Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe many of us know that exercising at least sometimes brings a lot of benefits that include not only our appearance but also makes us feel better, helps us forget about all our problems and maybe even motivates us to eat healthier . However, I am pretty sure many of us also just can’t bring ourselves to step into a gym or start running or do whatever sport we have in mind.
Luckily (or not), we are not alone. One Reddit user started a thread asking people online to share their fitness hacks that they have personally discovered that are absolutely game changers. So, folks, if you struggle to start working out or actually enjoy it - scroll on through to find out more, complete with an interview with Joey Thurman , fitness/nutrition expert and Gina Harney , women’s fitness specialist who shared even more useful tips!
More info: Reddit
I have a show I only watch while I’m at the gym. So if I want to watch an episode of Supernatural, I have to go workout. And it also is an easy timer for me to make sure I work out for at least 40-45 minutes.
Ghostseverywhere , William Choquette Report
Did you know you don’t have to do burpees to get fit? I didn’t but now I do, I’m a much happier person. f**k burpees.
SammyGeorge , Annushka Ahuja Report
S****y workouts. Instead of skipping the gym entirely on the days you’re not motivated, allow yourself to go there and do whatever you enjoy the most. Even if it doesn’t align with your workout program. This will help you maintain momentum.
SaltyAd9996 , Andrea Piacquadio Report
M60. I quit the gym and got a dog. I walk/jog/trot for 3 to 5 miles per day. Outside exercise is the best. Three days a week I go for a longer walk. One day I go fast on a flat trail. And two days a week I do intense hills with a twist: Do the uphills going backwards or sideways. That is my leg day. Then walk fast on the flats and take my time on the down hill sections. Two days per week I do to the dog park and stand around so the dog can play with other dogs. And I chat with the humans. When there is yard work I trade out the long walks for yard work. Raking, sawing, clipping, chopping, etc for the upper body work out. I have 3 acres of orchard to tend so this works out if I use all hand tools. The only thing left now is to train this dog to attract single women my age. If I could get this dog to give me an opening with that woman in the purple coat I could be happy forever! /humor, or wishful thinking.
MontEcola , David Iglesias Report
Get a dog! When I lived overseas staying in shape was easier…lots of walking, more affordable gym memberships, stairs…. Here in the states I take 10 steps to my car and 10 steps inside. Getting a dog (the best guy having the hardest time at the humane society) costs less than the gym per month (don’t math me on that), everything I own is covered in hair, and I take him for a walk at 730 every morning. we usually end up jogging a bit, working our way up to a 5k and beyond. Literally just needed a reason to leave my house and now I also get to fall in love all over again. He farted while I was writing this and I had to leave the room. Its all about movement.
once_upon_a_handj*b Report
I hate running but I enjoy walking on an incline on the treadmill I have to spend a little more time on it but that’s ok.
WaitWhyNot , Andrea Piacquadio Report
I always burned myself out when getting into a routine. Going slow and making incremental adjustments over time really is keeping me from hating it!
Jlmorgan86 , Andres Ayrton Report
Fun. If it’s fun, you’ll keep coming back. This is why I joined a climbing gym.
jimcol , Allan Mas Report
You can’t out run a bad diet is the number one rule I live by.
xzsazsa , Jenna Hamra Report
As an almost 50-year old woman, heavy weight lifting. We were told our whole lives to do endless cardio and lift light weights so we wouldn’t “bulk”. Nothing has changed my body composition, fitness and strength like REAL weight training. I wish I’d known 20 years ago what I know now.
Sorry-Escape3904 Report
Well, I’ve discovered that vigorously dancing around my living room pretending I’m in a music video burns just as many calories as a gym session. Plus, I get to practice my award-winning air guitar skills at the same time! Who needs a treadmill when you’ve got imaginary crowds cheering you on?
GathersRock , SHVETS production Report
Work from home only trick: I used to try to wake up earlier to workout and failed miserably. I’m not a morning person. However, I can wake up 30-45’ earlier if the prize is a cup of coffee, a quiet room (the two kids will wake up shortly) and start my work routine: e-mail checking, prepare for the day… Now I created a 30’-45’ buffer to take a break from work sometime later that day. And I use it to workout. When you’ve been working non-stop for 3-4 hours, your body will crave the workout, because it is a way to stop working. So now I workout nearly every weekday. Hope it helps sompebody!
Javichuchuchu , Tima Miroshnichenko Report
It’s so basic but there is very little that water will not improve. Got a headache? Drink some water. Drowsy? Drink water. Sick? Drink water. Food cravings? Drink water.
BenjaminTW1 , Pixabay Report
Mine is like, they say dress for the job you want. But I also use this for the body you want. I try to usually dress in workout clothes like my sweats or gym shirts or shorts. It usually puts me in the frame of mind to workout or wanna workout. Reminds me to actually get my workout in when I don’t want too.
Cipskye , MART PRODUCTION Report
Paying a ridiculous amount for group fitness classes to ensure my dumb a*s works out.
DanielDannyc12 , Andrea Piacquadio Report
Couch to 5K program. Lifelong couch potato, but got to start working from home during the pandemic, started running with my dad. Now I can run a 5K during my lunch breaks. I sleep better, my digestion improves (I believe I had GERD, because I was always waking up in the middle of the night wanting to throw up), and I had a general improvement in my mental and physical health.
TheNerdChaplain , RF._.studio Report
For me it’s frozen mango. Used to routinely fail my calorie goals because of my guilty pleasure for ice cream and chocolate. Now I prefer a bowl of frozen mango left to defrost for 10 mins to either of my old favorites, and it’s but a fraction of the calories and lower in price.
neurobonkers , Riki Risnandar Report
Intense workouts are good but don’t forget to take recovery days. They’re so important and easy to forget.
