I too don't feel like exercising after work, or at 6 in the morning. And many years ago I determined that without exercise my life is a living hell. Simply, I need to push weights and exert myself physically to keep mentally sane.
So I've found work that works for me, as in, I can go to the gym at lunch, which is when I feel good about working out.
Make your routine work for you, and not the other way around. Prioritising yourself is exactly like the plane safety announcement, place the mask on your face before assisting others, because you're no good to them passed out. Same thing with your health, make it a priority to look after yourself and feel good, or you won't be your be able to help anyone, and you won't be a good version of yourself people will want to hang with.
I found the same worked very well for me, around lunch hour is the best time for me to train.
I managed to go to the gym after work for a few years when I was on my early 20s, I had to force myself many times but I liked the routine and was motivated enough with keeping consistency but over the years I got more drained of energy from work and I couldn't muster the motivation anymore.
I experimented with going early in the morning on my way to the office for almost a year, I realised I absolutely dreaded it since it felt I had to rush to not be late even when there was ample time for my routines, instead of enjoying the meditative state of lifting weights I was always preoccupied with time.
In the end the best approach/routine for me was to start the workday some 30 min earlier, take an extended lunch hour to go train, and extend another 30 min at the end of the day. It always gives me the feeling of living 2 days in one, I feel clear minded and refreshed after coming back from my lunch hour, I don't have to care about waking up much earlier than my usual nor juggle between social activities in the evening and my training, I can do both: train, and go out after work to meet friends without caring that I missed a gym session.
Also the bonus of the gym being mostly empty at these times is also great, I get very unmotivated if it's packed, having to wait for equipment, anything that extends my routines takes the joy of doing them away.
I was introduced to Masters Swimming programs by a corporate group manager back in the day. There were a bunch of participating pools in Silicon Valley.
Absolutely the best to walk back into work with all that energy. Several co-workers followed after me. It was contagious! Hehe
I live off a paved trail, 30 min 8 mi bike ride nearly everyday around for 1-2pm after lunch, fast, no bonk, gives me a mental reset and helps me rescue from any work tangents.
Being in nature is great, we screw ourselves over so much by not orienting around bike path accessibility, they take very little space in the grand scheme and enables population improvement in glocuse tolerance and cognitive function, fortunately for all of Austin's faults they are putting in effort to be affordable and livable. Best of a bad bunch.
It's reversed so much cognitive performance decline I felt creeping up on me in my late 30s.
I’m not sure about all of this. I’ve been sedentary for 34 years, and I somehow still am.
But I discovered rollerblading at 34 and now I’m part of a rollerblading course in a skatepark at a fixed time in the week, just after my biggest day of work. And going to the skatepark is boring, I need to take a bus to nowhere land and then walk in nowhere land for 10 minutes.
I’ve always been happy to go to it. And even the days I didn’t felt it, I never regretted going for it anyway.
Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.
To me that was a revelation that felt more important than what this article says. Exercising shouldn’t be boring.
Well I’m still sedentary because rollerblading is not the most practical sport to do everyday, especially on the countryside. But even then I’m loving it.
I also like biking. Not as an exercise but just to evade. I think I will insist on going for some calm rides.
Yeah, the way we talk about exercising and fitness in general often pre-supposes that it's an unpleasant chore.
The "secret" to long-term fitness is finding activities you enjoy doing for their own sake that happen to involve moving your body and then incorporating them into your lifestyle such that you're doing them frequently and consistently.
This is like "find work you enjoy". If it works for you great, but for many it doesn't really and at some point you have to accept exercise is non-optional and just pick something you can tolerate if you don't find anything
This is definitely a good approach but I don't think it's the only one!
I absolutely agree that the idea that exercise has to be unpleasant is wrong and harmful. But there's a middle ground where the things you actively enjoy aren't sufficient to keep you fit, and so you develop a habit of doing regular exercise even when you don't feel like it and even if it's a bit boring and effortful.
Everyone's different but IME this works well provided you build up the effort level gradually, and never feel the need to push yourself to a really unpleasant degree. Eventually habit, the knowledge that it's good for you in the long run, and the fact that it usually makes you feel better in the short run make it pretty easy to stick with.
> Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.
This is hands down the most important advice and what I tell everyone around me. Find something active that you ENJOY. Even better if the thing you enjoy requires your body to progressively improve to unlock more enjoyment from your new active hobby.
Beyond that it can be anything: dancing, martial arts, swimming, cycling, football, handstands, skateboarding
Exercise for exercise's sake is really awful and abstract for most people. Like why carry a bunch of weights if you never feel like you need that strength.
The best thing I find (where possible) is a bit of competition to necessitate progress but that's only one possible solution..
