Ask HN: Stay fit as a time-poor remote worker | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Stay fit as a time-poor remote worker

27 pointssimon_00066666 comments

So, three years into remote work triggered by the pandemic. I've easily adjusted to the new normal & found a way to be as productive as I was in an office environment. I visit my colleagues IRL once every few months. But the one thing I cannot reconcile is keeping fit. I end up being sat or stood in a fairly static fashion for 6-8 hours per day on video calls. Pre-remote I was averaging around 9k steps per day, since remote that's dropped to < 4k. Going out for walks in the dark & rain at the end of the work day is not particularly fun. It's beginning to affect my health. Is anybody else having this? I've been contemplating a walking desk - any other suggestions? Space is limited.

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I have found creating a fake commute is the only way to make it work. Basically I have a walk that I do that gets me 'to' and 'from' the office (a shed in the garden) - which adds up to just under 10k steps a day. I've actually got my colleagues on board and I regularly call into standup whilst on my 'commute'. I found early on that I wasn't very motivated to get out of bed 25 mins early so I have also started making essential chores part of the routine - getting the morning coffee or food for dinner en route. I also experimented with forfits where I would have to jog 2x the commute in the evening if I didn't do the morning, which I haven't actually had to do for some time.

I did something similar for walks and replaced the evening commute back with cycling on Zwift. I finish work then jump on the bike in my office, and it allows me to break up the work day and the start of my evening. It's been very effective for my health over the past two years.

I did try doing more stuff at home, but I also crave that 'decompression' between work mode and home mode. After doing a 'commute' outside the house I was so much less inclined to check if I had any more emails etc.

I am in the same situation. It has caused me such deterioration in mind and body that my relationship has been affected, and we are in counseling now.

As a remote worker, I have decided to give up on walking - it takes up so much time that I conclude that is suitable exercise for rich people only. Furthermore, three months of the year here it is too hot to walk; six months, it is dark by the time I am freed enough from work to go walking; and trying to get a worthwhile walk in before work is too time-consuming and potentially sleep-depriving.

Therefore I have decided to go to our local gym, less than ten minutes' walk from where I live and work, 2-3 times a week, and to commit to hiring a trainer, because I will either achieve nothing alone or else I will injure myself.

It creeps up on you, the extent to which this isolated working life can run your body and mind down into the ground, until, as in my case, it even threatens the things you hold dearest.

I walked to work for 1 hour a day and it was hugely beneficial for my mental health, put a nice break between work and home, was able to do podcasts or study foreign languages.

After going full remote I had to force myself to replace that hour, it is psychologically a lot harder especially when the walk has no purpose. That said, you are a remote worker, so you ought to have at least 1 hour of (formerly commute) time to spend. For me, I go to the gym. It's easier to motivate myself to work out when I'm going to a specific place for it. I usually do it around lunch to break up the work day, 3x/week.

I am going the gym route, though I would either do it in the morning or the evening. As a writer, I have max 4-5 hours of useful work in me today before my frontal lobe gives up, but once I am started on a writing session, it is hard to have it interrupted.

> Furthermore, three months of the year here it is too hot to walk;

Have you tried pushing through and getting used to it? I run for half an hour in Shanghai summer weather. Over 35 degrees and humid.

> six months, it is dark by the time I am freed enough from work to go walking

That sucks. Are there parks nearby or could you use a headlamp and wear high visibility clothing?

> and trying to get a worthwhile walk in before work is too time-consuming and potentially sleep-depriving.

Ten minutes of a high intensity interval teaching training routine is no fun but it can be done every morning.

> Have you tried pushing through and getting used to it? I run for half an hour in Shanghai summer weather. Over 35 degrees and humid.

I am a person that runs cold, terribly affected by heat; I don't think I could make much headway doing this. I get heatstroke very easily.

There is a park, but it's not so near, and walking in the dark just has zero appeal.

> Have you tried pushing through and getting used to it? I run for half an hour in Shanghai summer weather. Over 35 degrees and humid.

