How do y'all stay active?
* Loosen and relax the joints in the order Neck, Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, Waist, Knees and Ankles using rotations. In particular; rotate/loosen the Waist along all three axes regularly.
* Shake and vibrate the Arms, Legs and Waist repeatedly like you are Shivering.
That's it. This hardly takes any time/effort (you can do it in office attire easily) and the benefits are immediate (you should feel a slight warmth throughout the body). Try doing these throughout the day. This will break your Sedentary lifestyle and introduce Whole Body Motion into your everyday habits. Once this is established you can start with any heavy-duty regimen; i suggest Yoga and Martial Arts.
Third point above to be modified as;
* Shake and Vibrate the Head, Arms, Legs and Waist repeatedly like you are shivering.
The idea behind the exercises is;
1) By relaxing/loosening the joints you prevent/remove any possible stasis.
2) Shivering/Shaking/Vibration assuages any tension in the Body.
3) We are designed for Walking which is the most cost-effective Whole-Body Motion that energizes both Body and Mind. Its positive effects are well studied.
4) This allows all the circulatory systems to function normally and smoothly (often called the circulation of Prana/Chi in other Traditional Systems) which is the path to Health.
The key to knowing that you are doing everything right is to feel warmth throughout the body and even breaking out into a light sweat.
During work, a habit I've picked up is always going for a 20-30 minute walk. I usually go over lunch or in the afternoon (when I tend to drag a bit). Honestly, the break and moving around usually means that I have a more productive afternoon than if I didn't go for the walk.
After work, it depends. If the weather is nice, I like running.
When the weather is not great, I used to go to the gym. With Covid, I've purchased... 1. A cheap Schwinn 1980s exercise bike on Craigslist 2. Two 25 pound dumbbells 3. A pull-up bar
Between that equipment and pushups+planks+bodyweight squats I can get pretty good workouts at home.
I've also found that, personally, alcohol is really not conducive with a healthy life-style. I have trouble moderating my drinking (starts off without much, but I slowly drink more and more frequently over the course of a few weeks). When I'm drinking, I usually feel worse, struggle to workout, and eat worse. So for me any weight-loss and long stretches of adherence to an exercise regime have usually been accompanied by tee-totaling.
My weight had gone up to 250, down to 215 over the course of ~6 months, and here I am at 230 a year later. Put on a bit of weight over the holidays + drinking again. But haven't drank for the last month and getting back running with this warm weather.
Atomic Habits - https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/self-help/... - consistent progress every day builds up. Start with 1 push up and 100m run and increment every day. Get a whiteboard and write it on your wall. Make it your job to do these.
Single on Purpose by John Kim talks about physical movement as a spiritual practice of becoming more in touch with yourself. Whether it be ballet, crossfit, running, etc. finding a movement that gets you into that flow state. This creates a positive feedback loop of self-care.
Finally, I would say that humans are physical creatures in a physical domain, no matter how hard Zuck tries to make you disbelieve that. If you take a little time to explore different physical activities and be creative about it, I find it very hard to believe that you won't find one you really enjoy. Confidence goes up, energy too, food tastes better. We're just animals, after all
Pre-pandemic I used to lift a lot at the gym. It was my primary form of exercise for years, mostly powerlifting movements (squat, deadlift, bench). I've just started going back to the nearby gym again, 2-3 times per week. It feels great to be picking up and putting down heavy things again! Highly recommended.
However, I’m interpreting your question is how do you get reliable at whatever physical activities you decide to do, which is a big deal in the beginning when you’re completely sedentary like I was. Framing, finding what you like, and a simple schedule helped me.
My framing in the beginning was that if I didn’t commit to a change, my long term was going to be a lot worse quality and shorter term than I wanted. Something had to change for myself and for those I care about. I could watch it happen by the numbers, and frankly felt it really bad. Nowadays, I way prefer to be active and get frustrated it I miss more than a few days. Stick with it and something shifts.
Finding what you like comes down to trying activities out and figuring out what works. I was lucky to have some activities I like growing up as easy starting points. The gym was foreign to me though. Enough time just trying it and trying it out and getting help from others shifted that for me though.
The simple schedule might be the most important thing. A set of days and specific times I was doing the activity, virtually no exceptions. Usually Mon/We’d/Fri at 430pm. In the beginning I had some flexibility but it was usually trading activities (I don’t want to run today so I’ll go on the bike, or it’s too hot outside so I’ll gym instead). But I would only suggest that if it helps you keep active. Don’t bake in flexibility to avoid activity.