A wise grinder once told me a powerful secret, the key to perfect running form: the sides of the mouth curling up in a giant smile.
Phoebe running, rejecting social norms, gettin’ dirty, futzing with trail plans… there’s no rules, have fun. Whatever that means exactly on your own terms.
Unfortunately this sort of advice also leads to people not exercising. I don't enjoy lifting, and I don't see an easy way to make it fun, but I feel better and I'm healthier for it.
… “Smile while you train”, ie make training fun, results in not training? That is nonsensical.
You can’t figure out how to make lifting fun? Bruv, google Eric Bugenhagen. Shirtless, 70s rock, singing out loud, a tye-die hairband, strong coffee and fun exercises. Lifting is awesome, it happens in a gym, and there are 9,000 colours of fun. Homegyms rule, hip thrusts in between air-guitar with the toddler, air kicks and slam balls… and it is as easy as a patch of alley and a kettlebell or tire, if you let it be.
The entire point of my post is the opposite of your takeaway. Learn what you find fun, what makes you smile hard when lifting and by definition you will be having fun lifting.
Lifting is easy mode for fun. Speakers, smoothies, cuties, technique variants, bar variants, ego-stuff, posture-stuff, program stuff, dips, pull ups, and bouncy crap too. Ultra running, where that quote is from, involves eating a slight bit more shit for more than an hour (in AC).
Plus, you do NOT have to “lift” to “pick up something heavy, move it around, and hold something above your head”. Feeling better and healthier, hypertrophy, and targeted resistance exercise are available from a near infinite variety of activities. Some are very enjoyable, the rest can be made so with effort, creativity, and will.
That's true, there is also bodyweight and machines and just hard labor.
And of course there's cardio but that's not terribly difficult to fit into any lifestyle—lots of fun options. That's just not going to hit all your needs by itself.
Exactly. I've always loved racquet sports- how it makes me feel, the improvement of hand-eye coordination, the competition, sure, all of that- but most of all, because hitting a ball with a stick with a bouncy strings around in a court is a damn good time. So it's never felt like an effort to me.
> Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.
First step is throwing away the idea it has to always be fun. You even said right before this:
> And even the days I didn’t felt it, I never regretted going for it anyway.
So it's not always fun and you always don't feel like it, but you connected it to other side of not regretting. That's discipline. The next step IMO, is to embrace when it sucks. Look at the upside that you're not only exercising your body, but also exercising your discipline when you don't feel like it - good for you!
A small example of embracing when it might suck is to not avoid rain. Instead of running, embrace the rain. Relax, smile, and be ok with getting wet. It's temporary. Same thing when you don't feel like doing something you know you need to do, like exercising.
I never feel like exercising, doesn't matter what time of the day it is. In the morning I feel the need to get to work (I'm a night owl so get up later). But by the time I'm done working, my ability to motivate myself is used up.
I managed some consistency after I read "10k pushups and other silly exercise quests that changed my life[1]."
I modified the plan so I'm doing pushups and squats, so going for 10K of each. I started in late November and I'm currently just shy of 4K each.
I have a couple family members kind of doing it with me, which has helped a little. But the key for me was a very small time commitment that didn't involve changing clothes.
I can do them basically whenever I think about them, although I've found a sweet spot in the morning when I change into day clothes. It's not perfect, I still miss a small number of days, but on the days I do them, I do more. Because I realized the hardest part for me, by far, is getting started. So, on the days I start, I do just a bit more (40-60 each total, instead of 30), to make up for the days I'll miss.
But, yah...I still don't feel like exercising...ever. I've just hacked that "nahhh" impulse to be "it'll be over before you know it" and that has worked for whatever reason. Probably, because it literally takes less than five minutes and, when it's that quick, the "just get it over with" drive has a chance of winning most days.
You might think putting in that little time doesn't make a difference but it's very noticeable in both my rep counts, recovery time, and physique. When I started, it was hard for me to get in a single set of 20 push-ups. I'd get to 30 with two sets. Now, on a regular day, I can do a single set of 40 and on a day when I'm feeling good, I can hit 60. The consistency really does add up.
That's funny. I've used that approach myself countless times to convince myself to do house chores. When your entire being seems to go "no, I really really really don't feel like doing it right now" and you just lay down the cold hard truth of "from your experience we know it's five minutes which is less time than most instances of doomscrolling". It's honestly perplexing why that part is the hardest part of the entire task.
Maybe your natural “exercising window” is during working hours.
I am overweight and sedentary, but around 10:30am, after 90 minutes of work, at my sharpest moment of the day, I often get the desire to just take a break and get some fresh air for an hour. Thank heavens I work at home and with no boss, or I would miss that little walking session, as it’s usually the busiest, most productive time window of the whole day in a regular office.
