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All The Best Tips on Getting In Shape, In One Handy List

I’ve written a bunch of articles about health, fitness, and the challenges of getting in shape, and I thought it would be useful to compile some of the best articles in one place. Many readers have only begun reading Zen Habits in recent months, and may have missed some of these classics.

So here they are, in one handy list — bookmark it and come back anytime you need some exercise motivation!

A quick note: Again, there are a lot of articles below. Please don’t read all of them, as I’m sure you need to get back to work. Choose a sample, and you’ll do just fine — there are some common themes that run through all of them anyway.

My Favorites

Starting Out

The Next Level

And More

Comments (33)

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Shanel Yang Says:

June 24th, 2008, 20:42 pm

Woah! That is a hefty list. I’m bookmarking this post and making a point of getting through these slowly but surely. I’m sure they’ll be worth the time and effort b/c summer has hit L.A. full force now and the beaches are not only calling — they’re yelling for me to get out there! Time to pull out the old bathing suits. Thanks for putting this list together! : )

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Adam Sicinski - Study Matrix Art Says:

June 24th, 2008, 20:49 pm

Thanks for this list.

I believe that being fit and healthy is probably the most important habit we should cutivate into our daily lives. Without healthy eating, exercise and lifestyle, we will struggle to get through our day in an effective and efficient manner.

Not living a healthy lifestyle can lead to a number of unfortunate side effects that will sabotage our lives in numerous ways. These side effects can include:

- Lack of Motivation
- Lack of Creativity
- Lack of Persistence
- Lack of Energy
- Being Overweight
- Low Self Esteem
- Inefficient Thinking
- Inefficient Decision Making

And many others… It is no doubt an aspect of life we must give our full undeniable attention to each and every day.

Does anyone have any other side effects that could be added to the list?

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Jeff Says:

June 24th, 2008, 21:17 pm

Always enjoyed your articles on fitness. Thanks for the list.

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Vered - MomGrind Says:

June 24th, 2008, 21:20 pm

“Want to gain weight? Focus on muscle-building, not calories”.

It was so thoughtful of you to include this article. Thinness CAN be a problem for some people and certainly comes with its own stigma.

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Andrew is getting fit Says:

June 24th, 2008, 22:01 pm

Bang goes my afternoon productivity.

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Ramesh | The Geek Stuff Says:

June 24th, 2008, 23:22 pm

Thanks for putting this collection together. I have bookmarked this page. For now, I’ll read only the “My Favorites” section.

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Rick - Tripping the Muse Says:

June 24th, 2008, 23:42 pm

Very nice. I often go back to read past articles on fitness. Thanks for putting them all in one place. I recently started playing hockey again and am concentrating on muscle training. Thanks for the links!

Rick

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Usman Akhtar Says:

June 24th, 2008, 23:54 pm

Hey Leo, I like your new posts that kind of have a collection of links from your site dedicated to one kind of goal. Maybe you should have a more organized archive, that separates every single post you’ve done into separate catergories.

The ones at the bottom of your site are only a few of all of your posts.

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Scott @ Simple Weight Loss Says:

June 24th, 2008, 23:56 pm

It’s amazing, I have read almost all of these posts in the past, and I haven’t really thought about it until now how such great quality of the articles are. Thanks for doing this.

In my opinion, The philosophy of Keeping Weight Loss Simple really does work.

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Peter | The Change Blog Says:

June 25th, 2008, 0:09 am

This is a great resource Leo. My favorite tip is to make exercise a daily habit. I find this helps me to avoid making excuses such as “I’m too tired, I’ll exercise tomorrow…..” On days when I am short on time, even a quick run will do wonders for my state of mind.

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Ann at One Bag Nation Says:

June 25th, 2008, 1:16 am

One time after I had lost quite a bit of weight on a low-fat diet (coupled with regular exercise) my boss asked my what my secret was. My answer: eat less, move more.

Easier said than done, however!

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Laurie Says:

June 25th, 2008, 1:39 am

I’m getting to the age where the body doesn’t always cooperate with the desire. I use to play racquetball in college. Ok that was a long time ago. The hub and I took it up again to have fun together and get some exercise. We were doing so good when I got a stress fracture on my foot. So it has been over a month since I played but I got back out there and hit the ball around. Starting over, kind of. Let’s hope the body cooperates!

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Pete Says:

June 25th, 2008, 1:44 am

How about one more addition to the list?

http://yinvsyang.com/category/healthy-living/

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Babycakes Says:

June 25th, 2008, 1:47 am

Hey. Just wanna say thanks for all the lists you provide. It makes things so easy and I always enjoy reading your posts. Keep it up and Thanks!

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Mike Foster Says:

June 25th, 2008, 2:26 am

Thank you for such an informative post. I am always looking for different ways to improve my mind, body, and spirit, and this post–along with my discovering your wonderful blog!–will help.

peace,
Mike
livelife365

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The Daily Minder Says:

June 25th, 2008, 3:42 am

Excellent list you got there!

