I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week(happychasing.substack.com)
happychasing.substack.com
I tricked myself into working out 3 times per week
https://happychasing.substack.com/p/exercising-regularly
169 comments
For a month now, I've been getting up at 5am every day to go cruising around my empty city on a skateboard, as a complete noob. It's changed my life substantially for the better. I've been very interested to figure out where I found this implausible level of... motivation? self-discipline? I'm not the sort of person to expect such from myself. Where did this unexpected success come from, and how can I attempt to continue it -- what does its forward extrapolation look like?
Your comment resonates with me as very plausible. All the places I skate, for practical reasons, happened to be nature-rich parks that are the most aesthetic and pleasant places to be around. The sort of places that I'd lounge all day in, if I had an *excuse* to, if it made any sense to sit around all day on a park bench in the autumn chill. The sort of places my phone is stuffed with random photos I take of. (God-rays through the tree leaves! Cool squirrel!) Maybe I shouldn't discount these minor psychological factors, this atavistic familiarity with nature? Maybe it does have an outsized influence on my actions. I wonder.
Your comment resonates with me as very plausible. All the places I skate, for practical reasons, happened to be nature-rich parks that are the most aesthetic and pleasant places to be around. The sort of places that I'd lounge all day in, if I had an *excuse* to, if it made any sense to sit around all day on a park bench in the autumn chill. The sort of places my phone is stuffed with random photos I take of. (God-rays through the tree leaves! Cool squirrel!) Maybe I shouldn't discount these minor psychological factors, this atavistic familiarity with nature? Maybe it does have an outsized influence on my actions. I wonder.
I've been waiting for the end of a long, wet winter to go and explore some new places on online skates - been working on various braking and slalom techniques indoors to learn the skills needed to do outdoors more safely (for myself and others).
Need to get one of those stabilising selfie sticks for recording the adventures - holding a phone by hand results in a choppy nausea inducing clip.
Need to get one of those stabilising selfie sticks for recording the adventures - holding a phone by hand results in a choppy nausea inducing clip.
It's amazing how much fulfilment I get from riding around natural spaces on an electric unicycle (also works for bikes or whatever but that's what I use now), taking the occasional picture of things I find interesting. I sometimes wonder if it taps into hunter instincts and exercises normally unused parts of my subconscious brain.
This is known in the running community as the MAF method or Zone 2 training and it is key to sustaining an injury minimizing habit of running.
Think about it this way, do you enjoy a nice long walk? Most people do. You also don't have to mentally prepare yourself to go on a walk. Do you enjoy a nice long sprint? Probably not. If you tried to do it every day you would have to mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming suck. That's a huge hurdle to making it a habit.
So why not try to find a sweet spot in between a walk and a sprint? Just build up speed gradually from a walk. Once you have days where you have to psyche yourself up to go for a run, you know you are going too hard. Going for a walk and going for an easy run should not be any different for you mentally, although you might have to take a shower after a run.
Hope anyone who has struggled with running in the past is able to regain confidence with this mindset
Think about it this way, do you enjoy a nice long walk? Most people do. You also don't have to mentally prepare yourself to go on a walk. Do you enjoy a nice long sprint? Probably not. If you tried to do it every day you would have to mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming suck. That's a huge hurdle to making it a habit.
So why not try to find a sweet spot in between a walk and a sprint? Just build up speed gradually from a walk. Once you have days where you have to psyche yourself up to go for a run, you know you are going too hard. Going for a walk and going for an easy run should not be any different for you mentally, although you might have to take a shower after a run.
Hope anyone who has struggled with running in the past is able to regain confidence with this mindset
> I've found that I always pushed myself way too hard while running. The goal is not to be fast or have the best time.
This was a key point for me. Like many, I started with Couch to 5K. During my run intervals, I ran too fast. Had to make up for that 2 minutes of walking.
Eventually, after much reading and trial and error, I finally figured out how to run and how to program running. My standard is to keep my 1 mile time right at 7 minutes. I test it once a month. If it is creeping up, I’ll add in more running/cardio. Otherwise, I keep everything the same.
It took a lot of months of “slow” 11 and 12 minute miles to build up my body to be ready to start doing the tempo runs and speed work. I think too many new runners start right off with tempo and speed work because they “gotta feel the burn”, and they get embarrassed being passed. There were times I was going to quit running because I’m maintaining a 12 minute pace and people walking their dogs were passing me.
I don’t remember where I heard this (or read it), but depending on when you start your fitness journey, remember you spent YEARS getting yourself to where you were. You’re not going to turn it all around in months much less days.
This was a key point for me. Like many, I started with Couch to 5K. During my run intervals, I ran too fast. Had to make up for that 2 minutes of walking.
Eventually, after much reading and trial and error, I finally figured out how to run and how to program running. My standard is to keep my 1 mile time right at 7 minutes. I test it once a month. If it is creeping up, I’ll add in more running/cardio. Otherwise, I keep everything the same.
It took a lot of months of “slow” 11 and 12 minute miles to build up my body to be ready to start doing the tempo runs and speed work. I think too many new runners start right off with tempo and speed work because they “gotta feel the burn”, and they get embarrassed being passed. There were times I was going to quit running because I’m maintaining a 12 minute pace and people walking their dogs were passing me.
I don’t remember where I heard this (or read it), but depending on when you start your fitness journey, remember you spent YEARS getting yourself to where you were. You’re not going to turn it all around in months much less days.
I’ve exercised probably 90% of days for the last ten years. Days when I don’t are just rest days or travel days. To be honest, I think it’s best just to make it a habit like brushing your teeth. Working out is just what you do, and it’s a weird day if you don’t. Being highly motivated is kind of fleeting and just boring routine is more important.
Yep 100% agreed.
I worked out in the morning because "It's Monday, and Monday is a weekday, so that's why" is far more sustainable in the long term. Sometimes less thinking is better.
This said, for many people with jobs/kids/other commitments, regular workout is more of an exercise in scheduling than willpower. For that, the only advice I could offer is to use the mornings, and be done before anyone else in the house realises.
I worked out in the morning because "It's Monday, and Monday is a weekday, so that's why" is far more sustainable in the long term. Sometimes less thinking is better.
This said, for many people with jobs/kids/other commitments, regular workout is more of an exercise in scheduling than willpower. For that, the only advice I could offer is to use the mornings, and be done before anyone else in the house realises.
> Also, how your body feels after a run, is one of the best motivators to do it again.
Not everyone feels like this. I hate running, and hate the way my body feels afterwards. I just want to go to bed or sit down and do absolutely nothing. It wrecks my productivity for hours. I tried to get into running a few times because of the supposed "high" that you eventually start to feel. Never once felt it, even after several months of forcing myself to do daily runs.
Not everyone feels like this. I hate running, and hate the way my body feels afterwards. I just want to go to bed or sit down and do absolutely nothing. It wrecks my productivity for hours. I tried to get into running a few times because of the supposed "high" that you eventually start to feel. Never once felt it, even after several months of forcing myself to do daily runs.
Maybe the problem is that your are pushing yourself too hard. I think you will feel significantly less fatigued if you cut the intensity of your running workouts in half. From here you can work on slowly increasing your speed and endurance.
I did all that. When I started I could not run more than maybe a hundred yards. So I would run a little, walk a lot, run a little more, and slowly the ratio of running to walking changed and I could run a few miles without stopping to walk. I still felt just terrible and exhausted at the end of it. I never felt a high, or any other "good" feeling from it.
> I still felt just terrible and exhausted at the end of it.
If you put in half as much effort in those times, do you think you would've felt the same?
If you put in half as much effort in those times, do you think you would've felt the same?
You need a significant base level of fitness and a long enough run at a good pace to feel a runners high. However, it’s not limited to running cycling, swimming, and rowing can provide the same rush.
Anyway if your feeling exhausted after a daily run then slow down, it takes more than one day to recover from heavy exercise so daily runs should stay casual.
Anyway if your feeling exhausted after a daily run then slow down, it takes more than one day to recover from heavy exercise so daily runs should stay casual.
I've never gotten a "runner's high" from running. After decades of not experiencing it, I started doing circuit workouts in my basement due to covid. Strangely enough, finally experienced the "high" from circuit/HIIT workouts that combined weights & bodyweight movement. A pleasant surprise.
I recently started experiencing this for the first time, earlier I believed the same you do. It’s funny reading the thread here because it echoes a lot of my experiences - what made the difference was seeing it as “I’m going for a walk but will run any parts where I feel like it”. Now I’m not too tired afterwards and while I’m outside I’m able to think and observe nature around me. I tend to go around my lunch break, and have also had quite some work problems dissolving while I was out (a bit like how you sometimes come up with solutions under the shower). That’s another thing that helps me see this as useful time rather than a chore.
Genuinely curious, why would you force yourself into daily run for months when you feel bad after it? I mean, there are many sports, chances are one of them you will like. So why forcing yourself into obe you hate?
I made this same point in another response.
To answer your question, I was sedentary, not particularly overweight but I knew it was unhealthy, and I wanted to do something to get in better shape. I knew some people who were into running and they talked about how great it made them feel. I tried it, kept at it for a while despite what a miserable an experience it was, in the hope that there would be a "breakthrough" at some point and I would start enjoying it.
I now do weightlifting, and it's something I've been able to stick with for a few years. I don't "love" doing it but it's tolerable.
To answer your question, I was sedentary, not particularly overweight but I knew it was unhealthy, and I wanted to do something to get in better shape. I knew some people who were into running and they talked about how great it made them feel. I tried it, kept at it for a while despite what a miserable an experience it was, in the hope that there would be a "breakthrough" at some point and I would start enjoying it.