You made me smile when I saw the reference to my pushup essay. :-) I have updated that post a few more times since it originally published and am now starting to train for my first Ironman event.
Just a little bit of exercise a day can change youe life!
My trick: Walk to meals and other excursions/shopping in lieu of driving.
If I leave on a walk for the exclusive purpouse of "exercise", I immediately feel bored, and like I'm wasting time, even if I "know" I'm not. Conversely, if I have goals to achieve at a destination, cutting the walk short to drive - or cook at home - is no less boring, and feels like a waste of the walking I did do.
It started as a way to take a break from work when I was crunching, with the company of coworkers. They'd grab lunch, or coffee, and you might as well stretch your legs and socialize while you're at it.
For me the big deal was going 5 times a week with no possibility to skip during the week. My brain seed it as an extension of work, so it just goes.
When I skip, I put together two session next time (e.g. cardio + weight lifting).
3 years in and the only days I really skipped are those I am parked in bed due to fever.
But, I don't like it at all. I feel great afterwards, exhausted but great. I am now used to it, but I really appreciate going the smallest amount of time for maximum gain, so I do 2 times a week HIIT (30 minutes) and 3 times just 1 hour of weight lifting. Big results, minimum effort.
Truth. The gym (and consequentially) lifting, running, sweating, and generally using your body to accomplish goals (and setting new ones) becomes reflexive and habitual.
I used to hang-out at the bar between flights in an airport. Now, I walk the concourse and climb stairs.
This looks like one of those kind of useless advices but anyone who has grinded in gym would know that it’s true. That’s not to say there’s a case for optimising the time of exercise. Both go well
Learning to grind through things you don’t want to do is a skill. I’ve been going to the gym for 20+ years at this point, and training BJJ for almost half that. It’s not about wanting to go or not, it’s just what I do. I have also found that the learned skill of grinding transfers to getting other things done.
Related to the article, I’ve worked out in the mornings, lunch, after work and I’ve found I can adapt to any of them. I prefer mornings because my days can get quite busy.
A man who goes to the gym three days in a week and knows what he is doing will bet a man who goes to the gym everyday just for the sake of "going to the gym" and handing out with his gym buddies here.
Yes but I would add 1) a tiny bit of cheat for self awareness. like if you REALLY don't want to go, you don't have to. But you REALLY have to NOT want it and 2) making it fun just changes the threshold so much. Commenter above indicated Rollerblading - it was the same for me. I can Rollerblade every day without having to convince myself, that is powerful.
But you do have a point and it is strong.
"Just Go" irrespective of how you feel about it, it's like "Going to Work" - like you get dressed, you drive there, you do the thing ... similar.
If you really don't want to go, just show up and do the little you can. Showing up is the hardest part. After showing up, you'd often find you want to do more than you originally anticipated you were capable of.
The thing that kept screwing up my exercise regimen was external factors like weather, overcrowding, etc. The exercise itself is already hard enough. Fighting a crowd or a blizzard makes it even more difficult.
I found that an indoor erg (rowing machine) to be the best way to solve the problem. I have total control over my environment. I know exactly how much it will suck and there is zero anxiety about getting to the gym before a certain time, checking the weather, etc.
Effectively, I have eliminated all potential excuses for not doing the exercise. The only remaining one is tired/sick/etc., but as long as I draw breath I can move a make believe rowboat at a non-zero speed.
I don't really agree with the whole "social jetlag" part they drop in at the end. Not only does it feel like an ad priming people to accept and seek out heavily monetized social trends, but it misses the bigger picture.
Lots of people are stuck in some level of "fight-or-flight" from the moment they wake up because they're under pressure. Adding exercise shouldn't feel like another thing added to the pile of tasks.
If we agree the problem is psychological then we should focus on the same things we do to treat anxiety. Rule out nutritional or medical problems and focus on the state of your nervous system. Check your bloodwork, get a pulse oximeter (not a watch), and get a journal going of your consumption habits.
I did that and found prediabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and sleep apnea. Something like 75% of the population would find out the same, but these simple tests aren't taken seriously. Even when they are, people don't see or decide to ignore the connection.
On paper I improved my resting heart rate, heart rate variability, insulin resistance, ODI events, etc. just from diet and slowing down my day. In reality it was so much more than numbers. I stopped feeling like shit all the time. Now that I can exercise comfortably, I don't see it as a chore and can enjoy it. I'm not even hung up on when exactly to do it anymore. It just happens anyway because it's fun.
