# What is your exercise regime?



## Evilhalfling (Feb 16, 2005)

Just curious, about how the nonstandard gamers are doing. 
I am fighting against assuming the shape of a pear, and am curious how I stack up. 

my normal routine is running 3 miles on a treadmill, and crunches about 3-4 times a week and either legs or arm weights (sometimes) 

My usual 3 mile time is 31 min 
my fastest is a mile in 8:30  (which by the way is how long it takes to do a mile at a double move)


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## Thornir Alekeg (Feb 16, 2005)

My exercise routine is to chase my two children and occasionally contemplate restarting an exercise routine.  

Between work, part-time Master's program, two kids, and a teacher for a wife who always has papers to grade or lessons to plan, there just are not enough hours in the day to get anything going on a routine basis.  That was the best part of being laid-off, the time to work out.

Someday I'll get back to it...


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## d20fool (Feb 16, 2005)

*Repeat to self: I am NOT Homer Simpson, I am NOT Homer Simpson*

In order to avoid looking like Homer Simpson, my wife and I took two steps.  

1.) We went on the Atkins diet.  We are both in danger of diabetes and thought it was a good lifestyle change.  I've 30 lbs due to diet alone, and I'm not constantly hungry anymore.  Despite all the meat, our grocery bill went down due to less food intake.  

I have to STRENOUSLY recommed thorough research before attempting such a diet.  It is very easy not to get all your nutrients on the Atkins diet unless you are mindful of such.

2.) We maxed out our Sears card and made a workout room with an elliptical and a recumbent bicycle (and a big TV, which was more important than I thought.)  I do 40 minutes to an hour these days, buringin 250 or more calories at a shot.  I lost 5 lbs right away doing exercise.  We want to add a weight machine, but finances cause us to wait.

John "d20fool" McCarty


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## MonsterMash (Feb 16, 2005)

At the moment:

jumping to conclusions
raising false expectations
running my mouth off


In reality very little - need to get back to running as I used to do 4-5 hours a week regularly including 1 hour+ on a sunday. My best times were around 7min/mile in training and 5:45 min/mile in races.


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## der_kluge (Feb 16, 2005)

As I posted in Old One's thread, I bought a PS2, got two dance pads, and picked up Dance Dance Revolution (extreme).

It's a dance game, and quite fun to boot.  It's hugely popular in the arcades.  And yes, it's helping us to lose weight.  It's a great aerobic exercise, and it actually tracks calories burned.


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## Morrus (Feb 16, 2005)

I walk about 3 miles a day (not specifically for excercise reasons, but it has the same effect!), and I've never had a sweet tooth.  The two combined keep me in reasonable shape, although I smoke.

I also use weights a couple of times a week, although not too seriously.


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## Jamdin (Feb 16, 2005)

After being told that I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and being a prime candidate for diabetes (both of my paternal grandparents had it), I started the Atkins diet and exercising. My biggest weaknesses is pasta (I love goulash) and potatoes (I love mashed potatoes with lots of butter). I am eating more fresh fruit (bannanas, oranges and apples) and veggies (salads, olives, corn, carrots, green beans, peas, beets). I have also started to eat more fish (I still hate catfish...blah) and buffalo burger. The local grocery store finally started selling buffalo burger recently but we have a restaurant that sells buffalo burgers (I just take off the bun). I also exercise for thirty minutes each morning (mostly stretching, sit ups, touching toes and lifting light weights). When the weather is nice, I walk for fifteen to twenty minutes. I started the end of the summer last year and went from around 270 lbs to 220 lbs. My cholesterol is down but I still have to take two different pills to keep my blood pressure down. I do take a daily multi-vitamin.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 16, 2005)

I run a couple miles out in the woods behind my house every day. I've never been overweight or such, heck, I'm one of those thin people that everyone thinks never eats. Its just nice to get out in the woods with less people and a few alligators.