With this stuff, I went from begrudgingly doing exercise, to having it become a habit that I didn’t debate with myself, to something I really enjoy and get frustrated when I miss it. It was not a quick change though.
Getting a pedometer app also helps. If you're self-monitoring your activity level, there's a great chance you'll try to improve it (consciously or unconsciously).[1]
Allow me to advertise our app: Pacer Pedometer[2]. It comes with activity tracking, fun virtual activity challenges, healthy lifestyle lessons, guided body-weight exercise etc. We also have a corporate plan in which you can join challenges with your colleagues.
[1] Kang, Minsoo, et al. "Effect of pedometer-based physical activity interventions: a meta-analysis." Research quarterly for exercise and sport 80.3 (2009): 648-655. [2] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pacer-pedometer-step-tracker/i...
Back then, I had 1 - 2 trainings per day, now, well, I don't. Now, I ride MTB, and as I am competitive as much as I was when I was younger (now I am 39), so I go to XCM races.
How my day looks like, I am trying always, to have between 11:00 and 12:00 time for my body, that's in my schedule, and as I work from home, being with lockdowns and everything, I have a simple setup at my home to do basic training - pull ups, squats, abs etc..
And if you are a tech guy, and I think you are, my recommendation is PS VR, I have that, and I got that Beat Sabre game, man, my Garmin watch records about 300-450 kcal in 30 minutes of intensive playing of Beat Sabre, and yeah, it keeps you really active.
So, even if you are at home for days, you can do some physical things at home. Just, put it in your schedule, made it mandatory.
by 29 i was winded walking up a flight of stairs. bp >130/75 and a resting heart rate of 90-100.
around 33 i started developing outdoor hobbies, bought a farm. and now own a framing business. last week my bp was 121/71 with a resting heart rate of 57. the girl who took my bp asked me if i took blood pressure medication (!). needless to say i dont.
find something active and athletic that you like to do, and do it. not suggesting changing careers but give yourself opportunities to exercise doing something you find fun. for me it turned out to be building structures and working outside. i still write code for fun. but the change of pace has been great.
and the money is stellar.
regardless, getting over a love affair with comfort did me a lot of good
I realise team sports aren't for everyone but they can be great motivators especially when the weather isn't great or you aren't in the mood, and you always end up feeling better for it at the end. I find it's easier to slack off when you're the only one accountable.
I normally put one of the classes in the background, and then use the time to watch videos on YT or listen to audiobooks on my phone, so in theory any spinning bike would do it. But I think the Peloton UI, app, metrics, etc, helps keep you going.
I also do a 30min walk with the family. Good as a warm-up before cycling.
Our home gym is between my office and the rest of the house, so I do things like 3 pull ups on my way to make espresso in the morning, or 10 kb swings after a boring meeting.
Reddit.com/r/homegym
For cardio, I have an exercise bike that is hooked up to Zwift. I also jump rope and walk my dog. I try to get ~10,000 steps / day according to my Oura ring.
Finally, I just got a basketball hoop, so I'm planning on using that as well.
I do all of those a little bit. I'm no athlete, and am still overweight, but having a large number of things you do less often than you should is still better than just sitting.
i have two medium weight kettle bells. i do a little bit of mobility / resistance training between tasks
i have a trx system hooked into my front door, so when i use the bathroom, i do a few reps of something
long time vegan so, more fiber, less hunger (morning cereal, salad lunch, dinner a crap shoot)
massage gun everywhere before sleep
looking pretty good for my age
* Set goals that require being active (summer backpacking, winter xc skiing)
* Organize activities with friends. Instead of meeting for a beer, go for a walk or hike.
* Try to set and forget it (add recurring event to cal).
* Buy home gym stuff. You don't need to go big, just a few dumbbells can be the start.
* Walk/exercise for a break in the day.
I just spent 20 years being fat and now wonder what I was thinking. I am a healthy weight now with a remnant of stretched skin.
Garbage in, garbage stay.
I've lost 15 lbs in a couple of months and my flexibility has improved a ton. Back and hip pain is almost gone. My crummy shoulders and knees hurt though, but they always do.
The BJJ gym is also a pretty cool social environment, which has replaced the office for me (WFH). I prefer the company of Jiu Jitsu enthusiasts over my old co-workers anyway.
If you can't stay active with kids around, you're doing it wrong :P
Walking. A lot. As I’ve not been able to dance all night since COVID, I’ve started “dance walking” . It looks pretty ridiculous and keeps people guessing.