Now that I'm exercising more I can manage my health easier than when I had to push myself to do it. I think if we say people need to take the exercise itself at their own pace then we should also tell them to take their broader health more seriously before telling them to exercise. Otherwise it will be too overwhelming and the whole rhythm is lost.
From the Washington Post today, for those of us with Type 2 diabetes:
"The effects — and implications — proved to be especially striking for people with Type 2 diabetes, according to the analysis. For them, exercise later in the day tended to result in substantial and lasting improvements to blood sugar control."
Another "maybe" to consider: maybe it's the wrong format for you. Years ago, I got yearly subscriptions at a gym that was right below my office, and showed up less than 10 times. This was followed by many more years of no subscription and no physical exertion. A few years ago, I got introduced to group classes at Cult Fit. This format fits me perfectly: just show up, and follow instructions just like everyone else. If I'm doing something wrong, the instructor comes to me and sets me right. I show up everyday. This brought about many changes - many serum biomarkers are under control, and I can do things that I couldn't do at half my age.
I get literally sick after exercising. Like, nauseous and even on occasion vomit. I feel like crap afterwards, and need to almost immediately take a nap. I get zero immediate benefits from exercise (both weights and aerobics), and feel bad the rest of the day. If it is leg day, I drag while walking or taking stairs. I have never gotten a "runners high" or felt any same day benefits.
I do get benefits, mind you - my pinched nerve pains go away, I (sometimes) sleep better, my body looks better. But it is super hard to want to do it and gets done as minimally as possible to not have pain.
The article didn't really answer the question of whether the right time of day helps you feel like exercising. Just that you might get more out of the exercise you choose to do.
As someone who is more of a night owl, I just don't seem to be able to put out the same effort in the early morning than I can in the evening, whether it be in the gym or on the bike. I'm much more tired and I just can't seem to push as hard as I can in the evenings.
When exercising frequently it can still be really difficult to exercise and I try help that by tuning down the intensity of the workout if I am really feeling off, that way I'm not adding insult to injury by having a touch workout on a day I'm not feeling it.
Your hormones shift later at night, so your nervous system is in a relaxed state. Your improved breathing and heart rate let you push harder.
I don't think it has to do with being a "night owl" as much as noticing enough to take advantage of something that happens to everyone. A lot of people aren't curious enough to change things up and that's probably who this article is aimed at.
I don't think that's necessarily why, as I know people who feel they can push harder in the mornings compared to later in the evening. Those people I know have always been early risers and hit the pillow early.
I've been saying this for years. I don't believe in discipline. People who keep up a habit for years on end are not disciplined, they simply found something that works for them. If you try to start running every day after a couple of weeks you fucking hate it, then you need to change something. You might even need to stop running and try something else. Because it won't get any easier, and any excuse you have to break that habit you'll take eventually. Find things you will do without discipline. That's the secret.
I've exercised from 6am to 9pm and everywhere in between. At least for me, it's just about getting into a habit and letting your body know this is the time of day we're going to be active.
I never felt like I had more energy in the morning, afternoon, or night. But if I tried to work out in the afternoon when I was in the 6am habit, I felt completely dead.
When I was in my teens and twenties, 11pm to 2am were my workout hours. Consistently, productively and satisfyingly. I’ve since adapted it to early afternoon or late morning. But the idea of running yourself tired at the end of the day still carries unique appeal for me.
This resonates. I know that if I don't exercise on the 2-3 hour window right after I wake up, it'll be near impossible to do anything physically taxing that day.
I am not sure if you're entirely familiar with how science works?
The study has a fairly large effect size, there's plenty of other research into body chronology that shows similar effects and differences between people. The methods in the study look solid, as does the analysis. There's also nothing weird with how the interpreted the results.
Now, should you go out and alter health guidelines for an entire country based off of one study? Hell no. But that also does not mean that you dismiss the study.
Research funding does NOT work in such a way, that scientist A comes up with an interesting idea and immediately gets funding to recruit 200 000 participants from 20 countries.
I too don't feel like exercising after work, or at 6 in the morning. And many years ago I determined that without exercise my life is a living hell. Simply, I need to push weights and exert myself physically to keep mentally sane.
So I've found work that works for me, as in, I can go to the gym at lunch, which is when I feel good about working out.
Make your routine work for you, and not the other way around. Prioritising yourself is exactly like the plane safety announcement, place the mask on your face before assisting others, because you're no good to them passed out. Same thing with your health, make it a priority to look after yourself and feel good, or you won't be your be able to help anyone, and you won't be a good version of yourself people will want to hang with.
I found the same worked very well for me, around lunch hour is the best time for me to train.
I managed to go to the gym after work for a few years when I was on my early 20s, I had to force myself many times but I liked the routine and was motivated enough with keeping consistency but over the years I got more drained of energy from work and I couldn't muster the motivation anymore.
