Before I sat down to write this, I did my due diligence of searching for exercising/exercise in thread titles here. I'm sorry to say that across 24 years of threads, I didn't find a thing. So, as a contributor to that absence myself, all I can say is: "Better late than never?"
Now, I don't consider myself to be particularly out of shape. But unless you have incredible genes, if you don't exercise regularly, your metabolism's decline will mold you into a tire-belted slob. And I do believe that how you present yourself ultimately seeps deep down into how you feel about yourself. So, for that reason, I do tend to make an effort where and when I can so that I'm not a complete monster. I'd prefer to look good and thus feel good.
Around a year ago, my doctor urged me to stop eating dairy, which I did reluctantly have to give up. That was a blow... But it led to me questioning other dietary habits of mine that I've taken for granted since my 20s. So I also cut way back on sugar, caffeine, red meat, and alcohol (hey, 3 out of 4 ain't bad, doc). It's been about a year since then, and with just those reductions, and no exercise routine outside of general humaning and parenting, I've lost just under 20 pounds (9kg), and held it pretty consistently.
Seeing those results, I decided to take the next logical step and start exercising. And, well... it's been awesome.
I'm writing this to encourage people to try to find the time to do it, because for years, that was always my barrier: When am I supposed to exercise? To be clear: I use the same excuse for why I don't write more often. And writing is a unique activity that invigorates me. But when am I supposed to just write?
The answer to both problems is blunt: Time has to be stolen. Other things must bleed so that you can live.
What finally pushed me over the hill was acquiring a novelty: A decent bike. There are great trails around my neighborhood that I've walked for years, but never fully explored them. With a bike, you can cruise past all those slow fuckers and go further, see new shit, test your limits for how far you can go before your legs turn into mush. It's quite fun! I usually bike in the morning, an hour or so before my first meeting, or failing that, in the evening, after the kids are in bed. Night biking is an experience. I had no idea there was so much wildlife in my little suburb. They all come out at night, once the humans are in bed. And with just that and the droning white noise supplied by the crickets, it's been the best part of my summer so far.
My routine: Whether in the morning or night, I bike for around an hour. I've tried to go just slightly further each day. And I'm up to 10 miles so far. I have no idea how many calories burned that is. Probably less than a Bic Mac. But even without caffeine, I've noticed that I'm more resilient and positive about my day if I've had a decent exercise before starting work.
So, give it a shot. Steal time. Pop a slow leak on that tire belt. Commit to feeling better about yourself.
Now, I don't consider myself to be particularly out of shape. But unless you have incredible genes, if you don't exercise regularly, your metabolism's decline will mold you into a tire-belted slob. And I do believe that how you present yourself ultimately seeps deep down into how you feel about yourself. So, for that reason, I do tend to make an effort where and when I can so that I'm not a complete monster. I'd prefer to look good and thus feel good.
Around a year ago, my doctor urged me to stop eating dairy, which I did reluctantly have to give up. That was a blow... But it led to me questioning other dietary habits of mine that I've taken for granted since my 20s. So I also cut way back on sugar, caffeine, red meat, and alcohol (hey, 3 out of 4 ain't bad, doc). It's been about a year since then, and with just those reductions, and no exercise routine outside of general humaning and parenting, I've lost just under 20 pounds (9kg), and held it pretty consistently.
Seeing those results, I decided to take the next logical step and start exercising. And, well... it's been awesome.
I'm writing this to encourage people to try to find the time to do it, because for years, that was always my barrier: When am I supposed to exercise? To be clear: I use the same excuse for why I don't write more often. And writing is a unique activity that invigorates me. But when am I supposed to just write?
The answer to both problems is blunt: Time has to be stolen. Other things must bleed so that you can live.
What finally pushed me over the hill was acquiring a novelty: A decent bike. There are great trails around my neighborhood that I've walked for years, but never fully explored them. With a bike, you can cruise past all those slow fuckers and go further, see new shit, test your limits for how far you can go before your legs turn into mush. It's quite fun! I usually bike in the morning, an hour or so before my first meeting, or failing that, in the evening, after the kids are in bed. Night biking is an experience. I had no idea there was so much wildlife in my little suburb. They all come out at night, once the humans are in bed. And with just that and the droning white noise supplied by the crickets, it's been the best part of my summer so far.
My routine: Whether in the morning or night, I bike for around an hour. I've tried to go just slightly further each day. And I'm up to 10 miles so far. I have no idea how many calories burned that is. Probably less than a Bic Mac. But even without caffeine, I've noticed that I'm more resilient and positive about my day if I've had a decent exercise before starting work.
So, give it a shot. Steal time. Pop a slow leak on that tire belt. Commit to feeling better about yourself.
and then...