. Granted, 30 minutes of walking is 100x better than sitting around, and running is ~5x better. I'll give her that. Lessening returns and all. My mental model is "easy" activity is sufficient to not die when you're 60, and more intense stuff will make you thrive into your 80s.
  - stank345 5y ago
    Can you provide a source for running being 5x better than walking? It doesn't seem that simple to me (eg. older people may suffer from joint pain or a risk of falling from more intense activity, so frequent walking may be better for them).
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - ljhsiung 5y ago
      5x is arbitrary and just how I chose to express the relative importance of doing nothing --> walking --> running. That's just my mental model. I.e. walking has no excuse barring disability. Running I recommend, but not as strongly. Put another way, I will endlessly nag my parents on walking. Running or jogging I merely suggest, given various costs like you point out.
Auracle 5y ago
I use a walking treadmill with a standing desk, and during the work week I use it 4 or 5 hours a day at 2 miles per hour. My lug muscles are pretty insane compared to the rest of me, and I can eat what I want without gaining weight. The biggest advantage is that it keeps me more awake during mundane tasks, though if I have something mentally challenging to work on it can be a distraction.
- vl 5y ago
  I tried it, but I can't really work on the treadmill.
hackeraccount 5y ago
Ideally I go for an hour or so run 5 days a week. Realistically it's more like 4.5 days a week.
VeninVidiaVicii 5y ago
Since COVID hit, I’ve been riding my bike to work (3 miles each way) to work — since I am cautious about mass transit. I hadn’t actually considered counting this toward my workouts, until my Watch told me it accounted for 30 minutes each day.
dgritsko 5y ago
The Bodyweight Fitness subreddit (https://reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness https://reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness) has been a fantastic resource for me while working from home - there's so much you can do without a gym using minimal equipment, or even no equipment at all. Highly recommended if you're looking to get more active and don't know where to start.
heikkilevanto 5y ago
Dedicated exercise, none at all. But I walk or bike when ever I am going somewhere, and occasionally just for the fun of it. Maybe 30-60 minutes a day. Except the last week I had to self-isolate because of a positive covid test (minimal symptoms the first days, now feeling just fine. I think the vaccines did their work)
nickjj 5y ago
I walk about 3-4 miles a day outside (I split it up twice a day) and do 50 push ups + 50 sit ups. I try not to skip days. I've been doing this for around 6-7 years now. My philosophy on exercise is to keep it simple and remove any type of objections. There's no gym memberships or fancy equipment needed for this type of routine. Doing the push ups and sit ups takes a few minutes. The walks do take time but I would consider them essential. I don't consider doing any of these things as being a waste of time, I look forward to them every day.
- strikelaserclaw 5y ago
  so did u go bald?
deleted 5y ago
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marbletimes 5y ago
Jiu-Jitsu 3 classes a week for 1.5 hours each. Weight training, 3 times a week, 1 hour each time. Running, 2 times a week, 45 minutes each run. That's on average, total 9 hours a week. Sometimes I do more, when on vacation I don't stress too much, if there is gym, fine, otherwise it could be rest week or 200 push up and 400 squats. I enjoy every second of being physically capable without being obsessive about fitness. One of the few advices that I give to people I care about: never give up moving your body. I am a bit older than 40 years old, and that's the time when you see people either be fabulous or going downhill with the wheels off. Apart from disabilities and pathologies, there is not a single reason for anyone not to exercise at least a few hours a week. It makes you feel better, be better, look better. I see friends getting married and having kids and work 5 jobs like someone says in the US especially etc. and they stop exercising, and they suddenly look older, talk older, and often going downhill real fast. That's not a good example for kids, it is a good prompt for your partner to look elsewhere. Be bold, be in shape, be beautiful.
- edmcnulty101 5y ago
  40 is a real critical time period in my opinion. At 50 years old mortality rates kind of go up dramatically. So starting in your 40s onward you probably need to be in decent shape to minimize the risk.
- notjustanymike 5y ago
  I'm turning 40 this month and taking this idea seriously.
pmontra 5y ago
I only go cycling. Three hours in winter, not every week, maybe 7 or 8 hours per week in summer, occasionally more than 10. I picked 3 to 6 as an average.
Stubb 5y ago
We moved into a new house seven years ago and turned half the basement into a home gym to combine with working from home. During the week, I'll stretch for 5–10 minutes after waking up, do ~20 minutes of light exercise at lunch, and more serious exercise after work (could be a bike ride, kettlebell/bodyweight exercises, running, etc.). After-work exercise varies depending on energy/recovery. Getting a standing desk was also a nice addition. Weekends we'll go for a longer bike ride one day and do something outside but lower intensity the other.
dimgl 5y ago
I've started going to a strength and conditioning gym three times a week (three hours every week). It's expensive but aside from the soreness every once in a while I feel the best I've felt in years.
roebk 5y ago
- I'll bike 15 minutes to and from the office. - ~4 lunch breaks a week, I'll head to the Gym and workout for 35-40 minutes. - Saturday is Parkrun day (a 5k run / race). - Around 3 evenings a week (when it's not my turn to put the kiddos to bed), I'll fire up Apple Fitness and do 20/30 mins yoga. That takes me over the 6 hour mark and it never feels like I'm going far out my way to squeeze all this in.
