Working out

[ZephyrStar]

...health is another. I may look okay, but I have practically no upper body strength and I can barely run a mile under 10 minutes or swim a continuous 50 meters these days. The idea of having a hot body doesn't really motivate me much... it's too easy to dress well enough to hide minor "imperfections" anyway.

I agree that getting in shape for the benefit of health is a hard thing to get motivated with. I started really getting seriously back into it after I got out of uni and got a job. I visited the doctor and found out that I have high blood pressure. That scared me a bit, considering I usually eat right, and sometimes had exercised...

So immediately I tried to get a running regimen going, 1 hour a night, doing whatever I could. That kicked my arse for about a week, then after I got used to it, I would look forward to it almost like a drug. Runner's high and all that. Not only that, but it gave me some "me" time at the end of the day where I could just be alone and sort my thoughts out. Also, bought a new mp3 player and some earbuds that are designed to actually stay on during exercise.

Since then, I've dropped enough weight (sure, I'd still like to have that 6 pack) that my blood pressure is consistently where it should be, and I don't get winded easily. Just typing this up makes me want to go run now >_> even though it's hot as hell >_> today will have to just be a pool day then. :3

[guy07]

Holy shit, I just weighed myself and I'm up to 225.

Starting tomorrow, I'm gonna get cracking on...something.

Or not.

Cracking on eggs? You'll eat five dozen eggs every morning so you can get large?

Or will you just be cracking the sky?

@ 225 he's more likely to crack the tile floors

[Kitsuner]

The only time in my life I was ever somewhat physically fit was my third year in high school, when I was on the water polo team. Daily practices had me getting pretty strong. But then I quit because I suck at swimming, and within a few weeks, I was back to being fat again.

[inthesto]

Gah, son of a bitch. Now I remember why it's so hard for me to keep a regular exercise schedule.

Hangovers.

[Fall_Child42]

The only time in my life I was ever somewhat physically fit was my third year in high school, when I was on the water polo team. Daily practices had me getting pretty strong. But then I quit because I suck at swimming, and within a few weeks, I was back to being fat again.

only time I was physically fit was in gradeschool because there were playgrounds I could play on.


Someone needs to make adult playgrounds with monkey bars and slides and firemans poles and swings. I want to have fun while exercising.

Or I need a place to swim.

[Kitsuner]

Or I need a place to swim.

/me throws Todd in the Atlantic Ocean.

[DriftRoot]

Hit the gym three nights a week: hour and a half of treadmill, rowing machine, Stairmaster thingy and weights. Then, caring for a 21-stall stable full of horses on the weekend. I swear I get a better workout lugging water buckets and wheelbarrows full of manure all over the place than I do in the gym, though. Also some hiking here and there.

What's funny is that I always hated exercise for exercise's sake my entire life...until I started having health problems (bad knees, bad shoulders, bad neck, bad everything) which basically demanded I stay in shape or suffer the consequences. Now I actually enjoy working out, mostly - I think - because I'm not doing it to look good (though that's a bonus), I'm doing it because it's good FOR me. Takes the pressure off; I'll never be a svelte size 2 (or 4 - if I cut back on beer I might be able to do a 6) and that's not why I work out, so there's none of this "ARGHH!! My abs aren't perfect! I gotta do better!" self-harassment going on.