7 ms·

I live in a very transient city with very little tech industry, which also happens to be a city where half the population leaves every April/May through October

I live in a very transient city with very little tech industry, which also happens to be a city where half the population leaves every April/May through October/November. Community has been hard, especially meeting new folks. There have been a few community tech events that have come and gone, and I've been lucky enough to meet a few friends through that. I joined a gym 4 years ago, and a lot of my friends now I've met through that gym.

Brusco_RF 3y ago
Phoenix? Because I have been living in southern Arizona for 5 years now and have also found this frustrating.
sgt 3y ago
I can't imagine anything worse than going to the gym. What do you do there? Walk on a treadmill like a mouse in a laboratory? Also, you come back starving because you've burned calories, probably eating way more than you should due to being famished. And it's also extremely boring. I've tried it once or twice, but I just can't handle it. Genuinely interested in how some people manage to consistently keep going to the gym.
- michaelrpeskin 3y ago
  If you're going to a "treadmill" gym, yeah, you're right. But a small powerlifting or weightlifting gym is different. You have to have a spotter or partner, so you'll workout with someone while you're there. And if you're doing it right, you have more downtime between sets than time working, so you end up chatting and making friends.
- skulk 3y ago
  Cardio exercise is absolutely dreadful. Try lifting weights, heavy ones (after studying form via YouTube videos and verifying that your form is correct on lighter weights). Pushing your limits is neither boring nor time-consuming. 45 minutes is enough for a vigorous workout.
  - anon7725 3y ago
    > Cardio exercise is absolutely dreadful. Indoor cardio, sure. Walking/hiking/running/biking outdoors is great.
    - sgt 3y ago
      Amen
- m463 3y ago
  Many people go to the gym as a means of achieving their goals. If you have health goals in mind, there are a lot of things at the gym that support them. For example, one friend was overweight and it was recommended that in addition to cardio, he have strength training. He goes a couple nights a week and goes through the strength training stations. He's lost 7 inches on his waist in the last few months. Another friend goes for the exercise classes I did the gym years ago, but nowadays I bought a used stairmaster for cheap and set it up in my house. I read for pleasure and do it while on the stairmaster. I also hike with others frequently, but days I can't this works for me.
- duopixel 3y ago
  Regular gym goer for 20+ years here. It eventually becomes difficult not going to the gym, on days I can’t exercise I feel restless, like a dog that hasn’t gone out for his walk. Food, I eat between 4K and 5k calories per day and I’m close to 10% body fat. I love eating. Re: boring. Lift heavy, it’s supposed to be challenging. It should require focus and concentration. Don’t use machines, those are boring. I would never go if it were exclusively for aesthetic, strength, or health benefits. For me it lifts my mood like nothing else, anytime I feel like not going I know it is my I unexercised mind telling me stories, once I start moving weight it’s like changing a radio station in my head and the negative affect fades away.
- _yb2s 3y ago
  I used to feel exactly like you, until I started for health reasons, and found I couldn’t have been more wrong. Weight training is the most cognitively demanding thing I’ve ever done, not at all mindless or boring. Using proper form and technique is essentially a martial art, and takes tremendous skill and focus, and can advance in skill limitlessly. As a competitive strongman, I’m also always pushing my skills by lifting and carrying new objects that require different skills and techniques. Some “feats of strength” have taken years of training and strategizing to accomplish. Walking on a treadmill is still boring to me and I avoid it. For the gym to be fun and engaging it needs to be both cognitively and physically demanding, yet possible to accomplish.
  - sgt 3y ago
    I'll give the weight training a chance. What you say certainly make sense and I can't just dismiss something without trying.
    - _yb2s 3y ago
      Great! I recommend finding some sort of community, club, or coach. Heavy lifts are dangerous if you do them wrong, and you also run the risk of developing bad habits. An hour or two 1:1 with a strength coach from a program like Starting Strength is really worth it. https://coaching.startingstrength.com/ https://coaching.startingstrength.com/
- fbrncci 3y ago
  I work out somewhat between 9-12 hours per week consistently (weights, yoga, running, muay-thai). It also makes me feel quick(er), more energetic and relaxed. Of course there is a physical aspect to it as well, I look great. And a mental and cognitive one too. Knowing that I can push through quite some physical strain, makes me realize that the mental strains, stressors and problems I face on a daily basis aren't all that different. What keeps me going is seeing the benefits accrue over time, but it also was hard for me to get started ... but all did start with a tiny habit 10 years ago, you don't have to go all out on a routine in a gym, or boring yourself to death with something you don't like. There are enough options.
michaelrpeskin 3y ago
Expanding on the gym comment. I've been going to small gyms for 20+ years and always loved the community there. When our gym shut down for lockdowns, I had enough space and equipment to invite folks to train in my driveway. I now host folks every evening to do workouts. Great for community! We haven't even thought of going back to a gym even though everything is open again. We like the community that we've grown into.
_piif 3y ago
> I joined a gym 4 years ago, and a lot of my friends now I've met through that gym. Is it common for strangers to actually approach each other in the gym? At least here everyone goes from machine to machine listening to music and making as little contact as possible and the few times I've been approached was just to ask how many sets I have left. I've been surprised just how much that seems to differ from place to place.