thrashh 5y ago
WFH has been awesome because I’ve been able to sneak away sometimes 3 solid hours during work to be active.
jb1991 5y ago
You must define “exercise“. Walking your child to school is exercise, but it’s not going to a gym or working out hard or anything like that.
- deleted 5y ago
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the_af 5y ago
Unless you count walking (in order to go somewhere, since I don't drive and have stopped using public transportation since the pandemic), I do zero exercise. Yes, I know it's wrong and unhealthy and I'll pay for this, and yes, it worries me. But all kinds of exercise bore me to tears and there's always something more interesting for me to be doing.
- anonymous532 5y ago
  walking 30 mins/day or going up the stairs is surprisingly effective to avoid plenty of bad side effects of sitting.
- izietto 5y ago
  My story is similar to yours, except that I love trekking and volleyball but I moved to a place where there are no mountains and no volleyball teams to join
  - the_af 5y ago
    Oh, I actually like trekking and would do it if there was nice landscape where I live. But there isn't, and walking in the concrete jungle is stressful (though less so than using public transportation!).
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  Do you listen to audio books, podcasts, or talk radio? I listen to audio books while running, so I get an hour of running and an hour of literature for the price of one, every day. Also motivates me to go for the run because I want to hear what's happening next in the book.
  - vowelless 5y ago
    I started to do this recently. It is amazing how motivated I am to walk/run because I want to know whats next in the book.
  - the_af 5y ago
sebow 5y ago
Started running daily at 5-7 am for about 10+km in the last 30 days; During the day i think i get between 50 to 100 pushups in a day, usually 15 to 25 in a set.(which regulates my breathing) and probably 50 or less squats. You get a better pump than an energy drink for the entire day, you don't feel anxious or shitty when drinking more coffee or energy drinks during the day[this may be also because i cut very occasional smoking to 0, which realistically was probably the cause]; And most importantly you think more clearly even though you may be somewhat tired when doing mentally-intensive tasks.(I remember my best days of doing logic were the ones i did the most effort, though that was gym and not really endurance) Consistency is the key;Hoping i will get something like a lifting desk and a treadmill but I kind of also write, doing that during running seems kind of weird, at least right now. I'm somewhat lucky, i started doing sports & meditation more seriously alongside with cold resistance training about 3-6 months before covid hit.And the sad thing is that i felt my immunity lowering (though not completely) when the restrictions were imposed.The overall most damaging factors of staying in-doors is that mental memory & cognitive capacity is affected if you don't keep training your 'reptilian brain' to navigate the world.(this is something i was very skeptical but learned anecdotally)
foobarchu 5y ago
My dog keeps my base activity in shape by demanding a mile walk in the morning and another 1-3 miles in the afternoon. I'm very fortunate there to work from home in a position that allows me to take extended breaks whenever I need to (bonus, walks are often a great opportunity to think on a problem, or to let long-running processes like load tests or data analysis run undisturbed). Additionally, I rejoined my very social powerlifting gym from grad school. Having other people keeping me accountable and encouraging my progress is really effective at keeping me at the habit, so I've been maintaining a 4x a week schedule at that (1-2 hours gross each time, but lets be real it's a social gym)
FullyFunctional 5y ago
With now 100% WFH I could tell I was deteriorating so I adopted a rescue dog Who Must Be Walked daily (~ 50 min) and an Apple Watch to track my exercises (at 3 x 99%, chasing 100%). It helps that I live on a hill and the park is downhill. It was hard to find the motivation before but my four legged friend has made all the difference.
notjustanymike 5y ago
I recently bought a Fitbit to measure my workouts in FitBod (wonderful workout app btw). 1.5 hours of weights was about 650 calories, leaving me feeling rather chuffed. Then I took my dog for a four mile walk, resulting in an additional 630 calories. I got humbled by my dog.
agumonkey 5y ago
Started bike commute in late July. Solid 5h per week. I'm 40, was in very sad shape internally.. this revived me quite a lot. Also saves time and money. If you have safe bike lanes I encourage anybody to try.. (and I use a busted 90s bike bought 2nd hand for 50$).
knaik94 5y ago
I bought a budget stationary bike and have an ant+ cadence and heart rate sensor and use Golden Cheetah to see the data live on my computer. I don't care much for power generated as long as I feel like I am exercising but it can be estimated. More accuracy would require an extra sensor. It's the same data Peleton shows and if I wanted I could use Peleton for just the monthly subscription price. I paid USD 600(bike) + 20(cadence sensor) + 90(hr chest strap sensor, polar h10) + 20(ant+ usb dongle). I can log my heart rate and cadence on my phone as well, I can move the sensors to my mountain bike. I have an android and use Jepster and upload to Strava. I love that I am not tied in to Peleton. I chose not to buy clip-on shoes although that's an option and would just require buying the pedals and shoes. My university had les mills classes and I enjoyed them and so I got their subscription for on demand classes. They have this class called The Trip where they have generated a virtual biking track that is in sync to music. I can't imagine a more immersive at home workout. Les Mills also has full body workouts as well as yoga. There are certain historical workouts that they took down because they don't have the rights to the songs anymore but they release new workouts regularly. https://youtu.be/vf11nvNGjuQ https://youtu.be/vf11nvNGjuQ I am looking into Zwift but I can't justify paying the subscription price. If anyone knows any good free virtual biking roads software that interfaces with ant+ sensors please let me know. I don't care as much about the social biking part of zwift. One day I want to see what VR and exercise can bring but I don't imagine sweating in a VR headset is pleasant. I have only heard good things about beat saber though.