It's hard but it works. Been working from home for 20 years and I do go for walks almost no matter the weather. If it snows I just put on my mountain hiking gear. I skip heavy rains though :)

But you're in Shanghai which is mostly a huge city as far as I know, and I live in an European city. I definitely don't walk in the dark, I walk 2.5 km to a park and stop at a coffee kiosk there, then walk back.

The experience in the suburbs may vary.

The worst thing with stuff like this is when you think of exercise as lost time though. Netflix is lost time. Exercise isn't.

Exercise is something you should set aside / make time for if you're doing computer work, it's not something that will happen passively. Treadmills are okay, but they're not a substitute for focused exercise.

Do sports; there's bound to be something around that vibes with you. Team sports might be a good motivator, or things like boxing / martial arts. If you prefer to be by yourself, walking/running/cycling are options if you can get over it being boring (get good rain gear and put on a podcast or audiobook if it's too boring for you). It'll be good for your mental health as well to do an activity outside of work entirely.

How much time did your commute use to take? Take that time to spend on yourself. And what else do you do in your spare time? See if you can combine that with exercise. I mean if you spend an hour watching netflix or whatever, you could get a static bike and put a tablet on there. Just make sure to get a sweat on, it should be an active activity that gets your heart rate way up.

I've never been more fit in my life, personally. Built a home gym and also have an indoor rower in my master bedroom that doubles as home office. I also go for walks pretty frequently, always for an hour or so in the morning as soon as I get up, and then usually again at night. If you don't like the dark, I don't know what to tell you. I live in North Texas, and if I try to walk in the middle of the day during a summer, it's going to be extremely hot.

You claim elsewhere that you only have 50 free minutes a day. That seems like the root of your problem. You need more than that. Were you alive in the 90s? Remember Bill Clinton going for very public runs every morning through DC? There is no good reason you should be more busy than the president. Health and fitness is either an important priority for you or it isn't. There are no hacks that allow you to do it without dedicating any time to it. You're going to get old and your body will degrade. That either matters to you or it doesn't, but if you find it doesn't now but does in 20 years and you did nothing to slow the process down, it's not going to get any easier.

Pushups, pullups/chinups, squats can be done in sets spread out through the day, can be done right next to the computer, and cost nothing.

Also: burpies

Make time at least 3 days a week to go to a fitness facility. Whether walking, running, swimming, lifting, yoga, etc

Put this in your calendar and schedule everything else around it. It feels good to give your body the priority it deserves, and the endorphins give you a lift for the rest of your day.

What worked for me is signing up for a crossfit gym and try going there at least 3 times a week before work, at my gym they have classes at 7:00 which means I'll be home at 8:15 which is plenty of time to get ready for my first meeting at 9:00.

The beauty with crossfit is, that it offers a nice balance between strength training and HIIT. Also, if you're of weak mental resolve like me then Crossfit is doubly great because something about doing the same workout with a group of people is extremely motivating and makes it much easier to really push yourself.

If you have a crossfit gym within a 15 minute drive of your home then I would definitely seriously consider this!

I'm on the same boat - its so easy to attend to those classes - they happen every hour.

Otoh, I feel like beating my body too much (I'm almost 40). If it had a "group classes format" and was near to my place, I would like to try a regular gym, or calisthenics, or yoga. I did try swimming, because I used to love that - but found it super boring. I also tried BJJ but didn't really enjoy the class format.

If I lived next to the ocean, I'd probably try to pickup surfing as a nice trade-off between exercising and relaxing.

You need to ring-fence a lunch break. I go running during my lunch breaks (1 hour split into ~40min running, ~20min shower and recovery), something I didn't do when I worked in an office full time and as a result I am fitter since WFH.

Agreed. I would do a two mile walk in 30 mins without fail (a little aged for running - but no need for a shower!)

Same here, block 60 minutes for lunch. Either 30 minutes lunch and 30 minutes walk, or just bring some sandwiches to eat during walk. If i'm lucky i can take 120 minutes lunch, will go surfing for 60 minutes.