I experimented with going early in the morning on my way to the office for almost a year, I realised I absolutely dreaded it since it felt I had to rush to not be late even when there was ample time for my routines, instead of enjoying the meditative state of lifting weights I was always preoccupied with time.
In the end the best approach/routine for me was to start the workday some 30 min earlier, take an extended lunch hour to go train, and extend another 30 min at the end of the day. It always gives me the feeling of living 2 days in one, I feel clear minded and refreshed after coming back from my lunch hour, I don't have to care about waking up much earlier than my usual nor juggle between social activities in the evening and my training, I can do both: train, and go out after work to meet friends without caring that I missed a gym session.
Also the bonus of the gym being mostly empty at these times is also great, I get very unmotivated if it's packed, having to wait for equipment, anything that extends my routines takes the joy of doing them away.
I was introduced to Masters Swimming programs by a corporate group manager back in the day. There were a bunch of participating pools in Silicon Valley.
Absolutely the best to walk back into work with all that energy. Several co-workers followed after me. It was contagious! Hehe
I live off a paved trail, 30 min 8 mi bike ride nearly everyday around for 1-2pm after lunch, fast, no bonk, gives me a mental reset and helps me rescue from any work tangents.
Being in nature is great, we screw ourselves over so much by not orienting around bike path accessibility, they take very little space in the grand scheme and enables population improvement in glocuse tolerance and cognitive function, fortunately for all of Austin's faults they are putting in effort to be affordable and livable. Best of a bad bunch.
It's reversed so much cognitive performance decline I felt creeping up on me in my late 30s.
I’m not sure about all of this. I’ve been sedentary for 34 years, and I somehow still am.
But I discovered rollerblading at 34 and now I’m part of a rollerblading course in a skatepark at a fixed time in the week, just after my biggest day of work. And going to the skatepark is boring, I need to take a bus to nowhere land and then walk in nowhere land for 10 minutes.
I’ve always been happy to go to it. And even the days I didn’t felt it, I never regretted going for it anyway.
Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.
To me that was a revelation that felt more important than what this article says. Exercising shouldn’t be boring.
Well I’m still sedentary because rollerblading is not the most practical sport to do everyday, especially on the countryside. But even then I’m loving it.
I also like biking. Not as an exercise but just to evade. I think I will insist on going for some calm rides.
Yeah, the way we talk about exercising and fitness in general often pre-supposes that it's an unpleasant chore.
The "secret" to long-term fitness is finding activities you enjoy doing for their own sake that happen to involve moving your body and then incorporating them into your lifestyle such that you're doing them frequently and consistently.
This is like "find work you enjoy". If it works for you great, but for many it doesn't really and at some point you have to accept exercise is non-optional and just pick something you can tolerate if you don't find anything
This is definitely a good approach but I don't think it's the only one!
I absolutely agree that the idea that exercise has to be unpleasant is wrong and harmful. But there's a middle ground where the things you actively enjoy aren't sufficient to keep you fit, and so you develop a habit of doing regular exercise even when you don't feel like it and even if it's a bit boring and effortful.
Everyone's different but IME this works well provided you build up the effort level gradually, and never feel the need to push yourself to a really unpleasant degree. Eventually habit, the knowledge that it's good for you in the long run, and the fact that it usually makes you feel better in the short run make it pretty easy to stick with.
> Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.
This is hands down the most important advice and what I tell everyone around me. Find something active that you ENJOY. Even better if the thing you enjoy requires your body to progressively improve to unlock more enjoyment from your new active hobby.
Beyond that it can be anything: dancing, martial arts, swimming, cycling, football, handstands, skateboarding
Exercise for exercise's sake is really awful and abstract for most people. Like why carry a bunch of weights if you never feel like you need that strength.
The best thing I find (where possible) is a bit of competition to necessitate progress but that's only one possible solution..
A wise grinder once told me a powerful secret, the key to perfect running form: the sides of the mouth curling up in a giant smile.
Phoebe running, rejecting social norms, gettin’ dirty, futzing with trail plans… there’s no rules, have fun. Whatever that means exactly on your own terms.
Unfortunately this sort of advice also leads to people not exercising. I don't enjoy lifting, and I don't see an easy way to make it fun, but I feel better and I'm healthier for it.
… “Smile while you train”, ie make training fun, results in not training? That is nonsensical.
You can’t figure out how to make lifting fun? Bruv, google Eric Bugenhagen. Shirtless, 70s rock, singing out loud, a tye-die hairband, strong coffee and fun exercises. Lifting is awesome, it happens in a gym, and there are 9,000 colours of fun. Homegyms rule, hip thrusts in between air-guitar with the toddler, air kicks and slam balls… and it is as easy as a patch of alley and a kettlebell or tire, if you let it be.