- cbm-vic-20 5y ago
  I got into Zwift right at the beginning of the pandemic- previously, I rode a bike for part of my commute, but I would often lose fitness in the winter, when the roads made it difficult to make that commute. I never went to the gym, or did any other "real" exercise other than a lot of walking. I got a "wheel-off" trainer (Wahoo Kickr) attached to my crappy hybrid commuter bike that I already had, and set up a "pain cave" in the basement with an older TV. It's been great- since the start of the pandemic, I've lost over 20% of my body weight (and am in the "normal" BMI range fwiw), and my resting heart rate is low enough that when I get my blood pressure and pulse checked, they have to double-check the readout. I'm in the best shape of my life since college. I actually like the social aspect of Zoom- I think having other people around me triggers that latent competitiveness, and I ride harder than I would otherwise. There's a good variety of events and workouts, and there's a really supportive community.
crims0n 5y ago
30 minutes fasted cardio every morning m-f, and then an hour of weight lifting sprinkled in-between meetings. I find that for me, this is the minimum needed to stay in "good shape" - anything less and I can start to see my belly grow within a couple weeks.
MrRobotics 5y ago
Currently, I go to the gym 5 days a week for about 60-90 minutes per session. My workouts generally consist of cardio for a warmup and then free weights and Olympic style weightlifting. It has a great ROI. I used to train 10+ hours a week almost exclusively on weightlifting when I was competing frequently, but over the last year I’ve spent less time lifting to have more time to work on my startup.
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karolkozub 5y ago
Almost exactly 10 years ago I picked up climbing/bouldering and I cannot recommend it enough. It's a fascinating sport combining elements of pure strength, coordination, technique and problem solving. Every route is unique and it's not uncommon to have vastly different approaches depending on your height, finger strength, flexibility, and many other parameters. Finding a solution that works for you can sometimes be more difficult than the climb itself. It's definitely not as boring and repetitive as weightlifting. I highly encourage everyone to try if they haven't yet.
- jtr1 5y ago
  Totally agree. I picked up climbing several months ago, so I'm still green, but it's a night and day difference from other forms of exercise for me. I've mostly gravitated toward solo sports because I enjoy competing against myself more than competing with others, but running, cycling, weight lifting, etc always felt like a chore and I quickly became bored with the repetition. In addition to being physically dynamic, I've found it works well as a social form of exercise too. There's built in incentives to befriend a wide pool of fellow belayers and we all climb at different levels, so there doesn't seem to be much in the way of interpersonal rivalry, just love of the sport.
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googleantitrust 5y ago
I do daily 45 minutes. 6 days a week. Alternate day cardio and strength training. I am diabetic and this helps me keep the A1C numbers in acceptable range.
5e92cb50239222b 5y ago
Pretty much zero. The vast majority of time there's extreme levels of air pollution outside (think 200-1000 µg/m³ of PM2.5), so it's dangerous to even open the window. And it's pretty difficult to do anything physically at 2000-4000 ppm of CO₂ because you feel like shit most of the time. At least that's what I was blaming my laziness on until I learned about CO₂ levels on the ISS: https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounders/carbon-dioxide-on-earth-and-on-iss https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounde... https://archive.thinkprogress.org/its-taking-less-co2-than-expected-to-cause-health-risks-in-astronauts-7af09e82b83/ https://archive.thinkprogress.org/its-taking-less-co2-than-e... https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/why-living-space-can-be-pain-head-180951507/ https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/why-living-space-ca... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262148293_Relationship_Between_Carbon_Dioxide_Levels_and_Reported_Headaches_on_the_International_Space_Station https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262148293_Relations... So it's a bit higher than my apartment, and they still manage to exercise daily and stay in shape.
- slyzmud 5y ago
  Hey that sucks. Where do you live?
matsemann 5y ago
Normally 6+ hours each week (swim, run, cycle for triathlon, cross country skiing during winter), I bike everywhere so 30-60 minutes additionally to the workout a day of biking. Sucks with a third lockdown and swim groups are on hold again. And I actually broke my cross country shoe (!) in half the other day, so waiting for stores to open so I can replace it and get out again. So today I decided to use Wandrer.earth and try to bike all streets in my city. With the amount of snow that was a bad idea, hehe. Last two years had a knee issue no one can figure out, which has hampered the amount of training a bit. Hurts medial side/hamstring, and is as if my knee cannot track properly anymore and have become knock-kneed on one knee. :(