I now do weightlifting, and it's something I've been able to stick with for a few years. I don't "love" doing it but it's tolerable.
Dunno if you are still interested in hearing what helped others, I suppose not everybody has to like running, but I know that I learned to like both seimming and running at some point when before it was dreadful.
* It helped me to learn a lot about running form, which would make going for a run interesting because there are so many things to observe about one‘s body and form while doing it. Like honing a difficult skill. Same for swimming.
* Finding an intellectual interest in learning about running helped me as well. If I want to do something for hours, I better be really interested in it… (e.g. Daniel Lieberman‘s work / Born to Run / watching races / learning about how athletes today can run so much faster than before, ultra running,…)
* Running without shoes sometimes is a much richer sensory experience and not boring at all.
* I still way overestimated what a proper pace would be for me, and only started slowing down and enjoying running more recently. I know the feeling of feeling shredded the next day, but that means the workout was too hard. It took me over a year to go from a pandemic/work induced low-point to enjoying 5k runs regularly, and I underestimated how slow and steady the change would be. Can‘t emphasize enough how easy the easy runs should be. I can now enjoy 5k at a slow pace even though I could run 20k at a faster pace if I wanted to on any day.
* Finally, I think running is better with friends. [cf. Daniel Lieberman‘s work]
* It helped me to learn a lot about running form, which would make going for a run interesting because there are so many things to observe about one‘s body and form while doing it. Like honing a difficult skill. Same for swimming.
* Finding an intellectual interest in learning about running helped me as well. If I want to do something for hours, I better be really interested in it… (e.g. Daniel Lieberman‘s work / Born to Run / watching races / learning about how athletes today can run so much faster than before, ultra running,…)
* Running without shoes sometimes is a much richer sensory experience and not boring at all.
* I still way overestimated what a proper pace would be for me, and only started slowing down and enjoying running more recently. I know the feeling of feeling shredded the next day, but that means the workout was too hard. It took me over a year to go from a pandemic/work induced low-point to enjoying 5k runs regularly, and I underestimated how slow and steady the change would be. Can‘t emphasize enough how easy the easy runs should be. I can now enjoy 5k at a slow pace even though I could run 20k at a faster pace if I wanted to on any day.
* Finally, I think running is better with friends. [cf. Daniel Lieberman‘s work]
No I've pretty much abandonded the idea that I will ever enjoy running. I've given it more than a fair shake, and have found other ways to stay active.
I don't hate distance running or jogging in the slightest. Despite the fact that it works against all my natural talents, and would be a great way to injure myself if I did it. So I don't.
Sprinter's build is a real thing. If I ever run more than 200 meters at a stretch, I'm probably dodging bullets.
Sprinter's build is a real thing. If I ever run more than 200 meters at a stretch, I'm probably dodging bullets.
Haha! My neighbor was in the infantry in the Army, and he’s a smoker. Deployed 3 times - twice to Afghanistan and once to Iraq. According to him he’s been smoking since he was 18 and doesn’t plan on quitting (to each their own). I asked him once if smoking affected his running in the infantry. He told me what his sergeant told him - when you’re getting shot at, your cardio will be there.
For me, running was a chore. I had to really make my self go running. My body simply did not want to run. But after a year of 3x a week, a funny thing happened. My body started wanting to go running. I'd look forward to it.
I've been lifting for 20 years now. My body still hates it. Oh well :-/ what can you do.
P.S. I never time the runs, I never push it. I just run and don't worry about it. If someone passes me running faster, I yell at them for cheating :-)
I've been lifting for 20 years now. My body still hates it. Oh well :-/ what can you do.
P.S. I never time the runs, I never push it. I just run and don't worry about it. If someone passes me running faster, I yell at them for cheating :-)
> I never time the runs
I found running to be more enjoyable once I stopped using run-tracking apps like Strava.
Now I just use my phone's built-in pedometer. A run is just a way to help me hit 10k+ steps per day. During my runs I can be spontaneous without feeling like I'm going to ruin my Strava pace, and running isn't this overt start -> finish ordeal anymore.
I found running to be more enjoyable once I stopped using run-tracking apps like Strava.
Now I just use my phone's built-in pedometer. A run is just a way to help me hit 10k+ steps per day. During my runs I can be spontaneous without feeling like I'm going to ruin my Strava pace, and running isn't this overt start -> finish ordeal anymore.
I did the step thing for a while. and the heart rate monitor thing. Finally got bored with that and just go running :-)
P.S. after using the heart rate monitor for a while, you wind up with a pretty good feel for what it is without looking.
P.S. after using the heart rate monitor for a while, you wind up with a pretty good feel for what it is without looking.
Great story. I have a similar one with swimming. When I started swimming laps, I'd always come at it hard, and I'd sometimes panic, lose my breathing, and feel like I was going to drown, and have to stop completely. And it was terrifying.
Eventually I learned to a) slow down at the start, and b) to recognize when I was inching toward the redline, and slow down while still swimming to avoid the panic stop. I felt, and still feel, that there was an important life lesson there: to be attuned to yourself, to make conscious decisions about your behavior based on that awareness, optimize for 'harmony', or 'least disruption'. There are some psychological things going on, too, like shame, guilt, etc that seem really silly now but felt real and were pushing me toward the wrong conclusions!
Eventually I learned to a) slow down at the start, and b) to recognize when I was inching toward the redline, and slow down while still swimming to avoid the panic stop. I felt, and still feel, that there was an important life lesson there: to be attuned to yourself, to make conscious decisions about your behavior based on that awareness, optimize for 'harmony', or 'least disruption'. There are some psychological things going on, too, like shame, guilt, etc that seem really silly now but felt real and were pushing me toward the wrong conclusions!
> how your body feels after a run, is one of the best motivators to do it again
Last summer I stupidly went hard on one or two of the hot AF days (30C) and went 5-6 miles or so then got home feeling like I’d had the wind kicked out of me.
Needless to say, for the next few weeks my body would feel… scared(?) to go for a run and I had to skip more than a few just from the feeling of apprehension. Now I try to run slow and get home feeling moderately exerted and I actually look forward to my runs.
In fact, if I run in the morning, I get the blues after work because I don’t have a run to go on anymore!
Last summer I stupidly went hard on one or two of the hot AF days (30C) and went 5-6 miles or so then got home feeling like I’d had the wind kicked out of me.
Needless to say, for the next few weeks my body would feel… scared(?) to go for a run and I had to skip more than a few just from the feeling of apprehension. Now I try to run slow and get home feeling moderately exerted and I actually look forward to my runs.
In fact, if I run in the morning, I get the blues after work because I don’t have a run to go on anymore!
Agreed. I'm not motivated by punishment, especially arbitrary and voluntary punishment. And I'd have to bet $1000 per workout to even feel the financial pain, and at that point, it would also be directly conflicting with my financial goals. The whole made up agreement seems like it would take a lot of willpower for me to keep.
What motivates me to exercise is to focus on the tangible benefits I get from exercise. The main one: I feel great after a good workout. I also love to use running and swimming as excuses to explore new places, which gives me another immediate tangible benefit.
One of the best runs of my life was during pandemic lockdowns in Spain when we were finally allowed to leave the house after 3 months, but only as long as we were exercising. The easiest excuse for me to get a change of scenery was to run a 15k (I had been running 5ks in circles on my roof, so I was in shape). I have never enjoyed a long run so much.
What motivates me to exercise is to focus on the tangible benefits I get from exercise. The main one: I feel great after a good workout. I also love to use running and swimming as excuses to explore new places, which gives me another immediate tangible benefit.
One of the best runs of my life was during pandemic lockdowns in Spain when we were finally allowed to leave the house after 3 months, but only as long as we were exercising. The easiest excuse for me to get a change of scenery was to run a 15k (I had been running 5ks in circles on my roof, so I was in shape). I have never enjoyed a long run so much.
It helps if you have a nice park to run through. I think this is why I've always had an easier time consistently doing cardio than someone who might only do cardio on a stationary bike or treadmill. My friends don't believe me when I tell them I actually enjoy running. Running through nature can be a immersive and genuinely pleasurable experience. If you pay close attention it's never boring, there are always new things to notice on the trail, plus the endorphin high after a session is a reward in itself.
Like most difficult things, the more you do it the easier it is to keep doing it
Like most difficult things, the more you do it the easier it is to keep doing it
Also, you don't need to run continuously. It's perfectly fine to run for a couple minutes and then walk a bit. I think people's definitions of exercise are often too strict, or constrained.
Another way to get into running is to start by just going for a brisk walk and run a little bit when you feel like it. That's how I got into trail running. I was going for long hikes, and at some point I started jogging short sections (maybe only 30 seconds) when I was feeling good. By doing this I could limit the total amount of running I was doing while still getting a good workout in.
Another way to get into running is to start by just going for a brisk walk and run a little bit when you feel like it. That's how I got into trail running. I was going for long hikes, and at some point I started jogging short sections (maybe only 30 seconds) when I was feeling good. By doing this I could limit the total amount of running I was doing while still getting a good workout in.
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> Also, how your body feels after a run, is one of the best motivators to do it again.
This is the only thing that works for me.
No matter what I do, I can't make myself enjoy the actual run. I failed Couch to 5K multiple times. During my last attempt, I got stuck on week 5 and--frustrated with my lack of progress--forced myself to the top of the hill I was struggling with. I almost passed out, but I felt incredible for the rest of the day.
That did it. Now I'm out there first thing every morning because I crave that feeling, and the more I punish myself during the better I feel after.
This is the only thing that works for me.
No matter what I do, I can't make myself enjoy the actual run. I failed Couch to 5K multiple times. During my last attempt, I got stuck on week 5 and--frustrated with my lack of progress--forced myself to the top of the hill I was struggling with. I almost passed out, but I felt incredible for the rest of the day.