Brusco_RF 3y ago

Phoenix? Because I have been living in southern Arizona for 5 years now and have also found this frustrating.

sgt 3y ago

I can't imagine anything worse than going to the gym. What do you do there? Walk on a treadmill like a mouse in a laboratory? Also, you come back starving because you've burned calories, probably eating way more than you should due to being famished. And it's also extremely boring. I've tried it once or twice, but I just can't handle it. Genuinely interested in how some people manage to consistently keep going to the gym.

michaelrpeskin 3y ago
If you're going to a "treadmill" gym, yeah, you're right. But a small powerlifting or weightlifting gym is different. You have to have a spotter or partner, so you'll workout with someone while you're there. And if you're doing it right, you have more downtime between sets than time working, so you end up chatting and making friends.
skulk 3y ago
Cardio exercise is absolutely dreadful. Try lifting weights, heavy ones (after studying form via YouTube videos and verifying that your form is correct on lighter weights). Pushing your limits is neither boring nor time-consuming. 45 minutes is enough for a vigorous workout.
- anon7725 3y ago
  > Cardio exercise is absolutely dreadful. Indoor cardio, sure. Walking/hiking/running/biking outdoors is great.
  - sgt 3y ago
    Amen
m463 3y ago
Many people go to the gym as a means of achieving their goals. If you have health goals in mind, there are a lot of things at the gym that support them. For example, one friend was overweight and it was recommended that in addition to cardio, he have strength training. He goes a couple nights a week and goes through the strength training stations. He's lost 7 inches on his waist in the last few months. Another friend goes for the exercise classes I did the gym years ago, but nowadays I bought a used stairmaster for cheap and set it up in my house. I read for pleasure and do it while on the stairmaster. I also hike with others frequently, but days I can't this works for me.
duopixel 3y ago
Regular gym goer for 20+ years here. It eventually becomes difficult not going to the gym, on days I can’t exercise I feel restless, like a dog that hasn’t gone out for his walk. Food, I eat between 4K and 5k calories per day and I’m close to 10% body fat. I love eating. Re: boring. Lift heavy, it’s supposed to be challenging. It should require focus and concentration. Don’t use machines, those are boring. I would never go if it were exclusively for aesthetic, strength, or health benefits. For me it lifts my mood like nothing else, anytime I feel like not going I know it is my I unexercised mind telling me stories, once I start moving weight it’s like changing a radio station in my head and the negative affect fades away.
_yb2s 3y ago
I used to feel exactly like you, until I started for health reasons, and found I couldn’t have been more wrong. Weight training is the most cognitively demanding thing I’ve ever done, not at all mindless or boring. Using proper form and technique is essentially a martial art, and takes tremendous skill and focus, and can advance in skill limitlessly. As a competitive strongman, I’m also always pushing my skills by lifting and carrying new objects that require different skills and techniques. Some “feats of strength” have taken years of training and strategizing to accomplish. Walking on a treadmill is still boring to me and I avoid it. For the gym to be fun and engaging it needs to be both cognitively and physically demanding, yet possible to accomplish.
- sgt 3y ago
  I'll give the weight training a chance. What you say certainly make sense and I can't just dismiss something without trying.
  - _yb2s 3y ago
    Great! I recommend finding some sort of community, club, or coach. Heavy lifts are dangerous if you do them wrong, and you also run the risk of developing bad habits. An hour or two 1:1 with a strength coach from a program like Starting Strength is really worth it. https://coaching.startingstrength.com/ https://coaching.startingstrength.com/
fbrncci 3y ago
I work out somewhat between 9-12 hours per week consistently (weights, yoga, running, muay-thai). It also makes me feel quick(er), more energetic and relaxed. Of course there is a physical aspect to it as well, I look great. And a mental and cognitive one too. Knowing that I can push through quite some physical strain, makes me realize that the mental strains, stressors and problems I face on a daily basis aren't all that different. What keeps me going is seeing the benefits accrue over time, but it also was hard for me to get started ... but all did start with a tiny habit 10 years ago, you don't have to go all out on a routine in a gym, or boring yourself to death with something you don't like. There are enough options.

michaelrpeskin 3y ago

Expanding on the gym comment. I've been going to small gyms for 20+ years and always loved the community there. When our gym shut down for lockdowns, I had enough space and equipment to invite folks to train in my driveway. I now host folks every evening to do workouts. Great for community! We haven't even thought of going back to a gym even though everything is open again. We like the community that we've grown into.

_piif 3y ago

> I joined a gym 4 years ago, and a lot of my friends now I've met through that gym. Is it common for strangers to actually approach each other in the gym? At least here everyone goes from machine to machine listening to music and making as little contact as possible and the few times I've been approached was just to ask how many sets I have left. I've been surprised just how much that seems to differ from place to place.