anthomtb 5y ago
During the spring, summer and fall, I hit 6+ hours by mountain biking 3-4 times a week. When there’s too much snow on the ground I use an indoor smart trainer 4-5 times a week. The indoor workouts are not much fun but I’m the type of person who gets very edgy and irritable without regular exercise. Mountain biking is an awesome workout and, more than that, and awesome experience. It’s got all the fitness benefits of road cycling with none of the monotony. Downsides are that it’s expensive, good trails aren’t available everywhere, the injury risk is real (but lower than motocross), and you might find yourself much more interested in the bike than in anything else.
CapitalistCartr 5y ago
My last job was physically strenuous. I took a new (desk) job at the end of June and have since acquired a shiny new belly. I'm not sure where it came from.
- angrais 5y ago
  Regarding belly gains - my guess: you had a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR) during your last role given it was more physical. You have since reduced physical activity (exercise) and continued eating the same amount (or more). All the while your BMR is decreasing, and so you have gained weight, which for you is stored on your belly.
logosmonkey 5y ago
About 7 or 8 hours total, slowly creeping up as my half marathon training long runs start taking more time. Prior to starting half marathon training it was right at 6 though. 3 x per week weight training and 3 x per week 5k training runs each of those ~1 hour. Current schedule is M/W 1 hour weight training T/T/S/Su half marathon training with long runs on Saturday. Those are starting to get above an hour as the mileage increases. In another 3 weeks or so all my runs except Sunday will average above an hour more than likely so probably get into the 8-9 hours per week territory. At 42 I'm now healthier than I've ever been. All that time in my 20's making excuses about how I didn't have time to lift/run whatever was BS. It's far easier than people think to get into very good shape. That hour or so per day is just one less hour dicking off on the internet or watching TV or something - you won't miss it.
- ThinkBeat 5y ago
  1h on a 5K?
  - logosmonkey 5y ago
    early runs when I was doing c25k were like 45 minutes. My current runs are all 4 miles or more. Additionally there's usually 10 minutes of warmup/cooldown for each run. Also I'm very slow :)
    - logosmonkey 5y ago
      I just ran a 5k race on the 1st and I did 37:17 so that's my best in this phase of running (I previously ran somewhere in the 36's when I was younger)
scruple 5y ago
Strength sessions 3-4 times a week. HIIT style conditioning sessions 2-3 times a week. At least 1 hour long LISS style endurance session once a week, rarely more than this. Loads of walking around our neighborhood, pushing a wagon or a stroller or walking our dogs, and weekend hikes (rucks, I carry my toddlers, one at a time, on local trails). I apply a minimum effective dose mentality to the strength and conditioning. I follow Tactical Barbell training protocols. I'm in my 40s and I am in the best shape of my life. Not as fast as I was when I was younger, of course, but no slouch, either, yet much, much stronger and with more stamina and endurance.
ducharmdev 5y ago
I don't really enjoy exercise much, but I made a quick Django site to track my workout data, which makes it a little more interesting to me. Sure, I could have used one of the million workout apps that are out there, but I feel more invested when I am completely in charge of collecting, managing, and using my data. I don't have to leave it up to someone else to gameify my exercise; I get to decide how.
dirtyid 5y ago
~15 minutes of actual lifting over 2 hours of podcasts 3-4x a week.
ccosmin 5y ago
I try to do at least 8Km of swimming in 4-5 sessions and run at least twice a week around 9Km. I did two sprint triathlons in 2021 and train for an olympic one this year (Deauville).
gmays 5y ago
I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, but I'm a big fan of rowing (Concept 2). I had a rower about 15 years ago, then sold it when I deployed to Iraq for a year. After that, I spent another year in Afghanistan. Then I started my career in tech after I was injured on deployment and left the Marine Corps. Then we had kids—all excuses for not exercising consistently. I needed something convenient to squeeze in a 15-30 minute workout I'd enjoy once the kids go down, so I got another rower and started rowing again a couple of months ago. I've been pretty consistent (I've worked out 52 days in a row now, with exceptions for special circumstances like deaths in the family). It's a great full-body workout, and I listen to podcasts/audiobooks or watch football if there's a game on. I can't recommend it enough. Some people have recommended BJJ, which I've enjoyed in the past, but with kids and my wife and I working 60+ hours a week (she owns a business), convenience + enjoyment are the only way to make it something I'll stick to.
- jl2718 5y ago
  These things were everywhere I went. Even B-hut fob gyms had Concept-2 rowers. In BAF there was a giant sign outside the Disney clamshell, “NO EXCUSES”. Hit it for 5 minutes in full uniform about 10 times a day between every movement and then ran to make up time. Best fitness years of my life. Different experiences I guess.
  - gmays 5y ago
    That's great you had that. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, I was on MTTs (2 years total) operating on small embedded teams where we lived with local security forces (Iraqi Army and Afghan Border Police, respectively). We didn't live on large bases like most. But we had pretty much constant operations, so exercise wasn't a problem. To clarify, I meant that I got away from rowing when I deployed, not from exercise (until I was injured, that is).
mikewarot 5y ago
Long Covid sufferer here - does going to the grocery store count as exercise?