That did it. Now I'm out there first thing every morning because I crave that feeling, and the more I punish myself during the better I feel after.
I'd have to find the book. But there was research that showed that long-term motivating factors like being healthy, weight loss etc. were not as effective as short-term motivating factors like "I like how I feel after I run/workout/..." or It is beautiful to get outside, etc.
Basically, focusing on what is good about it now rather than what will be good later is better at building the habit.
Basically, focusing on what is good about it now rather than what will be good later is better at building the habit.
“Action comes before motivation” is something I constantly tell myself. On occasion I remember this and I actually do the thing.
I like the idea of reframing your goal from "I will run 5 times per week" to "I will be a person that runs often."
This works for me because if I miss one day of running then I've failed my goal immediately, whereas missing a few runs won't break the second goal and lets me make it up. This works for other goals as well.
This works for me because if I miss one day of running then I've failed my goal immediately, whereas missing a few runs won't break the second goal and lets me make it up. This works for other goals as well.
It sounds like you are relatively new to running. Have you had any problems with your knees? I have friends that want to start jogging but are hesitant to start. I've suggested walking instead.
As someone else has said: you can always start by mixing walking with jogging. The most important part is to start moving.
As for myself: I am not really new to running. However, since moving places I didnt run anymore because my only real motivation were the friends I did my runs with. I did other team sports as replacement (which I liked a lot). However, due to covid lockdowns I basically stopped all sports and gained weight. So, something had to give. I tried running (alone!) and thankfully it now works for me (as I advertised ;)). I started with a pace that was basically not really faster than people "walking". Since I have so much fun running right now, I actually have to watch out not to overdo it. I notice my knees a little but I don't really think they are the weakest part actually (losing more weight would help a lot wrt not overexerting the knees). As other posters have said: Going slowly (really slowly! If it feels like you're pushing yourself, it might be better to walk then.) is also the best thing one can do wrt avoiding injuries etc. So I can't really give a general recommendation except trying it out and see how your body feels. I think one can find out a lot by themselves simply by listening to the signals of the body.
As for myself: I am not really new to running. However, since moving places I didnt run anymore because my only real motivation were the friends I did my runs with. I did other team sports as replacement (which I liked a lot). However, due to covid lockdowns I basically stopped all sports and gained weight. So, something had to give. I tried running (alone!) and thankfully it now works for me (as I advertised ;)). I started with a pace that was basically not really faster than people "walking". Since I have so much fun running right now, I actually have to watch out not to overdo it. I notice my knees a little but I don't really think they are the weakest part actually (losing more weight would help a lot wrt not overexerting the knees). As other posters have said: Going slowly (really slowly! If it feels like you're pushing yourself, it might be better to walk then.) is also the best thing one can do wrt avoiding injuries etc. So I can't really give a general recommendation except trying it out and see how your body feels. I think one can find out a lot by themselves simply by listening to the signals of the body.
Running is bad for your knees is a common misconception. Just gotta ease in. I’ve been running for years and have had no knee issues. I know many people with tens of thousands of miles on their legs (approaching 6 figures in some cases) and their knees are fine
I'm happy for the author, but I've always found these sort of tricks to be a chore. I bought a cargo ebike and use it for 99% of my traveling, including a 20 mile commute to work (~40 minutes each way). Now you can exercise for free, no tricking necessary.
Sadly you aren't going to become super muscular riding around a bike, but I assure you, you'll be in excellent shape even with an ebike.
Maybe it's because I'm lazy, but I find having an active life is superior to exercising frequently and having an otherwise inactive life (I also use a deskcycle and a treadmill desk setup for about 2-3 hours at work).
I recently bought a 20lb weighted vest to add some resistance when I'm walking around the house. we'll see how that goes.
Sadly you aren't going to become super muscular riding around a bike, but I assure you, you'll be in excellent shape even with an ebike.
Maybe it's because I'm lazy, but I find having an active life is superior to exercising frequently and having an otherwise inactive life (I also use a deskcycle and a treadmill desk setup for about 2-3 hours at work).
I recently bought a 20lb weighted vest to add some resistance when I'm walking around the house. we'll see how that goes.
I wouldn't wear that weighted vest too much. If you wear it all day, it will have the same adverse effect on your joints as being 20 lbs overweight.
It's fine to use it to add work to body-weight exercises such as pullups, squats, etc. but don't wear it for hours just walking around.
It's fine to use it to add work to body-weight exercises such as pullups, squats, etc. but don't wear it for hours just walking around.
Surely that’s only true if the poster is already at the high end of normal? If he weighs 160lbs adding 20lbs isn’t going to do any harm.
The issue with things like weighted vests or weighted leg braces is that it's 20 lbs in one place, and it's not attached to you the same way your flesh is. If you gained 20 pounds it'd be distributed around your body, on various joints. No single place would experience significantly more stress. If you put on a vest, all that weight is being placed on your shoulders, which isn't somewhere you normally have much weight.
but is it really exercise with an ebike? I'd like to see others chip in on that (or studies ;).
Very much so. My heart rate readings are basically the same as on my road bike but I’m making the trip with ~100 pounds of kid & cargo.
I’ve seen a few studies supporting this in general: people ride with the same intensity but go further or get there faster.
There’s a really key benefit which is less obvious: e-bikes remove disincentives. Everyone I know who bought one rides more because they don’t have to worry about that one big hill, or the spot where you need to be on a road & going <20 mph triggers driver aggression, or you can carry your heavier groceries home, etc.
I’ve seen a few studies supporting this in general: people ride with the same intensity but go further or get there faster.
There’s a really key benefit which is less obvious: e-bikes remove disincentives. Everyone I know who bought one rides more because they don’t have to worry about that one big hill, or the spot where you need to be on a road & going <20 mph triggers driver aggression, or you can carry your heavier groceries home, etc.
> I’ve seen a few studies supporting this in general: people ride with the same intensity but go further or get there faster.
I highly doubt this. I believe it's true for you, but in the Netherlands I always notice how e-bikers generally ride the maximum legal speed (25km/h) but at a preposterously low cadence and while sitting perfectly upright. Non e-bikers on the other hand go slower, have a higher cadence and (if there's a significant head wind) move their torso left and right in accordance with the pedal strokes. No way those intensities match.
I do believe that the area under curve can be similar, because e-bikers can indeed ride further.
I highly doubt this. I believe it's true for you, but in the Netherlands I always notice how e-bikers generally ride the maximum legal speed (25km/h) but at a preposterously low cadence and while sitting perfectly upright. Non e-bikers on the other hand go slower, have a higher cadence and (if there's a significant head wind) move their torso left and right in accordance with the pedal strokes. No way those intensities match.
I do believe that the area under curve can be similar, because e-bikers can indeed ride further.
I’d easily believe there’s a country bias: the Netherlands has so much more infrastructure encouraging non-enthusiast usage whereas here in the U.S. most places are still selecting for more adventurous riders.
Oh for sure. What people don't realize is how high the "whee!" factor is on an ebike. You're gonna be wanting to go fast automatically and near the bikes top speed the assistance gently tapers off. You'll balance at a speed where the amount of work you're doing is reasonable. You'll cycle much farther than otherwise because if your legs give in you can always cruise home at a slightly lower speed.
It's probably the best invention in transport since the car. Remember all the hype for the segway how it'd be the new mode of transport? all that applies to electric bicycles.
It's probably the best invention in transport since the car. Remember all the hype for the segway how it'd be the new mode of transport? all that applies to electric bicycles.
why wouldn't it be? you can still pedal and lower the assistance. personally I find using an ebike with low assistance to be more difficult than a regular, light road bike
>> personally I find using an ebike with low assistance to be more difficult than a regular, light road bike
this doesn't make an sense, unless you are intentionally using a big, heavy ebike with little pedal assist on purpose; why wouldn't you just stick with the road bike if it's less work, saving the complexity, cost and e-waste?
this doesn't make an sense, unless you are intentionally using a big, heavy ebike with little pedal assist on purpose; why wouldn't you just stick with the road bike if it's less work, saving the complexity, cost and e-waste?
it's less work than an ebike barely helping, yes. however given the same effort I can carry more things and go much faster on an ebike.
my question was not well-written. Should've been: Is it worthwhile exercise? And you answered that one. I guess it all depends on how much assistance you let go through.
It objectively is, yes.
The objective part being the heart rate monitor on my watch. I routinely get into the 130-145 range.
Or sometimes not! The throttle is not labor intensive. But that gets boring.
The objective part being the heart rate monitor on my watch. I routinely get into the 130-145 range.
Or sometimes not! The throttle is not labor intensive. But that gets boring.
I'm surprised about the down votes, I'm similarly curious. I bike a lot, and occasionally take a bikeshare e bike, and the difference is night and day. Yes, I'm moving my legs in the bike pedaling motion, but it in a way that feels like it exclusively is just a different input mechanism for the motor.
I wonder if there is a large spectrum of power in e bikes, and that bikeshare e bikes are at one end of that spectrum.
I wonder if there is a large spectrum of power in e bikes, and that bikeshare e bikes are at one end of that spectrum.
Depends on the e-bike and the riding behaviour, naturally.
If you simply use the assist to go faster but otherwise put in the same effort, then it's exercise. And if you enjoy the speed and it's convenient to travel more or even switch out car trips, it gets extra points. But if you simply take the same amount of trips, spend less time due to the extra speed, and mostly cycle on full pedal-assist (there's ebikes that are simply electric motorbikes with pedals) then no, it wouldn't be exercise.
