A hack that will destroy your exercise obsession

RK -

This might sound a little far-fetched, but there could people out there who are obsessed with exercise. As in they run every day or run twice every day or if they pick up a new sport, they have to do it every day or a specific amount every week. If they don't, they get this mental itch. And no one wants a mental itch.

(Then there are people who don't get this obsessive mindset at all, but for the sake of interest, let's not get into them.)

So - if you know you're the obsessive type and would not like to be, yet want to continue having a hobby that involves exercise, I have the absolute best hack for you! It's quite simple. Here's what you need to do:

  1. On a piece of paper, list all your favorite exercises or sports and include some forms that are low-impact, such as walking or stretching or yoga.
  2. Count the items on your list, and add or subtract items so that you end up with a number that is divisble by 2, 3, or 6. For example, my list had 9 items, but 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 18 are also possible. (But not 21, definitely not 21.)
  3. Divide the list into equally sized sections by drawing a horizontal line at regular intervals. If you can, make the number of sections 2, 3 or 6. My list had 3 categories.
  4. Using the same technique as in step 3, continue to divide the sections into smaller and equally sized pieces, until each item has its own section.
  5. Roll a dice.

First cast will tell the first section, the second the second, and so on, until you end up in one specific item. If your section has 6 subsections, the dice tells the subsection right away; if 3, then 1-2 indicate the first, 3-4 the second, and 5-6 the third; if 2, then it's either 1-3 and 4-6 or even/odd.

Every morning when you want to include exercise in your day, but don't want to start to obsess over it, let the dice choose for you. You'll get to do a sport you like (after all, you listed them), but the particulars are out of your hands. You might get a whole week of walking, or a whole week of HIIT, but probably something in between. In a way, the universe will choose for you, so you don't have to overanalyze it - you can just sit back and obey.

RK