What Strength Training Taught Me About Using AI Too Much

For years, I neglected my physical health, and I paid the price.

My physical strength disappeared, which led to injuries. My endurance eroded. My health markers trended in the wrong direction. I was constantly tired, drained of energy, and stress had nowhere to go.

I made a lot of excuses for myself. Building a startup, an acquisition, meetings for 7+ hours day, kids, etc.

After I left Zillow in 2019, I started strength training.

Building the habit sucked.

But slowly, results showed up. And what surprised me the most was all the positive changes this new cornerstone habit provided: eating better, improved strength, more movement, mindfulness, and my kids joining in. Around the same time, I started to notice older family members losing their mobility during retirement when they choose to move less. So I made a commitment to myself that I would continue this journey until I was no longer physically able too. I want to spend my golden years active, not sitting.

The lesson crystallized into one principle:

Pay in discomfort now, or pay in regret later.

This same pattern showed up in another area of my life. Mental Sharpness.

During my time at Zillow, I noticed my programming abilities regressing as I went from programming daily, to a purely strategy & people management role. When I got hands-on again after leaving, I really felt the pain of those hands-off years. It wasn’t just rusty recall. It felt like I was missing depth. The deeper appreciation and working knowledge of newer technologies that you only get by building.

I use AI every single day now. 6 months ago I started to notice my attention span was getting reduced, along with recall, and creativity.

That same pattern.

It felt similar to what people have observed with extended social media over usage. AI was giving me quick dopamine hits, but without the type of satisfaction you get when you solve a difficult problem yourself or finish an excellent book. Zero satisfaction and joy.

Thankfully, I’ve caught myself early this time. Over the last few months, I’ve shifted my usage of AI.

For example, I start brainstorms the “old” way, with pen & paper/whiteboards. I use AI later to fill in gaps where I might have blindspots. Augmentation, instead of quick & easy. It’s more work, but the output is worth it.

I’ve also shifted to testing more in the real world with real audiences. AI chat sessions are a terrible way to hypothesize and discover new opportunities in the marketplace. AI chat models often reinforce what you say because they are programmed to be helpful, polite, and agreeable, a tendency researchers call sycophancy. This is exactly why using AI in place of a therapist is so dangerous.

Finally, I’ve also made a more concise effort to play chess daily, read more often, and carve out time to just allow my mind to wander.

AI is a fantastic technology. A great tool in fact. Like any tool, it can make you more productive when used correctly. But don’t think for a second you’ll be able to prompt your way to riches. The only people who are doing that are the ones selling courses.