Comment by em-bee
easiest way to exercise is to take a walk. add it to your commute. on the way home, make a detour.
easiest way to exercise is to take a walk. add it to your commute. on the way home, make a detour.
fair point, but that's one nice thing about adding it to your commute: you are already out, so you can add walking time in short increments as you adjust your schedule. your commute is also variable in time. some days it goes faster, sometimes slower. pad it out so it is always the same length. it may not amount to much, but it is a start. same goes for every other errand you do.
lack of time is an issue of priority. i lack time to get all the work done that i want and need to. but i also know that i need those breaks. and that they potentially make my other work more effective.
higher intensity exercise takes more prep time. and probably a shower afterwards. so half an hour exercising at the gym might take 1 hour or more of real time. walking takes no prep time at all, so i compare that half hour gym with one hour walking.
I used to do it while coming back from work but lately I feel too exhausted and want to be home asap. Going to work no way, too much stress. But I go by bike which is still something.
The point of higher intensity exercise taking additional time requiring shower etc makes sense indeed. And I agree that walking is much more accessible: I can suddenly just decide to go out and walk, other types of exercise do require more of a plan or preparation.
Another thing I enjoy during walks is listening to podcasts. I cannot really stay focused on most podcasts unless I am walking.
well, if you commute by bike you are already doing exercise, so you are already ahead (compared to someone who doesn't exercise at all), but also your commute time won't fluctuate as much, so there is less flexibility. it would be unlikely that you arrive at work early for example.
if i am exhausted after work (which is a problem in itself, but that's a different topic), i'd look for a more relaxing route to bike. sideroads with less traffic, detours through public parks, etc. after an exhausting day i want to relax, and so i would try to start relaxing the moment i get out of the office, not just after i get home. one of the reasons why i like public transport. someone else is driving.
i am not trying to suggest that you should do the same, but maybe something resonates with you.
FWIW i play video games at a standing treadmill desk and that seems to help my motivation to get walks in
I love walking, but the lack of time is the biggest issue. The only advantage of higher intensity exercise I see is that you do not need to do it as long. I could walk for hours every day otherwise.