If you simply use the assist to go faster but otherwise put in the same effort, then it's exercise. And if you enjoy the speed and it's convenient to travel more or even switch out car trips, it gets extra points. But if you simply take the same amount of trips, spend less time due to the extra speed, and mostly cycle on full pedal-assist (there's ebikes that are simply electric motorbikes with pedals) then no, it wouldn't be exercise.
Yes. Try riding one and it’s self-evident that it is. (Unless it has a throttle and you’re using that the whole time, but if your goal is exercise don’t do that!)
There's some evidence that ebike riders get more exercise than regular bike riders, https://electrek.co/2019/08/11/electric-bike-riders-more-exe...
It depends on the bicycle. Some of them, at the right assistance level, the rider still pedals enough to be in light cardio range, which provides huge health benefits. Other ebikes, not so much.
Either this is a flippant response or you've never been on an ebike. They are not motorcycles and require effort from the rider. The effort can be as minimal or as strenuous as you desire. If you measure by duration the effort is the same. If you measure by speed than one may exercise less overall but folks tend to make more ebike trips so there could be an offset there.
It is ridiculous to question if there is any effort expended.
It is ridiculous to question if there is any effort expended.
This reply doesn't assume best intent. I've ridden many ebikes and the effort is so clearly lower, to the point that it feels about the same as walking 1-2 mph. Maybe I ride it differently than everybody else somehow.
too many variables to compare - assistance level, wattage, gear, etc.
This is definitely my suspicion, I mentioned it in another comment. The e biking experience I have seems extremely assisted, but I bet that's at one end of the spectrum.
You can pick the torque you want for less or more assistance, and it stops at 25Km/h anyway.
I remember going to a talk by a cardiologist who said he told patients to take the bicycle and sometimes they'd come back with a worse heart. Then it would turn out that those patients thought an electric bicycle is good too, since it looks like a bicycle and you have to use the pedals like a bicycle. But since you don't really exert yourself it doesn't help the heart. That was maybe 10 years ago, so electric bicycles were not so ubiquitous back then.
That is not how ebikes work. Also, the anecdote is suspect, cause whole lot of hos patients will ride literally nothing or ride super rarely regardless of what bike they have.
I have a somewhat different financial game I use to motivate myself to work seriously on my hobbies. When I have a piece of gear I want to buy, like let's say new hiking boots. I make my self complete a challenge where say every time I run hills I put 5 dollars in savings towards the boots. That way I can't just buy the gear without putting in serious work at the activity first. Same thing for computing stuff, or photography, art or music. Want a new guitar? Need to play the one I have more to earn it first.
Nice! In case anyone is interested in the science of this effect and it's surprising power, this is an almost exact reproduction of an experiment, in the field of "connection science" or "social physics".
(NOTE: The true value here is in the CROSS-INCENTIVIZATION with an existing social relationship, not just the money)
The general truism that falls out of it is:
When possible, always apply incentives to the social fabric, not individuals. i.e. incentivize the edges of the graph (the relationships), rather than the nodes (the people) in isolation. Seek results by always opting to strengthen social bonds, instead of trying to bend people (who are social creatures) into actions while neglecting their social context, which often pull them back into prior habits or prevent the new ones from sticking strongly. Under some experimental conditions, incentives are 30x more effective when you use the money to strengthen a social relationship around an activity, rather than incentivizing the activity itself. (Further, unlike a direct monetary incentive where removing the incentive strongly attenuates the effect, you could now remove the money incentive between you and your brother, and you're much more likely to keep performing the activity even without monetary incentive, because the persistent social incentive is bootstrapped.)
This and other really interesting related research was pioneered by MIT's Sandy Pentland. It's very solid and applies in practice: His lab won the DARPA network grand challenge, where they found those 10 balloons hidden across the USA. He wrote a book. Here's his author talk: https://youtu.be/HMBl0ttu-Ow
The book "Social Physics" is a really great read if the video speaks to you
Frankly, it's affected my worldview hugely. This sort of research has huge policy and regulatory implications imho.
(NOTE: The true value here is in the CROSS-INCENTIVIZATION with an existing social relationship, not just the money)
The general truism that falls out of it is:
When possible, always apply incentives to the social fabric, not individuals. i.e. incentivize the edges of the graph (the relationships), rather than the nodes (the people) in isolation. Seek results by always opting to strengthen social bonds, instead of trying to bend people (who are social creatures) into actions while neglecting their social context, which often pull them back into prior habits or prevent the new ones from sticking strongly. Under some experimental conditions, incentives are 30x more effective when you use the money to strengthen a social relationship around an activity, rather than incentivizing the activity itself. (Further, unlike a direct monetary incentive where removing the incentive strongly attenuates the effect, you could now remove the money incentive between you and your brother, and you're much more likely to keep performing the activity even without monetary incentive, because the persistent social incentive is bootstrapped.)
This and other really interesting related research was pioneered by MIT's Sandy Pentland. It's very solid and applies in practice: His lab won the DARPA network grand challenge, where they found those 10 balloons hidden across the USA. He wrote a book. Here's his author talk: https://youtu.be/HMBl0ttu-Ow
The book "Social Physics" is a really great read if the video speaks to you
Frankly, it's affected my worldview hugely. This sort of research has huge policy and regulatory implications imho.
I’m having a hard time understanding what you mean. Can you give some examples?
Sorry, in short:
Assume partner (A) and (B) have existing social ties, ie. they're not strangers, and the closer, the better.
Options: (experimenter says)
1. "Hey A and B, for every day you meet your fitness goals, I'll give you 25¢"
2. "Hey A, for every day that B meets their fitness goals, I'll give you 25¢. Hey B, same goes for you."
With proper mechanism design, dollar for dollar, option (2) can be up to 30x more effective than (1).
At least in Pentland's studies, the dollar amount is token and intended to be so small as to be negligible. It being an excuse to strengthen the social relationship (around the new activity) is where the power to change behavior comes from.
Assume partner (A) and (B) have existing social ties, ie. they're not strangers, and the closer, the better.
Options: (experimenter says)
1. "Hey A and B, for every day you meet your fitness goals, I'll give you 25¢"
2. "Hey A, for every day that B meets their fitness goals, I'll give you 25¢. Hey B, same goes for you."
With proper mechanism design, dollar for dollar, option (2) can be up to 30x more effective than (1).
At least in Pentland's studies, the dollar amount is token and intended to be so small as to be negligible. It being an excuse to strengthen the social relationship (around the new activity) is where the power to change behavior comes from.
One thing I'd really echo here is the emphasis on "realistic". And not "realistic for somebody else" or "realistic for your imagined optimal self" but realistic given not just your current fitness level but also your current level of skill in following through.
As an example, travel and illness threw me off my regular schedule this summer. One I haven't exercised for a while I get kinda miserable, so exercising seems impossible and I have a hard time getting back to it. I couldn't just set a goal of 3 solid workouts per week; I would have failed.
What I picked was a daily streak of at least 10 minutes of elevated heart rate (zone 2 or better) per day. A short, brisk walk would be enough to qualify. The first days sucked and I had a couple false starts, but yesterday was streak day 18, and now going out for a 3-mile run or doing 30 minutes on the indoor bike actually feels good. So now I'm ready to commit to something more serious, but it took a ramp-up to get my brain ready for 3 real workouts per week.
As an example, travel and illness threw me off my regular schedule this summer. One I haven't exercised for a while I get kinda miserable, so exercising seems impossible and I have a hard time getting back to it. I couldn't just set a goal of 3 solid workouts per week; I would have failed.
What I picked was a daily streak of at least 10 minutes of elevated heart rate (zone 2 or better) per day. A short, brisk walk would be enough to qualify. The first days sucked and I had a couple false starts, but yesterday was streak day 18, and now going out for a 3-mile run or doing 30 minutes on the indoor bike actually feels good. So now I'm ready to commit to something more serious, but it took a ramp-up to get my brain ready for 3 real workouts per week.
I think a primary root cause to all motivation problems is that our brain is programmed to be lazy. By lazy, I mean, we are programmed to exert the least amount of effort possible to secure our safety and physiological needs.
And, in today's developed world, it's EXTREMELY easy to secure our safety and physiological needs. Once these basic needs are met, we find ourselves in a position where happiness is a function of self-esteem, fulfilling relationships, and physical health.
The problem is that these higher goals take hard work to obtain and maintain. And, our brain isn't wired to want to do that hard work - as long as we're safe & satiated, it wants to check out.
As a result, we have to learn to trick our brains into feeling motivated to achieve these higher goals.
One way to do this is to attach failure of goal completion to something scary like loss of income (see OP's article) or social status. This will trigger motivation because you're endangering your safety and physiological needs (which is what your brain is programmed to react to).
Another way is to learn to silence your subconscious programming (that voice in your head that convinces you to be lazy). You can do this with meditation or by following the 5 second rule: When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1-GO and just start moving towards action.
Finally, after you're done taking action and doing the hard work, you'll feel good. Taking time to notice these positive feelings, and building a causal connection between hard work and positive self-esteem makes goal completion easier as time goes on.
Being lazy is completely natural, and instead of feeling badly about it, we should just accept that our programming is misaligned with the modern world, and learn to take action towards being happy despite of it.
And, in today's developed world, it's EXTREMELY easy to secure our safety and physiological needs. Once these basic needs are met, we find ourselves in a position where happiness is a function of self-esteem, fulfilling relationships, and physical health.
The problem is that these higher goals take hard work to obtain and maintain. And, our brain isn't wired to want to do that hard work - as long as we're safe & satiated, it wants to check out.
As a result, we have to learn to trick our brains into feeling motivated to achieve these higher goals.
One way to do this is to attach failure of goal completion to something scary like loss of income (see OP's article) or social status. This will trigger motivation because you're endangering your safety and physiological needs (which is what your brain is programmed to react to).
