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#personal #health #quantifiedself

We all know we should exercise. It's good for our heart, our muscles, our mood, and our weight. But sometimes it's hard to get motivated. Maybe I don't have time, or I don't know what kind of exercise to do. Sometimes I’m just not feeling it.

I’m going to try to document my motivation and approach towards exercise here both as a way to share my thinking and as a reference to keep myself accountable and motivated.

Goals

My goals with exercise are to help my body and mind stay grounded and working together. I want to be "match ready" at all times - not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I also want to reduce my risk of depression, and increase my mental clarity.

I also want to be able to improve my performance through practice. This means being able to increase my strength, endurance, and flexibility, and tracking those improvements using data.

Match ready

Being "match ready" means being physically and mentally prepared for whatever comes your way. It's about being in the best possible shape to handle what life throws at you.

For me, this means being able to run long distances, lift heavy things, and move my body in all kinds of ways, sometimes while carrying heavy packs. It also means having the mental stamina to stay calm and focused in challenging situations.

Mental clarity / depression

Exercise can be a great way to help alleviate depression symptoms. Studies have shown that exercise can help to improve mood, sleep, and energy levels in people with depression and anxiety.

For me, I find that exercise helps to clear my head and give me a sense of calm. It's a way to release all the pent-up energy and stress that can build up over time. The soreness of my muscles after a hard work out feels good in a way that reminds me I am human and that I accomplished something.

Performance

When it comes to performance, I want to use exercise to improve my strength, endurance, and flexibility. I want to be able to push myself further and further each day.

Plan

My plan is to exercise three times a week for at least 30 minutes each time. I'll focus on different kinds of exercises, like running, weightlifting, HIIT, yoga, and stretching.

I'm also going to track my progress so that I can see how far I've come and set realistic goals for myself. This will help me stay motivated even when it gets tough.

Finally, I'm going to make sure that I take time to rest and recover after each workout so that my body has time to heal and rebuild itself before

Objective improvement through practice

I like watching numbers go in the right direction. One of the interesting things about exercise is that there are objective measurements that you can record and watch yourself improve over time. See quantified-self

This motivates me a lot. I want to use the momentum that comes from doing 1 more rep, or cutting a few seconds off a time and keep building on that.

Things I like to track are:

  • How far I can run without stopping
  • One mile running time
  • How long I can hold a yoga pose
  • How long I can hold a plank
  • How many push-ups I can do in a row

Experiments and data

I'm always experimenting with different ways to exercise, and I love to collect data on my progress. This helps me to stay motivated, and it's interesting to see how my body and mind respond to different types of activity.

Here are some of the things I've been up to lately:

  • Running with a weighted vest
  • Wearing a weighted vest while doing bodyweight exercises
  • Doing kettlebell and bulgarian bag swings
  • Jumping rope for 10 minutes every day
  • Doing yoga and stretching for 30 minutes every day

Equipment

I try to take a minimalist approach to exercise equipment. I don't want huge contraptions taking up corners of my apartment. I want to be able to move freely and still be able to do a variety of exercises that activate muscles all over my body.

I've settled on equipment that I can pack up into a bag and bring anywhere:

  • A good pair of running shoes
  • A yoga mat
  • A kettlebell
  • A jump rope
  • A bulgarian bag
  • Weighted vest

Keeping it interesting

One of the most important things for me is to keep my exercise routine interesting. I get bored easily, so I need to mix things up. So I am often trying new things and also just changing up the sequence and timing of my exercises.

I like to set goals for myself, so that I have something to strive for. This could be a certain number of reps, or a certain time or distance. Having a goal gives me something to focus on, and it helps me to push myself harder.

Bulgarian bag

The bulgarian bag is a great piece of equipment because it's so versatile. You can use it for strength training, cardio, or even just stretching. It's also really portable, so it's perfect for traveling.

I like to use the bag for a variety of exercises, including:

  • Swings
  • Cleans
  • Snatches
  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • presses

Kettlebell

I love kettlebells because they're such a great all-in-one piece of equipment. You can use them for strength training, cardio, or even just stretching. They're also really portable, so they're perfect for traveling.

I like to use kettlebells for a variety of exercises, including:

  • Swings
  • Cleans
  • Snatches
  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • presses

Weighted vest

A weighted vest is a great way to add some extra resistance to your workout. I like to wear mine while doing bodyweight exercises. It's a great way to increase the intensity of your workout without having to add more weight.

The science on the weighted vest doesn’t show dramatic improvements, but for me it makes intuitive sense that an increase of center mass weight while doing bodyweight exercises would increase the intensity and make it easier to do those same movements after the weight is removed.

Jumprope

Jumping rope is a great cardio workout, and it's also a lot of fun. I like to do 10 minutes of jumping rope every day, either as a warm-up or a cool-down. It's a great way to get your heart rate up without having to run for miles, especially when it's cold out.

Yoga / Stretching

Yoga and stretching are important for flexibility and mobility. I like to do some yoga or stretching every day, when I work out, and right before bed. It helps me to wind down and relax, and it helps to prevent injuries and helps me keep up my flexibility.

Dreams / next steps

There are always new things to dream about and new goals to set. Here are some of the things I'm dreaming about lately:

  • Doing a half-Murph: This is a workout that consists of a 1 mile run, 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 150 air squats, and another 1 mile run. I want to be able to do this with a weighted vest.
  • Playing basketball: Basketball is one of my favorite sports to play, and I always end up pushing myself physically- the only problem is there is no where to play around where I live. One day I'll have a goal to join a league, or maybe get a hoop for my backyard.
  • Learning jiu-jitsu: Jiu-jitsu has always interested me, and maybe one day I'll have the time to commit to it. I want to get to a basic level of cardio fitness before I try showing up to a class though.
  • Taking up boxing: I love the idea of learning how to box. It's a great workout, and I like the mental aspect to it too. I don't know if I'll ever actually get into the ring and fight someone, but it's something I want to learn more about.
  • Rock climbing: Rock climbing is another one of those things that I've always wanted to try. It looks like a lot of fun, and it's also looks like a great workout. Maybe one day I'll have the opportunity to try it.