I personally decided the structure of a in person job was beneficial and went back to a in the office job twice a week rather then the full remote opportunity I was at. I need that framework to be mentally and physically fit.

HIIT[0] home workouts, you need zero to minimal equipment and room enough to wave all your limbs without hitting anything + room to lie down.

A co-worker has a walking mat (not a treadmill) they use during meetings and sometimes while working. Electric desk to stand-position and walk for the 30-50 minutes a meeting takes.

I personally got physiotherapist-recommended stretches for my joints I can do standing up while still just about keeping my head looking at the webcam if needed. For all other exercise needs I have a dog, he _has_ to go out during regular intervals or I'm either cleaning up stuff I don't want to or I need to replace broken furniture =)

Even playing with the Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure[1] is surprisingly effective in short bursts - and the kids like watching me play it. You won't get 500lb deadlift swole from it, but it'll keep you in aerobic shape.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_traini... [1] https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/ring-fit-adventure-s...

I've heard of people jogging with their dogs, but my experience says dog exercise cannot be really called exercise when the dog feels mandated to thoroughly sniff every other bush. Yes you get to admire the landscape and get some fresh air but that's about it.

A hour long walk is a hour long walk, even with sniff breaks =)

This may not be a popular opinion but...

.. going to the office everyday had some really tangible benefits a) we had a natural physical activity related to daily commute and more occasions to stay in town, do stuff there, meet people, enjoy city live, b) we had a clear time boundaries between work stuff and other stuff with the return commute working great to unroll any work-related thoughts and get back to home with any tensions left behind.

Start by doing light home workouts - body-weight or yoga, first thing in the morning, <30 minutes, 3 days a week. Doing it at home saves a lot of time and eliminates the possibility of not being able to go out. Doing it first thing in the morning (while not ideal for performance) prevents other things from eating your workout schedule or you being tired after a day of work.

Start very light and simple, especially if you don't have experience with working out. 10 minutes of just pushups and squats are perfectly fine to begin with. This way you won't get injured, over-trained or scared. You can progress with time towards a "real workout", but first you need to get used to a regular schedule and gather information.

For information I would start with https://exrx.net/ - It has a section for beginners.

Most importantly: just start tomorrow. Procrastinating in searching for the perfect start is real. Just do 10 pushups, create a habit.

I have 30 minutes in the minute for a "warm up circuit" kind of workout in the bedroom or living room before I start working.

I also have intermittent stretching / mobility peppered in during the day (thanks to my Apple Watch's "stand" thing) I end up practicing things like head stands, hand stands, etc. whenever it's "time to stand".

After 5pm I go lift or do whatever classes (from yoga to boxing) are available for 30m to 1-2 hours, depending on energy levels.

I've only started doing this since February since lockdowns were over, and it sounds like I'm a gym rat, but I'm more fit now than I've ever been before. If it comes down to "finish/push an update" or "go to the gym" I'll just pick the latter, then clean up the feature later that evening. Definitely not prioritizing whatever-feature for my gym time.

Cool - I think this is the way - to be flexible. Curious: do you remove the Apple watch to perform the handstand?

Cycle whenever you can an a gym bike (mine cost €200, is very quite and quite comfortable). It is very comfortable to participate in all kinds of meetings unless they demand you show your camera instead of your photo,* and quite comfortable for all kinds of reading. If your work includes a lot of these, consider buying a gel seat.

(I also made a kind of top desk on my bike for other tasks that involve typing and moving the mouse, but it wasn't comfortable at all and I quickly gave up.)

* my coworkers actually don't mind seeing me on my gym bike and they enjoy it, but I heard stories about people being offended by "lack of respect" so I'd advise to be prodent

Make time to be healthy. Go for a long walk at lunch when it is warmer out. Get a cheap rowing machine. Get a half squat rack. Work is not so important. Work a bit less and take a nice walk mid day. Block out some time on your calendar for it.