The entire point of my post is the opposite of your takeaway. Learn what you find fun, what makes you smile hard when lifting and by definition you will be having fun lifting.
Lifting is easy mode for fun. Speakers, smoothies, cuties, technique variants, bar variants, ego-stuff, posture-stuff, program stuff, dips, pull ups, and bouncy crap too. Ultra running, where that quote is from, involves eating a slight bit more shit for more than an hour (in AC).
Plus, you do NOT have to “lift” to “pick up something heavy, move it around, and hold something above your head”. Feeling better and healthier, hypertrophy, and targeted resistance exercise are available from a near infinite variety of activities. Some are very enjoyable, the rest can be made so with effort, creativity, and will.
You do not have to lift to exercise. It is only one of many options.
That's true, there is also bodyweight and machines and just hard labor.
And of course there's cardio but that's not terribly difficult to fit into any lifestyle—lots of fun options. That's just not going to hit all your needs by itself.
Exactly. I've always loved racquet sports- how it makes me feel, the improvement of hand-eye coordination, the competition, sure, all of that- but most of all, because hitting a ball with a stick with a bouncy strings around in a court is a damn good time. So it's never felt like an effort to me.
> Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.
First step is throwing away the idea it has to always be fun. You even said right before this:
> And even the days I didn’t felt it, I never regretted going for it anyway.
So it's not always fun and you always don't feel like it, but you connected it to other side of not regretting. That's discipline. The next step IMO, is to embrace when it sucks. Look at the upside that you're not only exercising your body, but also exercising your discipline when you don't feel like it - good for you!
A small example of embracing when it might suck is to not avoid rain. Instead of running, embrace the rain. Relax, smile, and be ok with getting wet. It's temporary. Same thing when you don't feel like doing something you know you need to do, like exercising.
I never feel like exercising, doesn't matter what time of the day it is. In the morning I feel the need to get to work (I'm a night owl so get up later). But by the time I'm done working, my ability to motivate myself is used up.
I managed some consistency after I read "10k pushups and other silly exercise quests that changed my life[1]."
I modified the plan so I'm doing pushups and squats, so going for 10K of each. I started in late November and I'm currently just shy of 4K each.
I have a couple family members kind of doing it with me, which has helped a little. But the key for me was a very small time commitment that didn't involve changing clothes.
I can do them basically whenever I think about them, although I've found a sweet spot in the morning when I change into day clothes. It's not perfect, I still miss a small number of days, but on the days I do them, I do more. Because I realized the hardest part for me, by far, is getting started. So, on the days I start, I do just a bit more (40-60 each total, instead of 30), to make up for the days I'll miss.
But, yah...I still don't feel like exercising...ever. I've just hacked that "nahhh" impulse to be "it'll be over before you know it" and that has worked for whatever reason. Probably, because it literally takes less than five minutes and, when it's that quick, the "just get it over with" drive has a chance of winning most days.
You might think putting in that little time doesn't make a difference but it's very noticeable in both my rep counts, recovery time, and physique. When I started, it was hard for me to get in a single set of 20 push-ups. I'd get to 30 with two sets. Now, on a regular day, I can do a single set of 40 and on a day when I'm feeling good, I can hit 60. The consistency really does add up.
1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45456188
That's funny. I've used that approach myself countless times to convince myself to do house chores. When your entire being seems to go "no, I really really really don't feel like doing it right now" and you just lay down the cold hard truth of "from your experience we know it's five minutes which is less time than most instances of doomscrolling". It's honestly perplexing why that part is the hardest part of the entire task.
Maybe your natural “exercising window” is during working hours.
I am overweight and sedentary, but around 10:30am, after 90 minutes of work, at my sharpest moment of the day, I often get the desire to just take a break and get some fresh air for an hour. Thank heavens I work at home and with no boss, or I would miss that little walking session, as it’s usually the busiest, most productive time window of the whole day in a regular office.
You made me smile when I saw the reference to my pushup essay. :-) I have updated that post a few more times since it originally published and am now starting to train for my first Ironman event.
Just a little bit of exercise a day can change youe life!
My trick: Walk to meals and other excursions/shopping in lieu of driving.
If I leave on a walk for the exclusive purpouse of "exercise", I immediately feel bored, and like I'm wasting time, even if I "know" I'm not. Conversely, if I have goals to achieve at a destination, cutting the walk short to drive - or cook at home - is no less boring, and feels like a waste of the walking I did do.