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Bruno Says:

June 25th, 2008, 8:25 am

was just thinking about a ZenDiet…

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Jeff Says:

June 25th, 2008, 9:14 am

I think the hardest part of almost anything is getting started. Most especially when you have deeply ingrained habits that need to be broken, and new habits that need to be formed. Most often, these new habits are difficult, frustrating and can go against years of training (bad training). I really appreciate all the starter articles. Not all of us are comfortable with spending 20-30 hours a week in a gym (or more!) like most trainers assume. It’s difficult to take our heavy, out of shape, gasping, sweating, ugly bodies in amongst all the fit people so that we can struggle to work out for 30 minutes amidst condescending looks from the gym rats that have dedicated thousands of hours to their bodies.

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Jonathan B. Says:

June 25th, 2008, 9:29 am

Great articles, and fitness is (I think) a pretty simple thing in theory to maintain. You just gotta do it and stay consistent. The best shape I ever had in my life was attained through simple dumbbell exercises and daily jogging. I did this at home and the weights were under $100 total. No gym fees, no gym rats, no driving to and back from the gym, etc.

I’m still in good shape now, but not as strong as I used to be. I need to pickup those dumbbells some more. :)

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Zendad Says:

June 25th, 2008, 9:39 am

…certainly timely advice and tips for me ….. getting back into my routine ….. thanks Leo
http://www.zendad.net!

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Stacey Says:

June 25th, 2008, 11:21 am

Thanks. I will be sure to share this list with my blog readers.

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LinuxandFriends Says:

June 25th, 2008, 11:21 am

A very good List. Will definitely bookmark it for future reference. But one of my pet grouse for not exercising is motivation itself. It is very hard to sustain motivation in the long run. But this collection of articles is going to help a lot in motivating me.

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IndieLab Says:

June 25th, 2008, 11:31 am

I’ve been trying to lose those extra winter pounds for the last month or so. This is a great list of tips, thanks!

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Christopher Browne Says:

June 25th, 2008, 11:45 am

Another bookmark I’d suggest:
http://hundredpushups.com/

I’m running through this; the goal of it is to get the participant to the point of being able to do 100 pushups in one set.

It starts gradually; for those that can’t do more than a few, the progression can start with doing just 11 on the first day. (If you’re really out of shape, that may be quite a realistic start!)

It progresses fairly steadily, though always with fairly “bite-sized” progressions.

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Andys Says:

June 25th, 2008, 13:51 pm

Great links and I have read most of them. As a pf blogger I have created an adapted list for Frugal ways to stay healthy - http://www.savingtoinvest.com/2008/06/frugal-ways-to-get-and-stay-in-shape.html - for those with limited funds or just want to save money. A number of the ones you have in your lists are there.

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Journey Says:

June 25th, 2008, 13:53 pm

Thanks Leo! I often like to refer back to your exercise and health articles. I’ve sent your recipe for Best Soup Ever to about a million people.

I love this comment, I don’t think I’ve ever seen THIS in a blog before: “Please don’t read all of them, as I’m sure you need to get back to work.” lololol

Val

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Marc and Angel Hack Life Says:

June 25th, 2008, 15:35 pm

Are you ready for the #1 exercise tip of all time?

Commit and don’t quit! To quote Nike, “Just do it!”

Thanks for the tips Leo. ;-)

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Piankeshaw Says:

June 25th, 2008, 16:46 pm

Wow!! This is exactly what I needed at just the right time. I have fallen off the exercise wagon for a couple weeks due to so many obligations. I can really feel the stress level creeping back up once I start missing.

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Vern at AimforAwesome Says:

June 25th, 2008, 22:11 pm

It will take me all of this morning to read through those articles - but they all seem like winners. I started out writing about running and flow while running and things like that. I’m really motivated to write about those things because exercise has just always been a part of my life. Parents got me started in soccer at 6 and I haven’t stopped running since! I won’t overrun you with links to all my articles, but here’s one that’s digested quickly… 27 Reasons I LOVE to go Running!

Keep up the amazing work and have fun on your honeymoon! - Vern

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Obsession Fitness Says:

June 26th, 2008, 22:21 pm

Fantastic resource. I’ve read a few of your articles in the past but it’s nice to see this collection in one place.

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Hassan - web designer in Toronto Says:

June 27th, 2008, 1:31 am

I love this list, although it seems that after a while there are list of lists.

I also like the fact how you mention that you can use only one as a starting point. I find myself going on many different tangents as I start reading more and more about the topic. This leads to a lower focus.

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zenator Says:

June 29th, 2008, 17:28 pm

amazing content you have here! thanks so much… zenator

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Zach Says:

August 1st, 2008, 19:36 pm

Patrick Reynolds ‘Peak Condition Project’ is by far the best fitness blog i have ever had the pleasure of reading. If you have yet to read it Leo i highly suggest you do. He is also the co-host of ‘Zen Is Stupid’ which i highly enjoy. Anyway thanks for the other links, they will help a lot!

-Zach

Links:
http://peakconditionproject.blogspot.com
http://zenisstupid.com

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