Few sets of heavy compound lifts would really help, doesn't have to take more than 30 minutes. Especially if you superset (multiple exercises simultaneously). E.g. squats and curls in between, bench and pistol squats...

I've been going to a small private gym with a great trainer/owner since March. I walk in and he has everything setup for my workout. He figures out the exercises (supersets), and within 10-15 minutes I've already done 12-16 sets.

The great thing about a good superset trainer is they will figure out each day's exercises based on your previous workouts and take into account which muscles are being used that day so you can do the whole workout without significant resting. I'm up to 45 minute workouts now and have done up to 32 sets in one workout. The other thing I like about this format is that because there is no significant resting, it also gets your heart/breathing rate up. Pushing or pulling a 300lb sled has a high cardio component when combined with 3-4 other exercises, especially after 4-5 rounds!

By making it an appointment with a trainer, you're less likely to skip, especially if you have to pay anyway (which I'd recommend). Whenever I've tried to do stuff on my own, it either peters out quickly or I end up getting hurt. This is the first time working out has worked for me.

Assuming that you don't want to get into any fun exercises / sports ( I do kayaking, cycling, hiking, climbing for instance), then you need to prioritise some kind of movement. Go out for a walk before work or at lunchtime, then it won't be dark and you get a proper break from sitting. If you're in a call where you are more listening than talking consider doing press ups/sit ups/kettlebell during the call once a day.

> any other suggestions?

You should train hard at least for 1 hour, at least 3x/week. Find a sport that you like and that trains the whole body (swimming, kickboxing, weight lifting etc). I've done all 3 in different periods and currently do weight-lifting (might resume kickoxing too).

Walking and counting steps is not training, is kinda like crawling or barely surviving. You should talk about walking & steps only when you're 80 or something.

x3 hours a week + travel time is infeasible given other commitments. I have approx 50 mins per day available.

Come on man, you can't have such a busy life. You have to cut somewhere for your own sanity.

What about weekend? Use Saturday & Sunday and Wednesday?

> I have approx 50 mins per day available.

Build a minimal home gym and train hard? It's important to train hard for 1 hour or more, not just do 10K steps.

kids, literally make your life that busy. Home gym would be ideal - unfortunately space is the issue there, I have about 1.5m2 available.

Lots of people don't realise just how much time kids take up, especially as single parents, and in the UK, how much space is at a premium. Cupboards are a luxury, let alone space for home gyms.

I have kids. I don’t eat lunch and use the lunch hour for exercise during the week. Even 20 minutes a day pays dividends if you run or lift weights.

You said yourself - it’s starting to impact your health. And it will get worse not better.

You have to make time for it.

You’d make time to get a cancer treated - make time to exercise to preserve your health while you can, or there’s no point in those other commitments.

Ultimately you need to block off time for you to take care of yourself. If you are a high achiever at work, there will always be some nagging issues that you feel like you have to deal with. That will NEVER go away no matter how accomplished you are. Block off your calendar for an hour each day to do some form of exercise.

Block out focus time in your calendar during the work day. Spend that time walking/running/cycling/doing push-ups/whatever. While you’re doing it, think about whatever problems you’re working on.

You’ll come back with way better ideas and solutions than you would have generated at your desk. You’ll have built up enough dopamine that you’ll be able to actually apply them effectively.

Wake up earlier in the morning and exercise BEFORE starting work. The moment you're out of bed do 30-60 minutes of running/HIIT/calisthenics and add some stretching at the end for a couple of minutes. It's good idea to do some light stretching throughout the day anyways especially if you're that sedentiary. Humans weren't built to sit on their ass for so long.

I think that this is robbing Peter to pay Paul, as a possible road to sleep deprivation, which isn't going to help the situation either.

OP has stated he has ~50 free minutes a day (which I find doubtful anyways, no one is that busy). So he does have the time even if he doesn't do it early in the morning. I suggested early in the morning since that's where people actually can get free time usually.

