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Don't Get Fat, Go Exercise!

Name:	Frank Carney
Date Posted:	Mar 30, 2007
Rating:	5.0 out of 5
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I am speaking from experience. I am 32 years old, portly (less now), and am trying to get back in shape. I work with people that are an average age of 45 to 50. Many are fat because they sit at a computer all day. I started looking like them so I decided to change.

Since December me, my wife, and four kids have been going to a skating rink to exercise. I am getting back into roller blading after 10 years. I am getting better than I was before. So this last weekend I went to the park that has some skate board ramps. I tried going on them and did okay. The next day I went and bought some aggressive blades and man I love them. Just today I went to the park ( I just had to leave work early ). I am now going up the ramps and doing 180s to go back down. I can do this even on the ramps that are as tall as me. I never knew blading on ramps could be this much fun.

I watch the other skaters ( mostly skate boarders ) and try to do their tricks ( as much as you can on skates ). I have gone from being afraid to going on the ramps to going all out and hoping I land okay. This is a complete change from my normal self. I am realizing that unless I jump into the deep end I am just going to end up like my fat coworkers.

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. I get to maintain processes that help the nation clean up our legacy radioactive waste from the cold war. This is probably one of the most important environmental projects in the world. It is just the people I work with have let themselves get old, cranky, and fat. The ones that haven't are happier.

Exercising helps me get going and makes me happy. It is not on a treadmill either. I can get a high like none other after going to the top of the ramp and spinning around to go down. Lots of fun. Now here is the juicy part. I would never have considered going on a ramp if I had not played the Tony Hawk skateboarding games. Years ago I used to ride stairs and all that jazz, but ramps was not something I had considered. After playing the Tony Hawk games I wanted to ride skateboards, but tried and am scared to death of them ( I have two brand new boards, someday... ). However I have never had problems roller blading. So, again video games have influenced me in a positive way. If I never finish a game I will know that I have been inspired by them.

Later,
Frank

BTW: Video games got me interested in engineering and that is my day job.

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Todd Pickens (Mar 30, 2007 at 03:34 GMT)

I could not echo it more loudly. Frank is right for hundred reasons I could give, but it is an experiential thing, you have to just go do it, whatever "it" is. Do it until you miss not doing it.

I just got back from the gym and am hungry, so thats all I have to say about that for now.

Christian Herzog (Mar 30, 2007 at 08:02 GMT)

My personal experience is, that when you get home in the evening, after 8+ hours sitting in front of your old gray friend, and are totaly beaten from work (and probably just want to eat supper and then sleep in front of the TV ;) ) you have to bestir (is that the right word? =D ) and do something.

The first 10 minutes are horrible, but then it starts making fun!
And after a "training session" you feel like you are reborn and full of power... and in my case, I am then able to sit in front of "him" yet another 4 hours or more :D

I also don't feel that tired anymore.

Stephan (viKKing) Bondier (Mar 30, 2007 at 08:30 GMT)

Isn't the Wii of any help in that case?

Edward Smith (Mar 30, 2007 at 09:25 GMT) Resource Rating: 5

Great to hear your improving yourself and your family to a bright future :-).

I personally took up bodybuilding a couple of years a go, because I was just wasting away(Ectomorph) without playing soccer etc as I was at school. And I just love it, gives me more energy and more of purpose to get up. Because its not just exercise but also nutrition.

I'm sure everyone can make time and enjoy whatever they choose works for them :-).

Leroy Frederick (Mar 30, 2007 at 11:05 GMT) Resource Rating: 5

I agree Frank, even if the activity seems physical limited. Even snooker/golf players have and are beginning to see the advantages of regular activity and exercise (I use snooker/golf as an example because these are often seen as a sports/occupations that don't require good physical fitness.)

Even us techies need to keep fit!

Andy Hawkins (Mar 30, 2007 at 11:43 GMT)

I think the best way to handle sleeping on the couch versus doing a session down the gym, or going for a surf when it's freezing and onshore, is by reminding yourself of the last time it was like that, and how you said to yourself when you finally did it, "I'm so glad I did". That really counts when I'm surfing. I look back at the shore and think about how I would probably have just driven off and left it for another day.

But "exercise for life" is the best saying. Keeping fit is a lifestyle choice not something you gotta do to lose the pounds.

You're back in Frank - nice one! Though I could never go hardcore like you have with blading. It's the bit where I see my a** and I'm freefalling onto concrete that's stops me from gettin' too maverick :)

Surge (Mar 30, 2007 at 11:59 GMT)

I am tall and chair bound for about 10+ hours a day. Then there is the drive going to work and back everyday.
I learned about four years or so ago, that I need a pretty agressive amount of activity to combat all the sitting
I do. Even the way someone sits and breathes day in and day out has an impact on the body. Infact I
have gone so far as to make sure while Im sitting, that I consume the proper balance of food. Fruits and Vegetables.
Almost no fast food. Remember Diet matters too.