59 points by Victerius 5y ago

I’m curious how much the results of this poll will be affected by selection bias… it’s not only going to be “hacker news” types results, but “hacker news types who open and vote on this poll” types results

spcebar 5y ago
And who is on a time zone to currently be awake or are night owls.
logosmonkey 5y ago
I suppose there isn't really any way around it. It will probably also select for those who exercise more since they are more likely to have a stronger opinion on the subject. If you exercise a lot it likely has a strong net benefit for your life and you therefore value it to a greater extent than someone who doesn't exercise at all. By valuing it more you're more likely to engage in the subject. But that's probably true of all polls like this no matter the subject.

jimbob45 5y ago

For those looking for a good starting resource on fitness and diet, I recommend the 4chan /fit/ sticky guide. https://boards.4channel.org/fit/thread/17018018#p17018018 https://boards.4channel.org/fit/thread/17018018#p17018018

juice_bus 5y ago

The lack of exercise is starting to catch up with me. I enjoy remote work but at least when I was going to the office I moved my body a bit more.

trebligdivad 5y ago
Go for a walk at lunch time! I try and do a 1 hour walk ~6 days/week. I've been working at home for 8 years now, and have always been doing this; but since Covid, those have been longer walks without going into shops.

justinator 5y ago

Most weeks have a day of more than six hours; every other day of the week is at least two. Feels good to feel strong.

vl 5y ago

It is better to ask how many times do you exercise per week. I.e. somebody who exercises 30 minutes 6 days a week is better off than someone who exercises once for 3 hours. I exercise daily because otherwise it's too easy to start skipping. This way you know that you have to exercise and have to plan for it. (I have a home gym, which I built, lucky enough, pre-covid)

technothrasher 5y ago
Building a home gym helped me enormously. Since I built the gym ten years ago, I've been exercising pretty regularly for 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week. I basically don't allow myself to watch TV shows except while exercising, which keeps me motivated.
ljhsiung 5y ago
I'd agree. Frequency and intensity, aerobic or strength, all matter too. My mom walks for 30 minutes a day, while I run rather fast for the same time. I always tell her she should run a little, but she doesn't like to sweat. Granted, 30 minutes of walking is 100x better than sitting around, and running is ~5x better. I'll give her that. Lessening returns and all. My mental model is "easy" activity is sufficient to not die when you're 60, and more intense stuff will make you thrive into your 80s.
- stank345 5y ago
  Can you provide a source for running being 5x better than walking? It doesn't seem that simple to me (eg. older people may suffer from joint pain or a risk of falling from more intense activity, so frequent walking may be better for them).
  - deleted 5y ago
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  - ljhsiung 5y ago
    5x is arbitrary and just how I chose to express the relative importance of doing nothing --> walking --> running. That's just my mental model. I.e. walking has no excuse barring disability. Running I recommend, but not as strongly. Put another way, I will endlessly nag my parents on walking. Running or jogging I merely suggest, given various costs like you point out.

Auracle 5y ago

I use a walking treadmill with a standing desk, and during the work week I use it 4 or 5 hours a day at 2 miles per hour. My lug muscles are pretty insane compared to the rest of me, and I can eat what I want without gaining weight. The biggest advantage is that it keeps me more awake during mundane tasks, though if I have something mentally challenging to work on it can be a distraction.

vl 5y ago
I tried it, but I can't really work on the treadmill.

hackeraccount 5y ago

Ideally I go for an hour or so run 5 days a week. Realistically it's more like 4.5 days a week.

VeninVidiaVicii 5y ago

Since COVID hit, I’ve been riding my bike to work (3 miles each way) to work — since I am cautious about mass transit. I hadn’t actually considered counting this toward my workouts, until my Watch told me it accounted for 30 minutes each day.

dgritsko 5y ago

The Bodyweight Fitness subreddit (https://reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness https://reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness) has been a fantastic resource for me while working from home - there's so much you can do without a gym using minimal equipment, or even no equipment at all. Highly recommended if you're looking to get more active and don't know where to start.

heikkilevanto 5y ago

Dedicated exercise, none at all. But I walk or bike when ever I am going somewhere, and occasionally just for the fun of it. Maybe 30-60 minutes a day. Except the last week I had to self-isolate because of a positive covid test (minimal symptoms the first days, now feeling just fine. I think the vaccines did their work)

nickjj 5y ago

I walk about 3-4 miles a day outside (I split it up twice a day) and do 50 push ups + 50 sit ups. I try not to skip days. I've been doing this for around 6-7 years now. My philosophy on exercise is to keep it simple and remove any type of objections. There's no gym memberships or fancy equipment needed for this type of routine. Doing the push ups and sit ups takes a few minutes. The walks do take time but I would consider them essential. I don't consider doing any of these things as being a waste of time, I look forward to them every day.

strikelaserclaw 5y ago
so did u go bald?

deleted 5y ago

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marbletimes 5y ago

Jiu-Jitsu 3 classes a week for 1.5 hours each. Weight training, 3 times a week, 1 hour each time. Running, 2 times a week, 45 minutes each run. That's on average, total 9 hours a week. Sometimes I do more, when on vacation I don't stress too much, if there is gym, fine, otherwise it could be rest week or 200 push up and 400 squats. I enjoy every second of being physically capable without being obsessive about fitness. One of the few advices that I give to people I care about: never give up moving your body. I am a bit older than 40 years old, and that's the time when you see people either be fabulous or going downhill with the wheels off. Apart from disabilities and pathologies, there is not a single reason for anyone not to exercise at least a few hours a week. It makes you feel better, be better, look better. I see friends getting married and having kids and work 5 jobs like someone says in the US especially etc. and they stop exercising, and they suddenly look older, talk older, and often going downhill real fast. That's not a good example for kids, it is a good prompt for your partner to look elsewhere. Be bold, be in shape, be beautiful.

edmcnulty101 5y ago
40 is a real critical time period in my opinion. At 50 years old mortality rates kind of go up dramatically. So starting in your 40s onward you probably need to be in decent shape to minimize the risk.
notjustanymike 5y ago
I'm turning 40 this month and taking this idea seriously.

pmontra 5y ago

I only go cycling. Three hours in winter, not every week, maybe 7 or 8 hours per week in summer, occasionally more than 10. I picked 3 to 6 as an average.