It started as a way to take a break from work when I was crunching, with the company of coworkers. They'd grab lunch, or coffee, and you might as well stretch your legs and socialize while you're at it.
For me the big deal was going 5 times a week with no possibility to skip during the week. My brain seed it as an extension of work, so it just goes.
When I skip, I put together two session next time (e.g. cardio + weight lifting). 3 years in and the only days I really skipped are those I am parked in bed due to fever.
But, I don't like it at all. I feel great afterwards, exhausted but great. I am now used to it, but I really appreciate going the smallest amount of time for maximum gain, so I do 2 times a week HIIT (30 minutes) and 3 times just 1 hour of weight lifting. Big results, minimum effort.
The man who goes to the gym every single day regardless of how he feels, will always beat the man who only goes to the gym when he feels like it.
Truth. The gym (and consequentially) lifting, running, sweating, and generally using your body to accomplish goals (and setting new ones) becomes reflexive and habitual.
I used to hang-out at the bar between flights in an airport. Now, I walk the concourse and climb stairs.
This looks like one of those kind of useless advices but anyone who has grinded in gym would know that it’s true. That’s not to say there’s a case for optimising the time of exercise. Both go well
Learning to grind through things you don’t want to do is a skill. I’ve been going to the gym for 20+ years at this point, and training BJJ for almost half that. It’s not about wanting to go or not, it’s just what I do. I have also found that the learned skill of grinding transfers to getting other things done.
Related to the article, I’ve worked out in the mornings, lunch, after work and I’ve found I can adapt to any of them. I prefer mornings because my days can get quite busy.
A man who goes to the gym three days in a week and knows what he is doing will bet a man who goes to the gym everyday just for the sake of "going to the gym" and handing out with his gym buddies here.
Yes but I would add 1) a tiny bit of cheat for self awareness. like if you REALLY don't want to go, you don't have to. But you REALLY have to NOT want it and 2) making it fun just changes the threshold so much. Commenter above indicated Rollerblading - it was the same for me. I can Rollerblade every day without having to convince myself, that is powerful.
But you do have a point and it is strong.
"Just Go" irrespective of how you feel about it, it's like "Going to Work" - like you get dressed, you drive there, you do the thing ... similar.
If you really don't want to go, just show up and do the little you can. Showing up is the hardest part. After showing up, you'd often find you want to do more than you originally anticipated you were capable of.
They may not be participating in the same competition.
Taking care of yourself is not a competition, nor a zero-sum game.
The thing that kept screwing up my exercise regimen was external factors like weather, overcrowding, etc. The exercise itself is already hard enough. Fighting a crowd or a blizzard makes it even more difficult.
I found that an indoor erg (rowing machine) to be the best way to solve the problem. I have total control over my environment. I know exactly how much it will suck and there is zero anxiety about getting to the gym before a certain time, checking the weather, etc.
Effectively, I have eliminated all potential excuses for not doing the exercise. The only remaining one is tired/sick/etc., but as long as I draw breath I can move a make believe rowboat at a non-zero speed.
I don't really agree with the whole "social jetlag" part they drop in at the end. Not only does it feel like an ad priming people to accept and seek out heavily monetized social trends, but it misses the bigger picture.
Lots of people are stuck in some level of "fight-or-flight" from the moment they wake up because they're under pressure. Adding exercise shouldn't feel like another thing added to the pile of tasks.
If we agree the problem is psychological then we should focus on the same things we do to treat anxiety. Rule out nutritional or medical problems and focus on the state of your nervous system. Check your bloodwork, get a pulse oximeter (not a watch), and get a journal going of your consumption habits.
I did that and found prediabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and sleep apnea. Something like 75% of the population would find out the same, but these simple tests aren't taken seriously. Even when they are, people don't see or decide to ignore the connection.
On paper I improved my resting heart rate, heart rate variability, insulin resistance, ODI events, etc. just from diet and slowing down my day. In reality it was so much more than numbers. I stopped feeling like shit all the time. Now that I can exercise comfortably, I don't see it as a chore and can enjoy it. I'm not even hung up on when exactly to do it anymore. It just happens anyway because it's fun.
Now that I'm exercising more I can manage my health easier than when I had to push myself to do it. I think if we say people need to take the exercise itself at their own pace then we should also tell them to take their broader health more seriously before telling them to exercise. Otherwise it will be too overwhelming and the whole rhythm is lost.
Just do it. And remember the old cycling mantra, it never gets any easier, you just get quicker/stronger
From the Washington Post today, for those of us with Type 2 diabetes:
"The effects — and implications — proved to be especially striking for people with Type 2 diabetes, according to the analysis. For them, exercise later in the day tended to result in substantial and lasting improvements to blood sugar control."
