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There seems to be an elephant in the room: gym is boring, pointless and offers too few bang for the trouble. It's inherently boring. Walking is fun. Hiking is

There seems to be an elephant in the room: gym is boring, pointless and offers too few bang for the trouble. It's inherently boring. Walking is fun. Hiking is fun. Chopping lumber is fun. Swimming in rivers and lakes is fun (pools - less so). You see new things and move yourself around. In gym, nothing really changes, you just do some repetitive things in a big room without windows. Sitting in cubicle is probably more fun because you've got web access at least. I don't know if the problem is inherently solvable or not.

nosequel 15y ago
Find a gym that isn't boring. They exist. Flip tires, pull a sled, climb a rope, throw a heavy ball... Doing a bodybuilding routine is incredibly boring, but finding something you like at the gym can be very rewarding. Like anything else though, you have to work a bit to find out the good stuff amongst the crap.
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  Yea, you can always trade off some optimality for interesting if you need. Weight lifting isn't the only way to get in shape, it's just the most methodical & straight-forward.
brudgers 15y ago
What worked for me as I became more serious about refereeing was reframing exercise as training. My initial goal was not to collapse running up and down the field with the players. They have progressed from there. Reframing is a useful strategy in general, increasing physical activity and improving nutrition don't carry all the baggage of exercise and diet carry for many people.
georgieporgie 15y ago
Podcasts. I also read my Kindle on the stationary bike in my 30min warmup cardio session. Once you develop the coordination and cadence, you don't need much active thinking to spin a stationary bike. Once you're familiar with weight training motions, you only really need significant mental energy in the last couple of reps. Personally, most of my gym time is spent mentally engaged in what's coming into my ears. A year in, I'm making fairly consistent gains, so it's working.

nosequel 15y ago

Find a gym that isn't boring. They exist. Flip tires, pull a sled, climb a rope, throw a heavy ball... Doing a bodybuilding routine is incredibly boring, but finding something you like at the gym can be very rewarding. Like anything else though, you have to work a bit to find out the good stuff amongst the crap.

sliverstorm 15y ago
Yea, you can always trade off some optimality for interesting if you need. Weight lifting isn't the only way to get in shape, it's just the most methodical & straight-forward.

brudgers 15y ago

What worked for me as I became more serious about refereeing was reframing exercise as training. My initial goal was not to collapse running up and down the field with the players. They have progressed from there. Reframing is a useful strategy in general, increasing physical activity and improving nutrition don't carry all the baggage of exercise and diet carry for many people.

georgieporgie 15y ago

Podcasts. I also read my Kindle on the stationary bike in my 30min warmup cardio session. Once you develop the coordination and cadence, you don't need much active thinking to spin a stationary bike. Once you're familiar with weight training motions, you only really need significant mental energy in the last couple of reps. Personally, most of my gym time is spent mentally engaged in what's coming into my ears. A year in, I'm making fairly consistent gains, so it's working.