Stubb 5y ago

We moved into a new house seven years ago and turned half the basement into a home gym to combine with working from home. During the week, I'll stretch for 5–10 minutes after waking up, do ~20 minutes of light exercise at lunch, and more serious exercise after work (could be a bike ride, kettlebell/bodyweight exercises, running, etc.). After-work exercise varies depending on energy/recovery. Getting a standing desk was also a nice addition. Weekends we'll go for a longer bike ride one day and do something outside but lower intensity the other.

dimgl 5y ago

I've started going to a strength and conditioning gym three times a week (three hours every week). It's expensive but aside from the soreness every once in a while I feel the best I've felt in years.

roebk 5y ago

- I'll bike 15 minutes to and from the office. - ~4 lunch breaks a week, I'll head to the Gym and workout for 35-40 minutes. - Saturday is Parkrun day (a 5k run / race). - Around 3 evenings a week (when it's not my turn to put the kiddos to bed), I'll fire up Apple Fitness and do 20/30 mins yoga. That takes me over the 6 hour mark and it never feels like I'm going far out my way to squeeze all this in.

thrashh 5y ago

WFH has been awesome because I’ve been able to sneak away sometimes 3 solid hours during work to be active.

jb1991 5y ago

You must define “exercise“. Walking your child to school is exercise, but it’s not going to a gym or working out hard or anything like that.

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the_af 5y ago

Unless you count walking (in order to go somewhere, since I don't drive and have stopped using public transportation since the pandemic), I do zero exercise. Yes, I know it's wrong and unhealthy and I'll pay for this, and yes, it worries me. But all kinds of exercise bore me to tears and there's always something more interesting for me to be doing.

anonymous532 5y ago
walking 30 mins/day or going up the stairs is surprisingly effective to avoid plenty of bad side effects of sitting.
izietto 5y ago
My story is similar to yours, except that I love trekking and volleyball but I moved to a place where there are no mountains and no volleyball teams to join
- the_af 5y ago
  Oh, I actually like trekking and would do it if there was nice landscape where I live. But there isn't, and walking in the concrete jungle is stressful (though less so than using public transportation!).
chrisseaton 5y ago
Do you listen to audio books, podcasts, or talk radio? I listen to audio books while running, so I get an hour of running and an hour of literature for the price of one, every day. Also motivates me to go for the run because I want to hear what's happening next in the book.
- vowelless 5y ago
  I started to do this recently. It is amazing how motivated I am to walk/run because I want to know whats next in the book.
- the_af 5y ago

sebow 5y ago

Started running daily at 5-7 am for about 10+km in the last 30 days; During the day i think i get between 50 to 100 pushups in a day, usually 15 to 25 in a set.(which regulates my breathing) and probably 50 or less squats. You get a better pump than an energy drink for the entire day, you don't feel anxious or shitty when drinking more coffee or energy drinks during the day[this may be also because i cut very occasional smoking to 0, which realistically was probably the cause]; And most importantly you think more clearly even though you may be somewhat tired when doing mentally-intensive tasks.(I remember my best days of doing logic were the ones i did the most effort, though that was gym and not really endurance) Consistency is the key;Hoping i will get something like a lifting desk and a treadmill but I kind of also write, doing that during running seems kind of weird, at least right now. I'm somewhat lucky, i started doing sports & meditation more seriously alongside with cold resistance training about 3-6 months before covid hit.And the sad thing is that i felt my immunity lowering (though not completely) when the restrictions were imposed.The overall most damaging factors of staying in-doors is that mental memory & cognitive capacity is affected if you don't keep training your 'reptilian brain' to navigate the world.(this is something i was very skeptical but learned anecdotally)

foobarchu 5y ago

My dog keeps my base activity in shape by demanding a mile walk in the morning and another 1-3 miles in the afternoon. I'm very fortunate there to work from home in a position that allows me to take extended breaks whenever I need to (bonus, walks are often a great opportunity to think on a problem, or to let long-running processes like load tests or data analysis run undisturbed). Additionally, I rejoined my very social powerlifting gym from grad school. Having other people keeping me accountable and encouraging my progress is really effective at keeping me at the habit, so I've been maintaining a 4x a week schedule at that (1-2 hours gross each time, but lets be real it's a social gym)

FullyFunctional 5y ago

With now 100% WFH I could tell I was deteriorating so I adopted a rescue dog Who Must Be Walked daily (~ 50 min) and an Apple Watch to track my exercises (at 3 x 99%, chasing 100%). It helps that I live on a hill and the park is downhill. It was hard to find the motivation before but my four legged friend has made all the difference.

notjustanymike 5y ago

I recently bought a Fitbit to measure my workouts in FitBod (wonderful workout app btw). 1.5 hours of weights was about 650 calories, leaving me feeling rather chuffed. Then I took my dog for a four mile walk, resulting in an additional 630 calories. I got humbled by my dog.

agumonkey 5y ago

Started bike commute in late July. Solid 5h per week. I'm 40, was in very sad shape internally.. this revived me quite a lot. Also saves time and money. If you have safe bike lanes I encourage anybody to try.. (and I use a busted 90s bike bought 2nd hand for 50$).