UnderstandingLoud317 , Yaroslav Shuraev Report
I won’t say the name because I’m not a shill, but my wife talked me into going to a place where it’s basically a 1 hour workout, high intensity and interval (they change it up a bit every time) that has a combination of treadmill, rowing, and weights/anaerobic. 20 minutes each station. Before this, I was not a fan of clubs like lifetime because I found myself wandering around looking for the next thing I thought I should do. At this place, it’s all laid out for me. I don’t have to think, just do. And I kick my own a*s, because when the heart rate gets high, I get more “points”. I gained a good amount of weight last year, and I’ve lost about 13 pounds in the last month. I’m back in the game!
Doc-in-a-box , Julia Larson Report
Treat your fitness regimen as the motivator for making other complementary lifestyle choices, rather than treating it as something done to pay off the debt of other choices. For example, “I’m going to eat reasonably tonight so that I’m in my best form for tomorrow morning’s workout”. Eat because you exercise, rather than exercise because you eat.
lthth , Annushka Ahuja Report
Having a piece of equipment in my home. I know it’s not possible for everyone, but I got a Peloton last year and it’s been the first time I’ve stayed consistent with a workout routine. I’m on a 32 week streak and still going strong.
literarylagers , Element5 Digital Report
This is more of a diet hack, but unfollow all of the restaurants/food related stuff on social media. I find the more I see the more it triggers me to eat (not necessarily out to these places, just down to my kitchen)! Be mindful of the scent of candles or wall plug ins you use…no joke, like clockwork when I burn my maple syrup candle all I want is sweets! Any sweet food related candle or plug in does this to me. These two things have really helped me stay on track.
sugar182 , Ylanite Koppens Report
Progressive overload is key. Too many people do the same s**t every week and wonder why they’re not making any gains. I know people who for years do the same exercises with the same weight and are truly confused why they’ve plateaued.
Over-Bid-8083 , Andres Ayrton Report
Get yourself a pullup bar. They fit into the doorframe and can come off and on without tools in less than 2 seconds. Put it in the doorway to your bathroom. The tax to using the bathroom is doing pull ups to failure. Pull ups to failure take literally 10 seconds for someone who is untrained and less than 60s for someone who is good at them. Every time you ps, st, brush your teeth, etc you do as many pull ups as you can. At first it will be 0, 1, 2. In a month you’ll be cranking them out and you’ll feel good about yourself to get going at other stuff.
Ilosesoothersmaywin , Victor Freitas Report
Meal prep. Planning out the week’s meals, cooking everything on Sunday, then stocking the fridge for the week really helps me stick to a meal plan.
originalchaosinabox , Mike Jones Report
If you want to GAIN, you have to EAT. What you do in the gym is less important than what your diet and recovery regimen (sleep) can do.
AnElkaWolfandaFox , Nathan Cowley Report
Doing it first thing. It was hard to find the motivation to get off of my a*s after work and cycle to an overcrowded gym. Now I get up 3 hours earlier than I used to, get out of bed without even thinking about it and hop on my bike to go. The gym is empty, I get my day started by accomplishing something good for me, and in the afternoon I even feel guilty about not going to the gym, until I remember I already did.
James12052 , hi room Report
Diet is possibly even more than 80% of it. CICO works. (That said, hardcore sticking to it is HARD.. well maybe not hard per se but requires a ton of conscious effort.).
Single_Wasabi_3683 , Anthony Leong Report
Pre workout. I have this one made from green tea that’s amazing. Able to get a boost for my workout without the sudden crash or prolongs restlessness afterwards. Edit: aminolean energy.
Shadow948 Report
If you drink alchohol, soft drinks or have a habit of snacking, losing weight is as simple as stopping one or more of these habits.
Formal_Initial_5385 , Lisa Fotios Report
After I had kids I paid for stupid expensive gym classes like BFT, F25, Orange Theory so if I missed classes I had to pay and then I’d get myself back in the habit and quit. It was the only way I could get back into going to the gym consistently. Also, rest - it’s good for you. Choose exercise you enjoy. Walking is exercise. EDIT: I wasn’t super clear, I quit the workout classes but didn’t stop working out.
redditaccount1_2 , Andrea Piacquadio Report
Ingredient swaps. I’m down 40 pounds over the past 10 months largely thanks to calorie tracking and meal prepping. Ingredient swaps have helped me keep my food interesting and tasty, but still fit in my calorie budget. For example, instead of a traditional queso dip, I can make a decent one with blended cottage cheese as the base. Carb counter tortillas on burrito night. 93% lean beef instead of 80 or 85. Hot sauce on lots of things instead of higher calorie sauces.
Spartannia Report
Crunches aren’t needed for nice abs when the rest of your workout is on point.
judgejuddhirsch , Gustavo Fring Report
Intermittent fasting…. Breakfast was always meh to me, but i realized about 6 years ago that my body runs much better without any food until noon. My workouts are much better also when in the morning right before ending the fasting time frame.
scotsman3288 , Emrah Tolu Report
Not really a game charger but I try to max out at 8. If I can do more than 8, I increase the load until it’s 8. If I can’t do 8, I maybe dip the weight a bit until it’s 8. But pretty much 8. And it’s anything. From bench, to triceps, biceps, back, shoulders, rows, anything. 8.
Dracomies Report
As a woman, to eat more. Not eat cleaner or track macros, just eat more food/calories. Society expects women to stay small and the anxiety of getting fat from eating more is very pervasive. I ate more calories over winter break and when I came back to the gym, the treats were a little hard to let go but my lifting numbers were passing my stagnant lifts. For me, an indicator to eat more is when I wouldn’t eat enough carbs in the day and my body physically felt like it ran out of fuel in the middle of a workout. I should have known I was barely maintaining my calories for how hard I was going.
altergeeko Report
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