Tim Hutcheson (Mar 30, 2007 at 13:21 GMT)

I have a five mile bike to work, which I do as a sprint - and I picked a lunch spot that is also about the same distance to ride too. Now I meet my wife there evey day for lunch by riding. So I do twenty miles a day in 4 sprints - and I gave up coke and coffee. In five years, I went from being an overweight heart patient candidate with a blood oxygen level of 92% to a fit individual with a pulse rate of about 54 and lost 25 pounds. Everyone will need to meet this challenge at some point in there lives - the trick is to find some way to integrate an exercise regimen into your daily routine in a way that gets you to stick to it. I just happened to always love biking and lived the right distance from work.

On the downside (literally) I went over the handlebars three weeks ago and ate concrete when a stick flipped into my spokes and jammed the front wheel. Five stitches in the lips but no lost teeth. :o)
Edited on Mar 30, 2007 13:22 GMT

Tom Bampton (Mar 30, 2007 at 13:56 GMT)

Yeh, exercise is great. I walk to work and back every day and am much happier for it. Especially on days like today where it's really cold and wet and rainy. I think of all those poor bastards in their cars with their nice roof that shields them from the rain and I point and laugh. I love walking to work so much, in fact, that whenever I go and get tea, sometimes I will walk to work and back a couple of times whilst waiting for it, just for the hell of it.

T.

Andy Hawkins (Mar 30, 2007 at 13:56 GMT)

Exercise 'll kill ya man! Better to die wid a pretty corpse doh ;-) I have a cold
Edited on Mar 30, 2007 13:58 GMT

Tom Bampton (Mar 30, 2007 at 16:57 GMT)

For a change, there was actually a complete lack of sarcasm in my previous post. It is all 100% true.

There is no sarcasm in this post either, in case you are wondering ;)

T.

Zachary Zadell (Mar 30, 2007 at 18:21 GMT)

The guys at the office will tell you that I play a lot of tennis games. I have logged more hours into virtua tennis, top spin and wii tennis than I care to imagine. I end up playing more real tennis during the week though on average, partly because I get pumped up from playing those games and at the end of the day I want to go out and hit real tennis balls.

Being healthy and getting exercise is easy when what you are doing is fun. The other stuff (weight loss, increased energy) are just bonuses.

Francis (Mar 31, 2007 at 08:13 GMT)

Hehe, I used to skateboard, and I had alot of fun.
A word to the wise, falling off large pipes hurts like a bitch!
I used to do more street skating though, so it was usually falling off at the bottom of the stair sets after I'd screwed up the landing. I havnt skated in a long time, my jeans are proof of that haha.

Frank Carney (Apr 01, 2007 at 16:34 GMT)

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Tim,
Ouch! I landed on my wrist twice this weekend before I realized I needed to get wrist guards. I also landed on my butt hard each time. That is what happens when you land on the ramp wrong on the way back down.

I am really impressed by you guys. Thanks for keeping me going with your stories.

Tim Hutcheson (Apr 01, 2007 at 23:33 GMT)

Frank, I can tell you a story about that. Many years ago I made a skateboard from a shortened waterski and a pro quality (Douglas Snyder) roller plate. This was before skate boards had been invented. So you can imagine how long ago that really was. Anyway a buddy of mine and I both made these, but of course the trucks are too narrow in that configuration for real control but we didn't know that. So we were messing around in the driveway at the top of "Suicide Hill" in Huntsville (Ala) and I turned just a moment towards the downhill, meaning to loop back up into the diveway but the board tookoff downhill before i could get my wits. Next thing I knew I was traveling about 30-45 mph downhill and the crown of the road was drifting me towad a parked car about a block down. I was too scared or unable to even consider steering corrections. Any way I eventually bailed out and did a three point landing skid on my ankle, butt and my wrist. That's all that touched the pavement while sliding. My thumb was broken (no wrist guard), ankle was ok (shoes) and my pants were literally ripped off of my body. My leather wallet saved my butt.

My buddy thought it was an awesome ride and I was a legend for awhile. :o)
Edited on Apr 01, 2007 23:33 GMT

Frank Carney (Apr 02, 2007 at 02:31 GMT)

Tim,
I bow in awe of a true skater. That is awesome and would have made the best funniest video ever.
LOL

I can just see you skidding down the road losing your pants and screaming all the way! I am so glad you are here to tell it. Good thing you missed the car.

Thanks,
Frank

Tim Hutcheson (Apr 04, 2007 at 19:42 GMT)

Frank, check these out...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBIW7As0nxM

www.plen.jp/

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