knaik94 5y ago

I bought a budget stationary bike and have an ant+ cadence and heart rate sensor and use Golden Cheetah to see the data live on my computer. I don't care much for power generated as long as I feel like I am exercising but it can be estimated. More accuracy would require an extra sensor. It's the same data Peleton shows and if I wanted I could use Peleton for just the monthly subscription price. I paid USD 600(bike) + 20(cadence sensor) + 90(hr chest strap sensor, polar h10) + 20(ant+ usb dongle). I can log my heart rate and cadence on my phone as well, I can move the sensors to my mountain bike. I have an android and use Jepster and upload to Strava. I love that I am not tied in to Peleton. I chose not to buy clip-on shoes although that's an option and would just require buying the pedals and shoes. My university had les mills classes and I enjoyed them and so I got their subscription for on demand classes. They have this class called The Trip where they have generated a virtual biking track that is in sync to music. I can't imagine a more immersive at home workout. Les Mills also has full body workouts as well as yoga. There are certain historical workouts that they took down because they don't have the rights to the songs anymore but they release new workouts regularly. https://youtu.be/vf11nvNGjuQ https://youtu.be/vf11nvNGjuQ I am looking into Zwift but I can't justify paying the subscription price. If anyone knows any good free virtual biking roads software that interfaces with ant+ sensors please let me know. I don't care as much about the social biking part of zwift. One day I want to see what VR and exercise can bring but I don't imagine sweating in a VR headset is pleasant. I have only heard good things about beat saber though.

cbm-vic-20 5y ago
I got into Zwift right at the beginning of the pandemic- previously, I rode a bike for part of my commute, but I would often lose fitness in the winter, when the roads made it difficult to make that commute. I never went to the gym, or did any other "real" exercise other than a lot of walking. I got a "wheel-off" trainer (Wahoo Kickr) attached to my crappy hybrid commuter bike that I already had, and set up a "pain cave" in the basement with an older TV. It's been great- since the start of the pandemic, I've lost over 20% of my body weight (and am in the "normal" BMI range fwiw), and my resting heart rate is low enough that when I get my blood pressure and pulse checked, they have to double-check the readout. I'm in the best shape of my life since college. I actually like the social aspect of Zoom- I think having other people around me triggers that latent competitiveness, and I ride harder than I would otherwise. There's a good variety of events and workouts, and there's a really supportive community.

crims0n 5y ago

30 minutes fasted cardio every morning m-f, and then an hour of weight lifting sprinkled in-between meetings. I find that for me, this is the minimum needed to stay in "good shape" - anything less and I can start to see my belly grow within a couple weeks.

MrRobotics 5y ago

Currently, I go to the gym 5 days a week for about 60-90 minutes per session. My workouts generally consist of cardio for a warmup and then free weights and Olympic style weightlifting. It has a great ROI. I used to train 10+ hours a week almost exclusively on weightlifting when I was competing frequently, but over the last year I’ve spent less time lifting to have more time to work on my startup.

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karolkozub 5y ago

Almost exactly 10 years ago I picked up climbing/bouldering and I cannot recommend it enough. It's a fascinating sport combining elements of pure strength, coordination, technique and problem solving. Every route is unique and it's not uncommon to have vastly different approaches depending on your height, finger strength, flexibility, and many other parameters. Finding a solution that works for you can sometimes be more difficult than the climb itself. It's definitely not as boring and repetitive as weightlifting. I highly encourage everyone to try if they haven't yet.

jtr1 5y ago
Totally agree. I picked up climbing several months ago, so I'm still green, but it's a night and day difference from other forms of exercise for me. I've mostly gravitated toward solo sports because I enjoy competing against myself more than competing with others, but running, cycling, weight lifting, etc always felt like a chore and I quickly became bored with the repetition. In addition to being physically dynamic, I've found it works well as a social form of exercise too. There's built in incentives to befriend a wide pool of fellow belayers and we all climb at different levels, so there doesn't seem to be much in the way of interpersonal rivalry, just love of the sport.

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googleantitrust 5y ago

I do daily 45 minutes. 6 days a week. Alternate day cardio and strength training. I am diabetic and this helps me keep the A1C numbers in acceptable range.

5e92cb50239222b 5y ago

Pretty much zero. The vast majority of time there's extreme levels of air pollution outside (think 200-1000 µg/m³ of PM2.5), so it's dangerous to even open the window. And it's pretty difficult to do anything physically at 2000-4000 ppm of CO₂ because you feel like shit most of the time. At least that's what I was blaming my laziness on until I learned about CO₂ levels on the ISS: https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounders/carbon-dioxide-on-earth-and-on-iss https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounde... https://archive.thinkprogress.org/its-taking-less-co2-than-expected-to-cause-health-risks-in-astronauts-7af09e82b83/ https://archive.thinkprogress.org/its-taking-less-co2-than-e... https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/why-living-space-can-be-pain-head-180951507/ https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/why-living-space-ca... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262148293_Relationship_Between_Carbon_Dioxide_Levels_and_Reported_Headaches_on_the_International_Space_Station https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262148293_Relations... So it's a bit higher than my apartment, and they still manage to exercise daily and stay in shape.

slyzmud 5y ago
Hey that sucks. Where do you live?