Another way is to learn to silence your subconscious programming (that voice in your head that convinces you to be lazy). You can do this with meditation or by following the 5 second rule: When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1-GO and just start moving towards action.
Finally, after you're done taking action and doing the hard work, you'll feel good. Taking time to notice these positive feelings, and building a causal connection between hard work and positive self-esteem makes goal completion easier as time goes on.
Being lazy is completely natural, and instead of feeling badly about it, we should just accept that our programming is misaligned with the modern world, and learn to take action towards being happy despite of it.
If this sounds appealing, but you want a nice UI to go along with it, check out https://www.beeminder.com/home. Not affiliated with them, just a happy customer for several years.
Also a happy Beeminder customer!
Note that Beeminder allows manual entry of data — I use this to track “work out 3x / week” type goals, but also has plenty of integrations (e.g. Apple Health data) for goals like “walk 10k steps / day”
The latter makes it much tougher to cheat yourself
Note that Beeminder allows manual entry of data — I use this to track “work out 3x / week” type goals, but also has plenty of integrations (e.g. Apple Health data) for goals like “walk 10k steps / day”
The latter makes it much tougher to cheat yourself
it always boils down to cheating yourself, the integrations just make it easier to remove temptation
Huh. I like most of the idea, but there's no way I'm going to incentivize a company such that they do better if I fail.
They don't do better in the medium term if you fail. If you don't get any use of out Beeminder, you will stop being a customer.
I have been a customer of theirs since 2014. The few times I have had to interact with support they have always helped me (and to be clear I only remember having to contact support when I had a legitimate reason not to complete some work for a given day).
I have been a customer of theirs since 2014. The few times I have had to interact with support they have always helped me (and to be clear I only remember having to contact support when I had a legitimate reason not to complete some work for a given day).
It was never a problem for me. Between reading their blog posts about the theory of motivation and actually experiencing their UI (and interactions with their customer support when something went wrong and I was accidentally charged) I believe they really do want you as a happy customer above all which means helping you with your goals.
I can certainly believe it has worked for you. But there's just no way I'm putting myself in that situation. Maybe they are the kind of people who are truly able to spend their lives minimizing revenue. But I'd still always have to be on my guard for that changing. And even it went well, I would then feel bad that I'm not properly supporting people from whom I've gotten a lot of value.
I'm glad it works for other people, but the glaring conflict of interest makes it a hard no for me.
I'm glad it works for other people, but the glaring conflict of interest makes it a hard no for me.
Hi! Beeminder cofounder here! I'm pretty excited to see all the positive comments but of course I've homed in on this negative one first. I think Beeminder is incentivized to make you fail at your goals the same way eBay sellers are incentivized to not actually send you your stuff after you pay them.
Anyway, we have a whole elaborate essay on why there's very much the opposite of a conflict of interest: https://blog.beeminder.com/defail/ (about how Beeminder revenue is proportional to induced user awesomeness)
There's a key faulty assumption that may make it seem like our incentives are more perverse than they are. Namely, it's not the case that Beeminder goals are binary things that you either succeed or fail at. They're things you make long-term graphs of, like averaging 10k steps per day or working 40 hours per week. You pay Beeminder because your overall progress is much greater with Beeminder than without it, even though the specific moments you pay are kicks in the pants when you've deviated from your commitment.
I'm definitely interested to hear if any of this is persuasive. We hear the perverse incentives thing a lot so we need to figure out how to convey our apologia much more concisely in our intro material! (And thank you for voicing it!)
Anyway, we have a whole elaborate essay on why there's very much the opposite of a conflict of interest: https://blog.beeminder.com/defail/ (about how Beeminder revenue is proportional to induced user awesomeness)
There's a key faulty assumption that may make it seem like our incentives are more perverse than they are. Namely, it's not the case that Beeminder goals are binary things that you either succeed or fail at. They're things you make long-term graphs of, like averaging 10k steps per day or working 40 hours per week. You pay Beeminder because your overall progress is much greater with Beeminder than without it, even though the specific moments you pay are kicks in the pants when you've deviated from your commitment.
I'm definitely interested to hear if any of this is persuasive. We hear the perverse incentives thing a lot so we need to figure out how to convey our apologia much more concisely in our intro material! (And thank you for voicing it!)
Again, I am perfectly willing to believe that you are the rare kind of people who can ignore the perverse incentives. But people change. Companies change. Companies get sold, sometimes to people who are only in it for maximal short term revenue. Who then run the companies right into the ground either in the usual way or the private equity way.
As somebody who's spent decades supporting the Long Now, I believe that a lot of what's wrong in our society is people incorrectly understanding their long-term incentives and focusing on the short term. And I'm happy to believe here that Beeminder's long-term incentives really do work out to be mutually beneficial when handled by you.
But there's just no way I need the mental overhead of wondering all the time whether me paying you when I fail in a given instance really conforms to the ultra-long-term, 12-dimensional-chess understanding of conflict of interest. And then if/when it does, whether I'm failing enough to give you sufficient money so that there's a balanced exchange of value. That is way too much overhead, especially for a tool I'll be using in areas where I'll be hitting my cognitive limits on the regular.
I totally believe this works for some people, maybe most of them, but for me it's a non-starter.
As somebody who's spent decades supporting the Long Now, I believe that a lot of what's wrong in our society is people incorrectly understanding their long-term incentives and focusing on the short term. And I'm happy to believe here that Beeminder's long-term incentives really do work out to be mutually beneficial when handled by you.
But there's just no way I need the mental overhead of wondering all the time whether me paying you when I fail in a given instance really conforms to the ultra-long-term, 12-dimensional-chess understanding of conflict of interest. And then if/when it does, whether I'm failing enough to give you sufficient money so that there's a balanced exchange of value. That is way too much overhead, especially for a tool I'll be using in areas where I'll be hitting my cognitive limits on the regular.
I totally believe this works for some people, maybe most of them, but for me it's a non-starter.
Ah, this continues to be good feedback. Thanks for continuing to hash it out with me! I see I made it sound like there were a lot of moving parts in my argument for why our incentives aren't so perverse. I don't think that's the case! In particular, I don't think my argument relies on what kind of people we are. I mean, it relies on us not turning totally evil and myopic, but that's true of any company. If we started effectively wrongly charging you, you'd cry foul and quit.
I'm worried I'm not really grokking your underlying argument though. Maybe it just feels gross to have this kind of setup with a third party as opposed to doing it with friends. That's the kind of thing I can't argue with so if it's something like that we can leave it at that. Thanks again for helping me think through how to convey our pitch for the general non-perverseness of it in any case.
I'm worried I'm not really grokking your underlying argument though. Maybe it just feels gross to have this kind of setup with a third party as opposed to doing it with friends. That's the kind of thing I can't argue with so if it's something like that we can leave it at that. Thanks again for helping me think through how to convey our pitch for the general non-perverseness of it in any case.
Glad to help.
It's true that any company can turn greedy, and many do. But a problem here for me is that the structure is more dangerous when it does. If HBO turns evil, my downside risk is the $15/month I pay them. But with a habit incentive system like this, the downside risk is larger and unknown. And given that the whole point is to build habits that people stick with, "you'd cry foul and quit" is in question. Look at the way the various online games milk vast sums milk from their "whale" players for example. When behaviors are correctly engineered, plenty of people don't quit.
For me yes, doing it with friends is different, because the metagame (or in Carse's term, the infinite game) is about the friendship. That too acts as a downside risk limit. But if your company were taken over tomorrow by invading aliens or private equity MBAs, all they'd want is the money.
And again, very important to me is value-for-value exchange. E.g., I'm a Newsblur subscriber. I was on their $36/year subscription. They just added a new $99 tier. I signed up immediately not because I need the features, but because I value it higher than $36/year and want to help make sure they're well funded.
So if you had a similar service where I paid you a subscription fee and then money went to, say, my brother, that would be a different deal. My downside risk is limited, the metagame keeps things safer, my cognitive load about systemic effects is manageable, and it adds a social component that means more to me than cash incentives anyhow.
I hope that helps!
It's true that any company can turn greedy, and many do. But a problem here for me is that the structure is more dangerous when it does. If HBO turns evil, my downside risk is the $15/month I pay them. But with a habit incentive system like this, the downside risk is larger and unknown. And given that the whole point is to build habits that people stick with, "you'd cry foul and quit" is in question. Look at the way the various online games milk vast sums milk from their "whale" players for example. When behaviors are correctly engineered, plenty of people don't quit.
For me yes, doing it with friends is different, because the metagame (or in Carse's term, the infinite game) is about the friendship. That too acts as a downside risk limit. But if your company were taken over tomorrow by invading aliens or private equity MBAs, all they'd want is the money.
And again, very important to me is value-for-value exchange. E.g., I'm a Newsblur subscriber. I was on their $36/year subscription. They just added a new $99 tier. I signed up immediately not because I need the features, but because I value it higher than $36/year and want to help make sure they're well funded.
So if you had a similar service where I paid you a subscription fee and then money went to, say, my brother, that would be a different deal. My downside risk is limited, the metagame keeps things safer, my cognitive load about systemic effects is manageable, and it adds a social component that means more to me than cash incentives anyhow.
I hope that helps!
Your argument only works in the short term - if you fail consistently in the long term you will realise the service is not working for you and they will lose you as a customer.
Failing intermittently in the short term - and losing money for it - will cause any rational actor motivated by the financial argument - as you clearly are - to try and work out why and fail less, hence proving their service is working for you.
Failing intermittently in the short term - and losing money for it - will cause any rational actor motivated by the financial argument - as you clearly are - to try and work out why and fail less, hence proving their service is working for you.
