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Comment by kortex | Hacker News Reader

Yep. But surprisingly not as bad as I expected, given COVID, and ADHD+bipolar going into this mess. I've been reeeally depressed in the past, this isn't that. But feeling very burned out. Focus and working memory is really suffering. I'm too busy/tired to be bored but I feel novelty-deprived. I'm barely exercising and I know that's contributing but forming exercise habits is hard for me.

Would be great actually if anyone had tips on how to get exercise habits to stick. I've literally tried to addict myself to working out using nicotine gum, nope, nothing.

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Check out pre-workout with Beta Alanine. When I've taken it I can "feel" my muscles more while lifting, it's fantastic. Really helps you get more out of your workout and get into your rhythm in the gym.

I used this one. It tastes kinda bad but whatever: https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Pre-Workout-Powder-Preworkout/...

For basic-level exercise in the form of “walking around outside a lot”, I've been playing Happy Surveillance Pets aka Pokémon GO—as hypocritical as it sort of is with my software philosophy leanings. May not work if your version of “outside” is either too far away from civilization for the shared AR part to work or too high-risk to be going out in a lot (I live in a medium-density area of city, which seems roughly ideal).

I was able to keep up some ad-hoc home bodyweight exercises with Habitica (gamified habits) + Forest (pomodoro-ish app) earlier in the year, but that fell apart a few months later when the depression got worse, and I haven't managed to pick it up again yet.

Make your workout sessions a commitment with someone else. If you know someone else who also wishes they were exercising, contact them to arrange a time once a week, or more, to work out 'together'. Even now, you can do socially distanced outside in the same place, or video calling from your house to chat/ check form/be present, or do either at a gym if they are open.

If you don't know/don't want to involve anyone else, you can also pay a personal trainer to do this.

Starting with just 5 minutes run, or maybe 1 minute push up per-day.

Start small, then you will feel not enough and then you make a big leap.

I also getting started to loose weight. just lost 5kg, still 20 to go.

Thanks, yeah that's the current approach. I tell myself that consistency is more important than intensity or duration, like just 1 set counts, but it seems like what happens is I build up to larger workouts, then subconsciously set an expectation to match it, then psych myself out (even if I technically only need to do one small set)

> Would be great actually if anyone had tips on how to get exercise habits to stick.

Try picking up martial arts or dance. Learning a skill while exercising may help with both the being novelty-deprived and the exercise habits. That being said, both of those are hard to pick up alone, and COVID is still here. You may be able to find live-streams or something to help with that.

I actually have done martial arts for years! Black belt in Taekwondo, green in Ishinru Karate. A touch of aikido. I love it. But, like you said, covid :(

I think I shall look into various ways for unstructured study of martial arts. What I _really_ want to learn is a Kung Fu (particularly Shaolin) and there's a place around here that teaches Chinese martial arts but it's crazy expensive.

> I actually have done martial arts for years! Black belt in Taekwondo, green in Ishinru Karate. A touch of aikido. I love it.

You have much more experience than myself, sounds like quite the journey.

> I think I shall look into various ways for unstructured study of martial arts.

If you find one, would you mind letting me know? My email's in my bio. I'll look as well and leave a comment if I find one (or if you email me I'll send one that way).

I've missed it.

> What I _really_ want to learn is a Kung Fu (particularly Shaolin)

Ooh, cool. I don't think I've met anyone who does Kung Fu yet. Capoeira and Judo are both on my bucket list, but I'll take anything over nothing.

> there's a place around here that teaches Chinese martial arts but it's crazy expensive.

I feel the pain of that. I was lucky, and the dojo where I started was willing to work with people. Haven't been since covid started, and am about to be leaving town, so may not be able to go back :(

EDIT: This thread seems like a promising place to start[0]

[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/karate/comments/ju2fp4/what_karate_...

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