matsemann 5y ago

Normally 6+ hours each week (swim, run, cycle for triathlon, cross country skiing during winter), I bike everywhere so 30-60 minutes additionally to the workout a day of biking. Sucks with a third lockdown and swim groups are on hold again. And I actually broke my cross country shoe (!) in half the other day, so waiting for stores to open so I can replace it and get out again. So today I decided to use Wandrer.earth and try to bike all streets in my city. With the amount of snow that was a bad idea, hehe. Last two years had a knee issue no one can figure out, which has hampered the amount of training a bit. Hurts medial side/hamstring, and is as if my knee cannot track properly anymore and have become knock-kneed on one knee. :(

anthomtb 5y ago

During the spring, summer and fall, I hit 6+ hours by mountain biking 3-4 times a week. When there’s too much snow on the ground I use an indoor smart trainer 4-5 times a week. The indoor workouts are not much fun but I’m the type of person who gets very edgy and irritable without regular exercise. Mountain biking is an awesome workout and, more than that, and awesome experience. It’s got all the fitness benefits of road cycling with none of the monotony. Downsides are that it’s expensive, good trails aren’t available everywhere, the injury risk is real (but lower than motocross), and you might find yourself much more interested in the bike than in anything else.

CapitalistCartr 5y ago

My last job was physically strenuous. I took a new (desk) job at the end of June and have since acquired a shiny new belly. I'm not sure where it came from.

angrais 5y ago
Regarding belly gains - my guess: you had a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR) during your last role given it was more physical. You have since reduced physical activity (exercise) and continued eating the same amount (or more). All the while your BMR is decreasing, and so you have gained weight, which for you is stored on your belly.

logosmonkey 5y ago

About 7 or 8 hours total, slowly creeping up as my half marathon training long runs start taking more time. Prior to starting half marathon training it was right at 6 though. 3 x per week weight training and 3 x per week 5k training runs each of those ~1 hour. Current schedule is M/W 1 hour weight training T/T/S/Su half marathon training with long runs on Saturday. Those are starting to get above an hour as the mileage increases. In another 3 weeks or so all my runs except Sunday will average above an hour more than likely so probably get into the 8-9 hours per week territory. At 42 I'm now healthier than I've ever been. All that time in my 20's making excuses about how I didn't have time to lift/run whatever was BS. It's far easier than people think to get into very good shape. That hour or so per day is just one less hour dicking off on the internet or watching TV or something - you won't miss it.

ThinkBeat 5y ago
1h on a 5K?
- logosmonkey 5y ago
  early runs when I was doing c25k were like 45 minutes. My current runs are all 4 miles or more. Additionally there's usually 10 minutes of warmup/cooldown for each run. Also I'm very slow :)
  - logosmonkey 5y ago
    I just ran a 5k race on the 1st and I did 37:17 so that's my best in this phase of running (I previously ran somewhere in the 36's when I was younger)

scruple 5y ago

Strength sessions 3-4 times a week. HIIT style conditioning sessions 2-3 times a week. At least 1 hour long LISS style endurance session once a week, rarely more than this. Loads of walking around our neighborhood, pushing a wagon or a stroller or walking our dogs, and weekend hikes (rucks, I carry my toddlers, one at a time, on local trails). I apply a minimum effective dose mentality to the strength and conditioning. I follow Tactical Barbell training protocols. I'm in my 40s and I am in the best shape of my life. Not as fast as I was when I was younger, of course, but no slouch, either, yet much, much stronger and with more stamina and endurance.

ducharmdev 5y ago

I don't really enjoy exercise much, but I made a quick Django site to track my workout data, which makes it a little more interesting to me. Sure, I could have used one of the million workout apps that are out there, but I feel more invested when I am completely in charge of collecting, managing, and using my data. I don't have to leave it up to someone else to gameify my exercise; I get to decide how.

dirtyid 5y ago

~15 minutes of actual lifting over 2 hours of podcasts 3-4x a week.

ccosmin 5y ago

I try to do at least 8Km of swimming in 4-5 sessions and run at least twice a week around 9Km. I did two sprint triathlons in 2021 and train for an olympic one this year (Deauville).

gmays 5y ago

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, but I'm a big fan of rowing (Concept 2). I had a rower about 15 years ago, then sold it when I deployed to Iraq for a year. After that, I spent another year in Afghanistan. Then I started my career in tech after I was injured on deployment and left the Marine Corps. Then we had kids—all excuses for not exercising consistently. I needed something convenient to squeeze in a 15-30 minute workout I'd enjoy once the kids go down, so I got another rower and started rowing again a couple of months ago. I've been pretty consistent (I've worked out 52 days in a row now, with exceptions for special circumstances like deaths in the family). It's a great full-body workout, and I listen to podcasts/audiobooks or watch football if there's a game on. I can't recommend it enough. Some people have recommended BJJ, which I've enjoyed in the past, but with kids and my wife and I working 60+ hours a week (she owns a business), convenience + enjoyment are the only way to make it something I'll stick to.

jl2718 5y ago
These things were everywhere I went. Even B-hut fob gyms had Concept-2 rowers. In BAF there was a giant sign outside the Disney clamshell, “NO EXCUSES”. Hit it for 5 minutes in full uniform about 10 times a day between every movement and then ran to make up time. Best fitness years of my life. Different experiences I guess.
- gmays 5y ago
  That's great you had that. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, I was on MTTs (2 years total) operating on small embedded teams where we lived with local security forces (Iraqi Army and Afghan Border Police, respectively). We didn't live on large bases like most. But we had pretty much constant operations, so exercise wasn't a problem. To clarify, I meant that I got away from rowing when I deployed, not from exercise (until I was injured, that is).

mikewarot 5y ago

Long Covid sufferer here - does going to the grocery store count as exercise?