[HN Gopher] Ask HN: How do you stay active while working from home?
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       Ask HN: How do you stay active while working from home?
        
       Since the pandemic started and we've all been working from home,
       I've put on a lot of weight. I was wondering how can I keep myself
       active without having to go to the gym?
        
       Author : imheretolearn
       Score  : 15 points
       Date   : 2021-12-01 21:14 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
       | m_kos wrote:
       | I use a stationary bike in combination with the Peloton mobile
       | app, Strava, and a heart rate monitor. It was a little hard and
       | boring at the beginning until I got into structured workouts and
       | playing with numbers. Now, I quite enjoy modeling how my FTP
       | improves over time and adjusting my routine accordingly.
        
       | nwomack wrote:
       | Cardio: alternate total gym rower & run (also jump rope
       | sometimes) Strength: TRX & body weight exercises
       | 
       | Works well for me, but I'm not super into strength training at
       | this time. If I was would prefer a gym membership.
       | 
       | Honestly you just need to do it. Even without equipment you can
       | run, do push ups, crunches, air squats. No excuses for doing
       | nothing in my opinion.
        
       | emreb wrote:
       | Stop snacking, in my case weight gain is more about your
       | proximity to the fridge and the snacks rather than not not-being
       | active.
        
         | carlhjerpe wrote:
         | I'm not saying you're wrong, because the additive/subtractive
         | parts of calories are definitely a fact.
         | 
         | But there's more to health than not getting fat, exercising
         | your muscles is important, else you'll lose them and your
         | cholesterol will go to shit (too little of the good one).
        
       | vikingerik wrote:
       | From someone who did it: Fixing your diet matters far, far more
       | than your activity level. It takes much more work to burn a
       | thousand calories than to simply not eat it in the first place.
       | 
       | I lost 40 pounds since the pandemic, by fixing my diet to eat
       | 1500 calories of salad and vegetables instead of delivery and
       | takeout fast food. This was with _less_ activity, an hour or two
       | per week of walking /biking as opposed to bike commuting every
       | day.
       | 
       | Weight loss isn't about the morality of punishing yourself with
       | exercise. It's just about the math of calories in vs out, and
       | it's a lot easier to make big changes to the intake side.
        
       | uZhg6ZaLLqfyu6G wrote:
       | Magic bullet for me: Podcasts.
       | 
       | I'm in my 40's and have never been able to motivate myself to
       | exersize regularily. Until about three years ago when I tied
       | listening to podcasts to going for walks in the middle of the
       | day. Now I walk for an hour a day and hardly notice I'm doing it.
       | 
       | Swap walk out for something else if you like, but for me the
       | absolute key was getting addicted to a bunch of 45 min to 1 hour
       | podcasts and treating myself once a day.
        
       | Panino wrote:
       | Yardwork: splitting firewood, adding material to the compost bin,
       | spreading arborist wood chips, planting or harvesting
       | plants/trees, etc.
        
       | meheleventyone wrote:
       | I'd recommend going to the gym quite honestly. Working from home
       | doesn't mean you're trapped in your home. Right now I go for a 45
       | minute walk every day, make sure I have some errands to run at
       | lunchtime so I get out and moving then, and then go to physio
       | three times a week which is split between stationary biking and
       | gym machines for an hour or so. Before that I was in the pool
       | every morning swimming laps. A change of scenery and other people
       | around does wonders. I'd also listen to the people talking about
       | diet. Being alone it's easy to slip into bad habits.
       | 
       | I think most health guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes of
       | walking at a good pace a day. That's seven days a week and is an
       | easy place to start. Like someone else here I listen to
       | audiobooks and podcasts.
        
       | dylanjcastillo wrote:
       | 1. Get a pull up bar from Amazon.
       | 
       | 2. Buy Get Strong by Al and Danny Kavadlo. Start training 3x per
       | week following their Phase 1/Foundation program. Go for a 10-15
       | min run on your rest days.
       | 
       | 3. If you want better results, then buy Overcoming Gravity by
       | Steven Low. Read a bit everyday while doing 2. Once you get the
       | basics, adjust your routine to match your goals.
        