Not a remote worker, but I've been doing basic stretching and exercises at my desk to burn off my excess ADHD energy for a while. I've been a big fan of having some 10lbs dumbbells on my desk (For basic dumbbells moves) and an elevated device (really just 2 wooden 2 X 4s glued together) for stepping and elevated calf raises.

I’d dearly love to know what job you do that has you in 6-8 hours of video calls a day! That seems beyond extreme!

Product management & as a general practice we tend to pair or mob for 60-80% of the day.

Many of the people at my work easily spend that time on calls once they get higher than lead engineer on the org chart… most days but not every single day, and definitely not on video.

I assumed that would be pretty standard for remote people managing at fortune 100s who would otherwise be meeting at each other’s desks or cafe in between scheduled meetings

Hi fellow PM!

Sign up for one of the training apps (e.g. Apple Fitness+, Freelytics or similar) that offers shorter training sessions (10-20mins) that you can do with a simple floor mat.

Do it during lunch break before you have food.

Get it all set up so there's no effort to starting and try to make it part of your daily routine.

I would say that the social benefits of leaving the house to go to a gym, even if you talk to nobody throughout the visit, outweigh trying to solve the problem in the place where you already live and work.

I'd say that we shouldn't disregard easier targets. In the UK we have this "five a day" campaign, to eat 5 unique pieces of fruit or veg a day. If someone said they were going to eat an apple every day and we said no, don't do that, it's better to eat 5 different things, you may end up with that person not eating any.

Some of us are time poor, or to flip it round, very busy. Our 24 hours can be hectic, filled with parenting and work. 10-20 minutes a day at home is easier to fit into a busy schedule than an hour to go to the gym.

Is an hour at the gym better? Yes, but 10-20 minutes a day consistent will outweigh sporadic visits to the gym.

I managed with “cardio workouts” from some youtube channel Indo not recall, but there are hundreds nowadays, for free or paid. The important thing is to keep to a schedule (not necessarily the same “time” but the same “moment” -after a meeting, after two hours’ work…).

Good luck.

You can do the soleus pushup all day while sitting. Supposedly, it can fix your metabolism. Also, Supernatural or boxing like in Thrill of the Fight on a cheaper standalone VR headset may work for you. It's a surprisingly intense workout.

For cardio, beat saber.

WFH also perfect for strength programs, especially boring ass routines like Hepburn. When I had a rack next to my setup, I would be doing a 90% double every 20-30 minutes. But homegym lifestyle not for everyone.

I go on walks for 1:1s and 1-directional meetings. I average 9.5k steps per day.

I acknowledge some people would prefer the cameras stay on and exceptions can be made, but my health is more important than 99% of my meetings.

Join a gym. Free weights are cheap. Do some curls while you're on a call. Balance ball instead of a chair. Jumping jacks don't require equipment.

That’s not the type of movement that will keep you healthy though.

Proper biomechanics requires that you move, a lot. Lifting weights while not actually moving around enough actually puts you at risk for injury and imbalances because your body isn’t progressing through proper range of motion enough.

Starting Strength uses compound lifts that go through the full range of motion for that reason. It takes ~3 hours a week. I’m sure doing cardio a lot would be better again but you can get a big improvement going from sedentary to three hours of vigorous exercise a week.

I get it. I’m a fan of starting strength (though not really of mark riptoe). But the background context of the book is a precovid world where “sedentary” had a much different connotation than it does today.

Stephen Wolfram has build himself a treadmill desk: https://content.wolfram.com/uploads/sites/43/2019/02/05-trea...

Source: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2019/02/seeking-the-prod...

I think those are great but would suggest not walking on it while you're on camera in a video conference. Recently worked with a guy that did that and it was remarkably annoying.

> I end up being sat or stood in a fairly static fashion for 6-8 hours per day on video calls.

Set aside some time for it as you would for lunch.

I have desk with treadmill. It is not attached. So I can use desk with normal chair as well. I'd recommend it.

Consider signing up to a gym near your place. Exercise should be scheduled just like you would schedule work.

Cycle instead of public transport/car

Get a dog.

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