I am not particularly motivated by money, so no, that's not me.
In the long run, there are no scams, no dubious businesses, no casinos, no ponzis. In the long run, we're all dead. But in the short term, people lose money all the time on stuff that doesn't work for them. Is this one of them? Apparently not for some people. On the other hand, MLMs have plenty of people who talk them up while losing money, so it's hard to say from the outside.
In the long run, there are no scams, no dubious businesses, no casinos, no ponzis. In the long run, we're all dead. But in the short term, people lose money all the time on stuff that doesn't work for them. Is this one of them? Apparently not for some people. On the other hand, MLMs have plenty of people who talk them up while losing money, so it's hard to say from the outside.
Just make a similar bet with a friend or family member instead.
This looks great but I'm surprised there isn't any % of the paid money going to charities, good causes or something.
I'd like something like this that pays into my retirement, a long-term investment or donates to charity, with maybe 1-20% going to Beeminder or whatever.
I'd like something like this that pays into my retirement, a long-term investment or donates to charity, with maybe 1-20% going to Beeminder or whatever.
If failure means you pay out to something you like (retirement, charity), then you're incentivized to fail.
I started working out 6 months ago for the first time, with a personal trainer. I had tried a few times to do it on my own or with a friend, but with a friend it's too hard to coordinate schedules, and without a pro, it's too easy to get hurt (tore my shoulder up the first day and it took a year to sort of heal).
Hiring a good trainer has lots of advantages:
- you don't have to think about what you need to do
- they show you safe vs unsafe movements and keep you safe during training
- it's an appointment, so you're less likely to miss. My trainer doesn't normally charge for missed appointments (too nice IMO) but I pay by the month so I have to pay if I miss
- my trainer creates several circuits of 3-5 exercises and they are done 3-5 times each. The circuits are designed so that different muscles are used in each exercise, ie, "active resting", so an entire workout can fit in a half an hour for example.
If you have the funds, highly recommend hiring a trainer. Now I actually enjoy working out 4x a week for 45 minutes.
Hiring a good trainer has lots of advantages:
- you don't have to think about what you need to do
- they show you safe vs unsafe movements and keep you safe during training
- it's an appointment, so you're less likely to miss. My trainer doesn't normally charge for missed appointments (too nice IMO) but I pay by the month so I have to pay if I miss
- my trainer creates several circuits of 3-5 exercises and they are done 3-5 times each. The circuits are designed so that different muscles are used in each exercise, ie, "active resting", so an entire workout can fit in a half an hour for example.
If you have the funds, highly recommend hiring a trainer. Now I actually enjoy working out 4x a week for 45 minutes.
I used a personal trainer for 3 years and I can't say I'd really recommend it. Definitely had it's advantages, but too many disadvantages to be worth the cost.
High turnover - I had about six different trainers during that time.
They all picked some random exercises for me to do whereas I'd rather have a well thought out schedule.
They are all flakey, lots of appointments cancelled last minute for "family emergencies."
Two asked me out on dates. I guess this would be an advantage for some, but I was interested in getting fit, not picking up men.
One was kinda mean to me.
I found going to yoga classes MUCH more useful.
High turnover - I had about six different trainers during that time.
They all picked some random exercises for me to do whereas I'd rather have a well thought out schedule.
They are all flakey, lots of appointments cancelled last minute for "family emergencies."
Two asked me out on dates. I guess this would be an advantage for some, but I was interested in getting fit, not picking up men.
One was kinda mean to me.
I found going to yoga classes MUCH more useful.
I'm using a trainer at a private gym. He owns the gym. Way different I think from going to a large commercial gym where they hire kids off the street, give them a few classes, and call them personal trainers.
Sounds like you had bad trainers. Definitely wouldn't recommend that. Finding a good one on the other hand is easily one of the best investments you can make.
Yes and a good, educated trainer might be more expensive than you might think (or feel comfortable with initially).
Working out with a PT also really helped me a lot. We work out outside, twice a week. Someone's waiting for me, which completely fixes the motivation problem for me. I'm still not someone who's naturally good at sports, but I've missed maybe 5 workouts in 3 years max (excepting vacations, sickness). I couldn't keep a routine before.
What worked for me was not car commuting. Walking and biking everywhere is great for keeping your baseline cardio level decent without it feeling like you’re making and effort, and it is often not a noticeable time difference. When you’re used to driving everywhere, most people are prone to wildly underestimating actual door to door travel times (city bicyclists will spend a lot of time waiting on friends who drive) so while the 40 minutes you spend bicycling home from work & picking up groceries is longer than the 30 minutes it’d take to drive / park it also replaces a separate gym trip. Saving thousands of dollars a year is nice, too.
Car owners often give Google maps estimates, which ignores last minute traffic changes, finding parking and the walk from parking. On the other hand, biking estimates on maps are often too conservative and the biker goes door to door with no obstructions.
Yes - I actually stopped using Google Maps for car trips after too many routes where it was like “save 30 seconds making an unprotected left against 4 lanes of traffic”. I get why people like the illusion of faster trips but I found them more stressful than accurate.
The easiest way to workout plenty is to find a physical activity that you actually enjoy doing. It really doesn't matter much what it is as long as it's active. Some people think it has to be going to the gym and lifting weights for an hour or two every other day (this just happens to be what I personally enjoy doing), but really any kind of activity will work. Biking, walking, running, lifting weights, team sports, wrestling with your dog, yoga, etc.
This is great for the author, but this type of motivation tends to fail at a certain point. So I'd say you can start with this, but in the meantime find something you love/like doing.
This is great for the author, but this type of motivation tends to fail at a certain point. So I'd say you can start with this, but in the meantime find something you love/like doing.
For me, setting a goal was the key. I've been messing about with kettlebells for a couple of years, but 16 weeks ago I started a goal to get to be able to complete a set number of lifts with a particular weight. I'm most of the way to that goal now, driven by meeting it and have been working out 6x per week since then. Previously, a normal week was maybe 2x.
When I do reach it, I plan to set a new goal around maintaining that.
For the other kettlebell nerds: the goal is 100x 32kg swings in 5 minutes and 10x Turkish getups with 32kg in under 10 minutes (the "simple" part of Pavel's simple and sinister)
When I do reach it, I plan to set a new goal around maintaining that.
For the other kettlebell nerds: the goal is 100x 32kg swings in 5 minutes and 10x Turkish getups with 32kg in under 10 minutes (the "simple" part of Pavel's simple and sinister)
For people who don't have a friend in the exact same boat, Beeminder[0] is this exact system as a service - you put in your goals, you report whether you completed them, they charge you for slipping up.
[0]: https://www.beeminder.com/
[0]: https://www.beeminder.com/
Accountability is fairly easy to game. I don’t think it works for everybody though. Money to me doesn’t motivate. I could probably spend $100 per missed workout and not feel attached to it because it doesn’t feel real nor painful.
For me, having kids did it. Being able to get in good routines while I’m still young is my hope that I will be able to squeeze out another visit or two from them by extending my life a few more years.
Hacking your habits is a great place to start, but getting clear on why you do certain things is how you master it.
For me, having kids did it. Being able to get in good routines while I’m still young is my hope that I will be able to squeeze out another visit or two from them by extending my life a few more years.
Hacking your habits is a great place to start, but getting clear on why you do certain things is how you master it.
I’ve had great luck with his technique and highly recommend it. Whenever I need to try something radically new and I find myself resistant to doing it, I’ll Venmo a friend a $100 and tell them to donate to my anti-charity if I don’t follow through. Hasn’t failed me once.
The author mentions sports, and that he stopped exercising regularly after he stopped playing soccer. One of the best ways to motivate yourself to exercise is to play sports, for several reasons, a crucial one being social: if you schedule a game with other people, then there's social pressure to do it and not skip it.
I think the ideal sport for recreational exercise is tennis. It only requires 2 people, 2 racquets, a ball, and a court. The court is perhaps the biggest obstacle, but there are public tennis courts all over the place. And if you've got money, you can join a tennis club. (The article author mentioned squash, which is fine too, but I think tennis courts are much more prevalent than squash courts.)
Team sports like soccer are harder to organize for amateur adults, though there are leagues and pickup games.
In a sense, the article author turned exercise into a social sport, with monetary prizes. The details are different, but the essence is the same: competition between two people rather than solitary effort.
I think the ideal sport for recreational exercise is tennis. It only requires 2 people, 2 racquets, a ball, and a court. The court is perhaps the biggest obstacle, but there are public tennis courts all over the place. And if you've got money, you can join a tennis club. (The article author mentioned squash, which is fine too, but I think tennis courts are much more prevalent than squash courts.)
Team sports like soccer are harder to organize for amateur adults, though there are leagues and pickup games.
In a sense, the article author turned exercise into a social sport, with monetary prizes. The details are different, but the essence is the same: competition between two people rather than solitary effort.
I just got a VR headset so that it makes working out fun. Now I work out 7 days a week for an hour.
I use weights and resistance bands to make it a bit more demanding and I can do it at home and enjoy it. No need for hacks.
I use weights and resistance bands to make it a bit more demanding and I can do it at home and enjoy it. No need for hacks.
You're literally hacking your optical system.
What software/program do you use?
Oculus Quest:
FitXR
Punch fit
Thrill of the fight
Mostly, with a little bit of powerbeats VR, beat saber, boombox for fun / warm ups.
Mostly, with a little bit of powerbeats VR, beat saber, boombox for fun / warm ups.
what kind of VR stuff you use during workout?
Mostly FitXR and Thrill of the fight.
This is basically https://www.beeminder.com/
(Started by friends)
(Started by friends)
There is also https://www.healthywage.com, which is sort of a "battle royale" version of https://www.beeminder.com
For me the biggest thing is finding the sport or activity that you enjoy (or can at least tolerate) doing.