       | gathersight wrote:
       | The golden rule of exercise: frequency beats duration beats
       | intensity. We're habitual beings and quickly establish
       | behavioural patterns so just do something (anything) every day
       | and you'll improve your fitness surprisingly fast. A fast walk or
       | a slow run outdoors.
       | 
       | Weight loss, however, starts and ends in the kitchen.
        
       | carabiner wrote:
       | Run outside, even in the rain. There are also some compact,
       | foldable treadmills on Amazon. Jump rope, get a small rowing
       | machine (won't be a concept 2). Get an exercise bike.
        
       | d0m3 wrote:
       | It depends on your personality but working from home allows us to
       | be more connected with our mind and body (or connect them more).
       | 
       | I'm not a morning person but I try to find the time for a morning
       | walk and get fresh air.
       | 
       | I take long lunch break to do sports or hike, this is my favorite
       | time of the day for physical activities.
       | 
       | Don't be too comfortable sitting in front of the computer, try
       | standing up or kneeling down. Go take a walk or do some exercise
       | if you feel like it.
       | 
       | I'm amazed at how my brain switches on when I'm taking a break
       | with a little sporty walk.
       | 
       | It's yours to find out what suits you the best.
        
       | devKnight wrote:
       | what worked for me was: Eating less take out, cook at home more
       | Going for walks No soda, only water
        
       | codingdave wrote:
       | 2 mile walk every day. Other things depending on the day -- Bike
       | rides, swimming, lifting weights, calisthenics, walking through
       | the woods, woodworking. Basically, just keep moving. Develop
       | hobbies that do not involve sitting down for a long time.
       | 
       | Even so, I'm still a big dude because I like food. Controlling
       | your diet is equally important, if not more so.
        
       | version_five wrote:
       | I run and do bodyweight exercises like pushups etc. I had a
       | punching bag but it's not practical where I live now.
       | 
       | Actually I find it's easier to be active because I have more time
       | and run longer, and in principle I snack less because there are
       | not snacks at my house like at work. I drink more though.
        
       | marpstar wrote:
       | I've got a home gym. Specifically: a barbell "power rack", 400+
       | lbs in plates, 3-35 lbs dumbbell pairs. I managed to score the
       | bulk of my equipment on Craigslist 7-8 years ago when I started
       | lifting. My workouts went completely uninterrupted during the
       | "lockdowns" last year and the gyms were all shut down.
        
       | patleeman wrote:
       | I set up a treadmill desk and have started walking 10,000 steps a
       | day while working. Usually not a problem since most of my work
       | doesn't require flow state. I found a walking speed of approx 2.1
       | kph allows me to concentrate while moving.
       | 
       | I also have a squat rack, bench, barbells and do power lifting at
       | home though that fell off in the last year. Goal is to lose
       | weight, walk more, eat less, and lift moderately since I'm on a
       | cut.
        
       | jasondigitized wrote:
       | r/homegym. It took me far too long to accept that going to a
       | physical gym is logistically stupid and dramatically reduces the
       | chance of me working out consistently with high frequency. I
       | decided to invest several thousand dollars in fitness equipment
       | and will never go back. Worth every penny. Being able work out 1
       | minute after deciding to do so is a absolute game changer for me.
        
       | second--shift wrote:
       | Zwift indoors & riding thousands of km's on a bicycle outdoors,
       | weather permitting
        
       | lljk_kennedy wrote:
       | Bulgarian Bag. Great for both strength and cardio, only one piece
       | of kit and you can do a lot of exercises, and you need about
       | enough room to swing a school bag around.
        
       | chrisfrantz wrote:
       | I gave up the gym during COVID and quickly dropped out of shape.
       | I was going an hour a day, 5 days a week and was in decent shape.
       | 
       | I was unable to keep it up at home despite the equipment I had.
       | 
       | Recently I purchased a roll away treadmill and created a
       | treadmill desk set up. I'm finally at least walking 30 minutes a
       | day during the work week, but that's obviously still not enough.
       | 
       | It's tough, but the treadmill helps as I can keep working.
        
       | Flankk wrote:
       | Running, yoga, and/or calisthenics. Don't overdo it. The goal is
       | to get your metabolism back up to baseline and stop muscle
       | atrophy. The habit is far more important than the number on the
       | scale.
        
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       (page generated 2021-12-01 23:02 UTC)