"Want to control your blood sugar? Here’s the best time of day for exercise." https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/04/15/exercise-... https://archive.ph/oO7Q1
Another "maybe" to consider: maybe it's the wrong format for you. Years ago, I got yearly subscriptions at a gym that was right below my office, and showed up less than 10 times. This was followed by many more years of no subscription and no physical exertion. A few years ago, I got introduced to group classes at Cult Fit. This format fits me perfectly: just show up, and follow instructions just like everyone else. If I'm doing something wrong, the instructor comes to me and sets me right. I show up everyday. This brought about many changes - many serum biomarkers are under control, and I can do things that I couldn't do at half my age.
I get literally sick after exercising. Like, nauseous and even on occasion vomit. I feel like crap afterwards, and need to almost immediately take a nap. I get zero immediate benefits from exercise (both weights and aerobics), and feel bad the rest of the day. If it is leg day, I drag while walking or taking stairs. I have never gotten a "runners high" or felt any same day benefits.
I do get benefits, mind you - my pinched nerve pains go away, I (sometimes) sleep better, my body looks better. But it is super hard to want to do it and gets done as minimally as possible to not have pain.
The article didn't really answer the question of whether the right time of day helps you feel like exercising. Just that you might get more out of the exercise you choose to do.
As someone who is more of a night owl, I just don't seem to be able to put out the same effort in the early morning than I can in the evening, whether it be in the gym or on the bike. I'm much more tired and I just can't seem to push as hard as I can in the evenings.
When exercising frequently it can still be really difficult to exercise and I try help that by tuning down the intensity of the workout if I am really feeling off, that way I'm not adding insult to injury by having a touch workout on a day I'm not feeling it.
Your hormones shift later at night, so your nervous system is in a relaxed state. Your improved breathing and heart rate let you push harder.
I don't think it has to do with being a "night owl" as much as noticing enough to take advantage of something that happens to everyone. A lot of people aren't curious enough to change things up and that's probably who this article is aimed at.
I don't think that's necessarily why, as I know people who feel they can push harder in the mornings compared to later in the evening. Those people I know have always been early risers and hit the pillow early.
Also varies by gender: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61636805
I've been saying this for years. I don't believe in discipline. People who keep up a habit for years on end are not disciplined, they simply found something that works for them. If you try to start running every day after a couple of weeks you fucking hate it, then you need to change something. You might even need to stop running and try something else. Because it won't get any easier, and any excuse you have to break that habit you'll take eventually. Find things you will do without discipline. That's the secret.
I've exercised from 6am to 9pm and everywhere in between. At least for me, it's just about getting into a habit and letting your body know this is the time of day we're going to be active.
I never felt like I had more energy in the morning, afternoon, or night. But if I tried to work out in the afternoon when I was in the 6am habit, I felt completely dead.
I exercise 3 times a week (running, martial arts, weight lifting). I ran marathons, I exercised 5-6 times per week for the last 5 years.
I am truly fit, but … I still don’t feel like exercising.
Most of the time it’s like brushing my teeth, it is just something I do because it is right.
https://archive.is/ngzri
Reading some of the comments here wondering what proportion of HNers are night owls to early risers...
When I was in my teens and twenties, 11pm to 2am were my workout hours. Consistently, productively and satisfyingly. I’ve since adapted it to early afternoon or late morning. But the idea of running yourself tired at the end of the day still carries unique appeal for me.
This resonates. I know that if I don't exercise on the 2-3 hour window right after I wake up, it'll be near impossible to do anything physically taxing that day.
Figure out what "works" for you and DO IT! Just an hour a day of focused physical exertion will change your life.
People need to be outside in the middle of the day and moving. That's what's natural.
Discipline is doing what you need to do, whether you like it or not.
While I agree with the article, publishing this where the evidence is solely based on a trial of 134 people in Pakistan, is pathetic poor journalism
I am not sure if you're entirely familiar with how science works?
The study has a fairly large effect size, there's plenty of other research into body chronology that shows similar effects and differences between people. The methods in the study look solid, as does the analysis. There's also nothing weird with how the interpreted the results.
Now, should you go out and alter health guidelines for an entire country based off of one study? Hell no. But that also does not mean that you dismiss the study.
Research funding does NOT work in such a way, that scientist A comes up with an interesting idea and immediately gets funding to recruit 200 000 participants from 20 countries.
134 is a pathetically small sample size
In excercise science many of the studies are based on 20-30 college aged male athletes. 134 is a bigger sample than many.
How many countries should be included before it should be published?
A mixture of haplogroups, not just one
I see, yes, you need to have two, otherwise science cannot happen
They don't even mention it in the article. So that's already poor science perspective