Over the years I tried biking, running (street, trail, track), swimming, various machines, other things I'm probably forgetting. Hated every minute of it, and could never stick with it.
I tried weightlifting a few years ago. No machines, just barbells. I honesly can't say that I love doing it, but I have been able to stick with it 3 days per week and I only miss if I am sick or have an unavoidable conflict.
If you can't get into the habit of working out, try something else. Also try variations of group/solitary activity. I'm a pretty introverted person but one thing that helps with getting to the gym is knowing a group of people there.
Over the years I tried biking, running (street, trail, track), swimming, various machines, other things I'm probably forgetting. Hated every minute of it, and could never stick with it.
I tried weightlifting a few years ago. No machines, just barbells. I honesly can't say that I love doing it, but I have been able to stick with it 3 days per week and I only miss if I am sick or have an unavoidable conflict.
If you can't get into the habit of working out, try something else. Also try variations of group/solitary activity. I'm a pretty introverted person but one thing that helps with getting to the gym is knowing a group of people there.
Contrast this with the Israeli daycare that charged $3 for being late to pick up your child, to teach parents they needed to be on time. Late pickups grew geometrically. Because it wasn't an ethical issue any more; it was a service with a fee.
Isn’t that story from Daniel Ariely? If you can’t verify that it happened independently probably best to assume he made it up.
For more on this topic.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/dan-ariel...
For more on this topic.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/dan-ariel...
Adopt a feral dog : they domesticate easily and their last countless generations of ancestors were among the fittest selected by nature for general wellness and energy, not specific characteristics by (an echo chamber of) breeders.
First hand experience : you'll not be bored, they're smart and loving, and energetic (and hilarious). You'll therefore be more physically active without being bored than you thought possible.
And when people joke about border collies being high energy, you'll get lots of exercise rolling your eyes. Ours has a husky rescue friend, with comparable and likely much higher energy level, but generally, a canine makes a great personal trainer.
First hand experience : you'll not be bored, they're smart and loving, and energetic (and hilarious). You'll therefore be more physically active without being bored than you thought possible.
And when people joke about border collies being high energy, you'll get lots of exercise rolling your eyes. Ours has a husky rescue friend, with comparable and likely much higher energy level, but generally, a canine makes a great personal trainer.
As someone who has an energetic dog, I'd be careful of telling people to do this. It's a lot of responsibility, and the amount of workout and training is more time than I spend working at times. Especially if you are single like myself.
Yes I would not advise anyone working full time to have a pet that needs a lot of social company and exercise. A cat might be content to be alone in the house for 8 or 10 hours while you're at work, but most dogs will get stressed out and be unhappy with that. Dogs are not just pets, they are companion animals.
You take the dog to doggie day care. Assuming you can afford it.
A good one has a private space for each dog to chill, and several periods a day of group socializing. My dog absolutely loved it.
But leaving them alone? Nope.
A good one has a private space for each dog to chill, and several periods a day of group socializing. My dog absolutely loved it.
But leaving them alone? Nope.
Can you give some details about your experience? How old was the dog when you adopted?
Running is a chore. In the beginning I wanted to run for 30 minutes or longer. Couldn't do it consistently, thinking about it felt terrible. Then I read an article saying that it's enough to get heart rate up to get 80% of benefits, and a five minute run could be enough.
So I changed to running for just 5 minutes first thing when I woke up, which equaled to running around the block. Then get a shower immediately when I got home. After that I felt so much more clear mentally that I wanted to wake up next day just to run. Knowing that I would only run for five minutes it no longer was a chore.
So I changed to running for just 5 minutes first thing when I woke up, which equaled to running around the block. Then get a shower immediately when I got home. After that I felt so much more clear mentally that I wanted to wake up next day just to run. Knowing that I would only run for five minutes it no longer was a chore.
This is a well known phenomenon and its great to see it verified anecdotally again.
Some Econ professors also discovered this a while back and created stickk.com which allows you to put up a monetary punishment when you don't meet your agreed upon goal. The loss of money and having someone else keep you accountable greatly increases your motivation to achieve your goals.
The money you pay if you don't meet your goal is donated to charity.
Some Econ professors also discovered this a while back and created stickk.com which allows you to put up a monetary punishment when you don't meet your agreed upon goal. The loss of money and having someone else keep you accountable greatly increases your motivation to achieve your goals.
The money you pay if you don't meet your goal is donated to charity.
I do something similar though less taxing. I gave my brother an Apple Watch and we track each other's workouts but not competitively. Often, to close a ring, we'll WeChat during the walk; a chat or a podcast really takes the edge off of exercise. I also use the StrongLifts app to track workouts at the gym.
Yep, I dropped three tech names. I'm surprised but they work. The key is daily effort. I close my rings every day, for weeks and months on end. On days when I don't feel like it, I still force myself and then I feel great afterwards. I've done that enough times that I know for a fact that it will work when I'm not feeling it. The other key is to set a reasonable goal so that everyday isn't a stress. For me, that's 600/45/13.
From the depths of the COVID lockdown to now, my VO2Max has risen from 25.5 to 32 which for my age bracket is pretty good. Fun fact: donate blood and your VO2Max will go down.
The silicon guilt works for me. Yeah, I enjoy being in the gym and maybe not everyone does. But this gets me over the hump of wanting to work out to working out.
Yep, I dropped three tech names. I'm surprised but they work. The key is daily effort. I close my rings every day, for weeks and months on end. On days when I don't feel like it, I still force myself and then I feel great afterwards. I've done that enough times that I know for a fact that it will work when I'm not feeling it. The other key is to set a reasonable goal so that everyday isn't a stress. For me, that's 600/45/13.
From the depths of the COVID lockdown to now, my VO2Max has risen from 25.5 to 32 which for my age bracket is pretty good. Fun fact: donate blood and your VO2Max will go down.
The silicon guilt works for me. Yeah, I enjoy being in the gym and maybe not everyone does. But this gets me over the hump of wanting to work out to working out.
How do you measure that?
I assume you meant VO2Max; the real thing costs money. I feel like such a shill but your Apple Watch estimates it based on your activity, heart rate and movement. It shows up in the Apple Fitness on your iPhone.
It is an estimate but it goes up with a fair amount of effort. It gets harder to make progress the further up you go. But I'm here to tell you that 32 feels a LOT better than 25.5 did. The downsides to working out is feeling sore. But the down side to not working out is feeling crappy. I'll take sore over crappy.
It is an estimate but it goes up with a fair amount of effort. It gets harder to make progress the further up you go. But I'm here to tell you that 32 feels a LOT better than 25.5 did. The downsides to working out is feeling sore. But the down side to not working out is feeling crappy. I'll take sore over crappy.
I get a ton of exercise but I still feel out of shape. I wonder how the Apple Watch would handle that?
The only thing trackers do is track. I found that, for me, just walking every day helped a lot (starting from a COVID couch potato). It got me to 30. But to get to the next level, you really have to stress. I had to start climbing stairs, sets of stairs. Five sets of the Cleveland Cascade in Oakland did it. I had to get my heart rate up for at least a minute at a time.
And again, the only thing trackers do is keep me honest with myself about daily effort. Works for me.
And again, the only thing trackers do is keep me honest with myself about daily effort. Works for me.
Your VO2Max? You can get a reasonable estimate using this - https://www.omnicalculator.com/sports/vo2-max. But if you really want to know, you’ll need to go to a lab that knows how to run the test. I’ve done a lab test a few times. They’re challenging because you will go to failure. Cost me, at the time, $150.
My test was on a stationary cycle vs. a treadmill. Which worked better for me as I have shit running form.
My test was on a stationary cycle vs. a treadmill. Which worked better for me as I have shit running form.
I never liked “working out” (though I like doing physical activity with friends).
A few months I had an injury followed by a long post surgical recovery (still under way). I am forbidden from almost all exercise until the surgery heals.
And I notice it! I don’t think as well, I sleep more, and I have trouble getting things done.
Now I am really eager to work out!
A few months I had an injury followed by a long post surgical recovery (still under way). I am forbidden from almost all exercise until the surgery heals.
And I notice it! I don’t think as well, I sleep more, and I have trouble getting things done.
Now I am really eager to work out!
I did a version of this to achieve the holy 6pack grail. My wife held me accountable - I just had to stick to daily limit of calories (adjusted over time) and that's it. Around 7 months work.
Then when I "finished" I couldn't stabilize the habit and am still stumbling at around 19 % body fat... I guess it's time to dust off this method.
> I did a version of this to achieve the holy 6pack grail... Around 7 months work
What was your starting point, though? Were you already lean, or maybe skinnyfat but with good muscles underneath?
What was your starting point, though? Were you already lean, or maybe skinnyfat but with good muscles underneath?
As I recall it was around 18-19%. And I did some years of strength training before that. The quality ranged from couple of weeks of good ones to months of almost nothing. So to answer I'd say somewhere in between.
how little body fat do you need to be at to have a 6 pack?
I think everybody’s going to be a little different. But think single digit or low teens on average.
I’ve been powerlifting and body building for about 8 years now. I hover right around 15%. I don’t have a 6 pack. I doubt I ever will. I tried once a couple of years ago. My energy level was so low, and I hated all the food I was eating (chicken and broccoli 2 or 3 times a day, as little salt as possible, etc.). I got to 12%, had a 4 pack, and called it a day. I’m happy where I am now. Not ashamed to admit that I didn’t have the mental fortitude to accomplish the task.
