HACKER Q&A
📣 pipnonsense

How can I do some functional workout while building something?


Hey HN,

Let me give you some context for my question.

I am a 42 yo developer, completely sedentary for the last 15 years or so, slightly overweight. I am worried about my overall health and mobility going into old age, so I started to exercise a bit last year; the thing is that I am utterly unmotivated by any sort of workout.

I never ever had the slightest motivation to go to the gym or any weight training. It's not that I hate; I just feel bored to death, I don't know. And my current long-term health concern is not enough motivation for daily commitment, I know. I am sure I won't like the motivational tactics of something like CrossFit, where someone shouting, high volume upbeat music, and group commitment are supposed to motivate you. I don't work that way. I am trying Pilates with my wife. Just the two of us and a trainer. The scheduled sessions and my wife has been helping me adhere to it for the last few months, but I know I don't look forward to the sessions and that, at some point, will make me quit.

I hate running as well, but I love to play soccer and sometimes basketball. The thing is that living in a high-density big city with busy friends is hard to find somewhere practical to play it recurrently. I am committed to finding a way to play it weekly, but even so, it will be just one weekly session of aerobic training without the functional part (which is what I am more worried about).

So, I am looking into what would motivate me to do some functional physical exercise. I am a builder. Building something will certainly motivate me. I do that with software all the time. Building things that don't go anywhere just for the joy of doing it. So I started to wonder if there is a hobby out there that demands the body enough to put me in shape.

And that brings the question: what could I physically build that would be good enough functional training while learning the craft of building it?

I am looking for something long-term. It could take years to build something acceptable, as long as the learning process is also physically demanding.

There are some more restrictions. I live in an apartment without a backyard, so no space to build a shed or anything like that. But feel free to mention good ideas that fit my purpose, and I can try to find a way to fit them into my life.

My first thoughts went to things like carpentry, masonry, sculpture, farming, gardening, ceramics. I am not interested in hobbies where you don't build anything but are fun for some people, like dancing or rock climbing.

Any ideas, HN?

  👤 NiagaraThistle Accepted Answer ✓
Get Clear's book 'Atomic Habits' and also commit to #75Hard. Once the habit is built, it won't really matter if you 'want' to go to the gym, for a walk, run, whatever. You just will because it's habit and you will force yourself to be 'motivated'. Motivation is a farce. It's simply ourselves telling ourselves 'do this thing' when we actually want to do the thing or know we need to do the thing. What you should be focusing on is 'commitment'. Commit to a physical work out every day for 30, 60, 90 days. Then reward yourself or have your wife come up with a reward for you to 'motivate' you to complete the task of working out. Trick yourself into WANTING to do the thing you dread until you stop feeling the dread and the act itself is the reward. It takes time, and it is HARD to get to that point sometimes, but you can get there. I've been in the same boat, and whereas I don't dislike physical workouts, I have often in the past found something to do instead. But after reading 'Atomic Habits' and committing to #75Hard, I built up the fortitude to overcome my procrastination/laziness/whatever to follow-through with my workouts and am now trying to devote that committment to finishing my side projects.

Good luck, hope 2022 is the year you overcome your procrastination/laziness/demotivation/whatever.

Edit: Oh and as you are in a city: Try cycling. It helped ease me into keeping my daily workouts. But I actually do enjoy cycling.

👤 Osein
I was in the same boat this year. Forced myself to go there, as hard as it goes, just do it. Motivational speeches worked a bit for me.

The thing is, with sport, effects can be hard to notice. After 8 months I was like nah this is too slow. But still going there, I can feel that I am more powerful and I look firmer. My back is a lot more stable for long hours in front of a desk. Just don’t let your brain trick you into feeling its not working.

And don’t forget that anything thats done 21 days will make a habit. This rule saved me :D

👤 vitovito
Why does the workout require motivation? You don't need motivation to eat or sleep. Surely you've experienced the negative consequences of a sedentary lifestyle: getting winded, needing help to move heavy objects, injuring yourself more frequently. If you have children, being unable to physically keep up with them. Health and strength are as important as feeding yourself and getting rest.

Strength training is functional: the thing you are building is strength within your own body. Programs often focus on just a handful of core exercises (squat, press, deadlift). They're the opposite of crossfit, and you can find gyms and trainers that will help you focus on your form in the way you want, without the shouting and peer pressure.

Rowing can be similar, and also a full-body workout, and lower impact on your joints if your form is correct.

It took me 6-9 months to not resent going to the gym three days a week. It's not fun, it's work, it's effort, it's an obligation for my health and wellbeing.

👤 codingdave
The two that I've done are woodworking and ceramics. They are both mild activity that keeps you moving while working on projects, punctuated with lifting and moving your heavy materials around on occasion. Blacksmithing is always heavy work, but I have not tried it myself.
👤 billconan
my mother is disappointed at me not interested in any sports. It's just so boring, repetitive. And for ball games, I can't understand the meaning of chasing a ball.

I used to believe, there is a huge market for exercising games, like ring fit. I tried it, it is the same boring and repetitive thing.

in retrospect, I realized that the kind of activities I like involve planning, and creation, and often has a room for innovation. I was thinking about a VR lego game where each block has a weight. The end goal is building a structure that solves a puzzle and there is no fixed answer.

👤 helph67
If you are allowed pets, get a dog and regularly take it for walks in green areas (parks). You will both get physical exercise, companionship and the greenery positively improves your health.