I’ve been powerlifting and body building for about 8 years now. I hover right around 15%. I don’t have a 6 pack. I doubt I ever will. I tried once a couple of years ago. My energy level was so low, and I hated all the food I was eating (chicken and broccoli 2 or 3 times a day, as little salt as possible, etc.). I got to 12%, had a 4 pack, and called it a day. I’m happy where I am now. Not ashamed to admit that I didn’t have the mental fortitude to accomplish the task.
I used a pair of calipers (3 point measure) and it was around 12-13 % body fat.
But I can't be sure I don't have access to any machines (dexa as I recall).
But it was totally doable, and seemed maintainable...
It probably depends but roughly <= 10%
No, <=10% is a shredded six-pack with thin skin, visible muscle striations, etc.
to see a decent sixpack in normal situations without intense flexing/lighting, a male typically needs to be at about 13-15% bodyfat.
to see a decent sixpack in normal situations without intense flexing/lighting, a male typically needs to be at about 13-15% bodyfat.
Bleh, one bad flu and you might be dead tho... that's what I tell my fiancée anyway.
For myself, I play video games and lost weight and have gotten really fit. Unlike the author, everything is tracked in my case through my watch and VR headset
I play games like this
https://www.vrfitnessinsider.com/review/the-thrill-of-the-fi...
https://beatsaber.com/
https://fitxr.com/
https://untilyoufall.schellgames.com/
https://www.lesmills.com/us/fit-planet/fitness/bodycombat-vr...
I’ve lost 25 lbs so far
I play games like this
https://www.vrfitnessinsider.com/review/the-thrill-of-the-fi...
https://beatsaber.com/
https://fitxr.com/
https://untilyoufall.schellgames.com/
https://www.lesmills.com/us/fit-planet/fitness/bodycombat-vr...
I’ve lost 25 lbs so far
I actually wrote three articles on how and why I've been running for 50 years (https://albertcory50.substack.com/ the first three articles). The subject of motivation is considered deeply, since no trick, not even a wager, will keep you doing it more than a couple years (although maybe a bet with a relative will last a while).
The overall answer is "whatever works for you." One saying that I've found does impress people is:
If you can't find time to exercise, you'll have to find time to be sick.
Do you have time to wait on the Customer Support line for your health insurance provider, listening to "Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line." for half an hour? Didn't think so.
The overall answer is "whatever works for you." One saying that I've found does impress people is:
If you can't find time to exercise, you'll have to find time to be sick.
Do you have time to wait on the Customer Support line for your health insurance provider, listening to "Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line." for half an hour? Didn't think so.
Yale behavioral economist Dean Karlan made a site called Stickk (https://www.stickk.com/) that has a phone app that helps you do the same; you donate money to causes you hate if you don’t do what you say you’ll do
My friends and I do something similar.
We text the group- gym 1, gym 2 etc as we start our workout. Anyone can say “proof” which means we have to send a selfie. If you don’t do 3 gyms in a week, there is some penalty which no even remembers or enforces.
We text the group- gym 1, gym 2 etc as we start our workout. Anyone can say “proof” which means we have to send a selfie. If you don’t do 3 gyms in a week, there is some penalty which no even remembers or enforces.
I quit smoking in a similar way. My buddy and I agreed that the first one to smoke a cigarette paid the other one $100. We’re both competitive people and we both actually wanted to quit so it worked for us.
If you hate exercising but want to build and/or maintain your muscles for long term health then I highly recommend the book “Body by Science”. I have been working out for 15 (yes fifteen) minutes one day a week (yes once a week) for a few months now and have more than doubled my strength. I am now leg pressing 260kg. It might not be much by body builder standards but it is way more than I could do starting out! And the complete trip to the gym takes 30 minutes from I leave the house until I am back. Worth it.
Hm, if they switched the schedule up a little and had a workout every other day (with a rest day in between) they could have been working out 4-5 times per week.
If anyone's unsure about the maths on that then don't worry, "you don't count the day you're on when you're counting days " ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eECjjLNAOd4
If anyone's unsure about the maths on that then don't worry, "you don't count the day you're on when you're counting days " ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eECjjLNAOd4
I didn't work out the last 5 years to my regret. I had a ski accident and my back hurt severely the previous 2 times.
I changed my behavior again, i was working too much to actually "want to do/start it".
I'm at 3 hours per day ATM. ( Back seems to be ok! ). Next step is to change to weight training and reduce the amount of hours, since the current slow-paced cardio phase is not sustainable. But i hope it helped me for my back as a transitioning phase...
I changed my behavior again, i was working too much to actually "want to do/start it".
I'm at 3 hours per day ATM. ( Back seems to be ok! ). Next step is to change to weight training and reduce the amount of hours, since the current slow-paced cardio phase is not sustainable. But i hope it helped me for my back as a transitioning phase...
This is a great system. Simple, and as long as you and the other person are trustworthy and both agree on what counts as a "session" (e.g., 30 minutes of continuous moderate to strenuous physical activity), and if the economic pain point is set properly for both people, then it should work.
I'm going to bring this up to my girlfriend and see what she thinks. I think this could introduce some healthy competition to our fitness routines.
I'm going to bring this up to my girlfriend and see what she thinks. I think this could introduce some healthy competition to our fitness routines.
My coworker did a one sided bet. He pays $2K if he didn’t lose weight. The friends he’d pay would deliver food to his place, which made him more determined haha.
Something that's worked for me is to pay for a group fitness/yoga class. The first couple of months are easy. You'll see enough results and you're also motivated. By then you'll make enough connections that you don't want to "let down" by not going. However, it is much more expensive than going to a gym - about three times as much. Still worth it for some people like me.
I have always found myself more engrossed and wanting to run if I have a great podcast series or a great audiobook to listen to. Lately haven’t been getting any good recommendations and feeling like it is a chore to run.
Maybe having a bet like this with my sister who is also trying to become more active might help.
Maybe having a bet like this with my sister who is also trying to become more active might help.
What really helped me doing thinks I don't like is the meme of callousing your mind (from David Goggings' Can't hurt me): You get accustomed to the discomfort to a point where things that currently are daunting become effortless. Maybe that is obvious to most ...
What worked for me was making the accomplishment going through the door of the gym. Twice a week, sometimes just for five minutes, did a lot to get me into the habit and to the point where i did actually enjoy it and feel better (and spent gradually more time there)
For me running has always been like therapy. Whatever is stressing me out on a particular day, I struggle to think of a time when I haven't felt better about things after going out for a run. Especially if I can find somewhere close to nature to run.
Apple Watch rings sort of did the same for me. Helped to also have done at the same time as my wife - so I guess that is similar to your motivation.
Maybe I missed it. What classifies as a workout in your model with your brother?
Maybe I missed it. What classifies as a workout in your model with your brother?
Pickleball is a good option. It’s easy to start playing and have fun. Pick up games are everywhere. And you’ll have to stop yourself from playing hours a day. I’d estimate you burn at least 400 calories per hour.
When you're the only person to answer to for your physical health, it can be very easy to let yourself go. Having external accountability is a fantastic driver for improving physical health.
I just put it on the calendar like any other meeting and just do it. Some days i like it, some days i hate it, but if i were to wait for 'motivation' i would never do anything.
Really happy for the author!
I also find gamification and vanity help. Strava/Peloton are good places to keep scores and brag about what you've done.
A variation of this idea that worked for me: I made pact to donate money to an organization that I deplore for every day I skipped the gym.
Sloth is strong but hate is stronger.
Sloth is strong but hate is stronger.
> I wish I hadn’t learnt this, but running while hangover is absolutely doable.
It is, in fact, the best cure for hangover!
It is, in fact, the best cure for hangover!
This method can stop working immediately if both parties decide to stop working out.
Also there is nothing that FORCES you to pay to the other person, no legaly binding contract so if you really don't feel like you're just gonna say "fuck it and fuck you" and it's gone.
Also there is nothing that FORCES you to pay to the other person, no legaly binding contract so if you really don't feel like you're just gonna say "fuck it and fuck you" and it's gone.
Your first point is fair I guess but nothing to worry about really. The up-front cost is virtually zero (just find a friend to agree to do this with you), so if your friend wants to bail you could try find another friend.
Your second point shouldn't be an issue for anyone who has some level of maturity and/or values their relationship with their friend... not like it is likely to break a friendship but it seems like a dick thing to do.
Your second point shouldn't be an issue for anyone who has some level of maturity and/or values their relationship with their friend... not like it is likely to break a friendship but it seems like a dick thing to do.
So not only will you be out of shape you'll have forfeited your integrity, self-esteem, etc.?
You're correct. It's optional. There's no contract. But that's exactly the point.
It's a simple nudge. I tiny but effective behavioural hack.
The alternative is what? The status quo (which isn't working)? I guess the question is: what's your answer then? That's not being troll-y. I'm seriously curious about other effective alternatives.
You're correct. It's optional. There's no contract. But that's exactly the point.
It's a simple nudge. I tiny but effective behavioural hack.
The alternative is what? The status quo (which isn't working)? I guess the question is: what's your answer then? That's not being troll-y. I'm seriously curious about other effective alternatives.
Hey we should totally put it on blockchain and make a smart contract to deal with it. You make smart band that executes contract if "no running 3x a week". /s
Excercise IS one of those things that responds to direct pay incentives.
>It’s trust-based
and thats the end of it.
and thats the end of it.
I can't believe people have to force/trick themselves to work out... It's amazing!
I've found that I always pushed myself way too hard while running. The goal is not to be fast or have the best time. The goal is to enjoy the journey. That's why I always tell myself now the first few minutes: Don't go too fast, run slow! Slow. Enjoy it. If I start as slow as I can arrange, then everything else follows. Also, how your body feels after a run, is one of the best motivators to do it again.
Sure, these thoughts won't work for everyone, but what does? It's worth a try, anyway :)