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## soulforge (Feb 16, 2005)

Mon., Wed., and Fri.  I lift weights w/ a friend of mine to keep ourselves motivated.  We hit each major muscle group in a  1-2-3 lifting pyramid.  Which means I do reps of 8-6-4 from low weight to high weight.  We also do interval cardio training on various machines to keep our adrenaline levels raised.  Interval basically means we do 5 minutes "warm up" and then we sprint for 45 seconds, and then back to light jog for 90 seconds and continue this switch for about 15 minutes until we do a 5 minute "cool down".  The interval cardio burns around 210-240 calories in total, but the real nice thing about the interval cardio routine is that it excels at burning fat.  I will also do cardio of some kind on tues., thurs., or sat.. 

My diet is the Abs Diet which I would recommend anyone check out on Amazon or at a book store.  The diet is just a good guide to things to eat which help your body naturally burn fat as it stokes your metabolism throughout the day, and doesn't leave you hungry. 

With all that said I guess I'm sort of a gym rat...but find that with this routine I get things done faster and seem to process things better.  Guess I'm sorta making myself seem like a health nut so I will mention that I quit smoking a week ago, and this is probably the 29th time I've quit so who knows if it will last.

I'm basically 5' 10" 175, w/ a body fat of 13%.  I'm trying to get that body fat under 10% though.  Alway's been a thin person... lucky me! Yeah, metabolism!  The hardest thing is not downing about 12 mountain dews during a game session though.


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## Eolin (Feb 16, 2005)

... I've more gone to a healthy diet. I really only run when chased.

Every morning and every night, I have the juice of half a lemon in hot water. That's the basis of my new diet. After a few days, the lemon juice began to modify my eating desires. I've gone from drinking at least a dozen cokes a week -- and more like 4 dozen -- to not being able to stand the stuff. Yogurt is now more appealing than it has ever been, and I eat it near-daily. Not the sweetened crap, but the nonfat nonsweetned stuff. Just add fruit.

I highly recommend lemons (which are, btw, one of the world's healthiest foods) as an addition to anyones diet.


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## der_kluge (Feb 16, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> I run a couple miles out in the woods behind my house every day. I've never been overweight or such, heck, I'm one of those thin people that everyone thinks never eats. Its just nice to get out in the woods with less people and a few alligators.




Yes, but IIRC, you're young, right?  That won't last forever.  I was super skinny in high school.  Now I could stand to lose about 20 pounds.


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## IronWolf (Feb 17, 2005)

12 oz. curls.......

No really, in the spring, summer and fall we do a fair amount of hiking and I carry the son around in a backpack which *really* adds to the fun!


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 17, 2005)

die_kluge said:
			
		

> Yes, but IIRC, you're young, right?  That won't last forever.  I was super skinny in high school.  Now I could stand to lose about 20 pounds.



 True, but my family is mostly of smaller people with high metabolisms. Got a bit of genetics helping me out, but even that will slow down to a point. Either way, I think its good to get out an exercise even if you don't 'need' it.


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## Pinotage (Feb 17, 2005)

My kids give me enough exercise most of the time, but I cycle the 4 miles to work and then back again every weekday. That's 8 miles of cycling a day, 40 miles a week. Not bad, all things considered. Going to work I average about 16 miles/hour, but coming back, the uphill part, it's closer to about 12 miles per hour.

Pinotage


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## freebfrost (Feb 17, 2005)

My routine includes lifting weights 3 days a week.  I do 3 sets of 15 reps for 10 major muscle groups (biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, abs, upper back, lower back, thigh, hamstring, calves).  I have a weight set at home so am able to work the sets in whilst doing other things around the house during the week.

I also cycle on an indoor recumbant bike (at least until the weather improves), about 3 times a week for an hour.  In nice weather I supplement this with a 20-30 mile ride on the weekend.

And I also do a long form of Tai Chi - a full set once a week when I can, but work in portions of the set throughout the week.

I'd like to add some time hiking, but haven't found enough free time yet.


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## Desdichado (Feb 17, 2005)

Thornir Alekeg said:
			
		

> My exercise routine is to chase my two children and occasionally contemplate restarting an exercise routine.



Yeah, that's about me too (except I have twice as many kids.)  I actually started again last night (we'll see if it sticks) with the treadmill, crunches, pushups and other stuff.  Ouch!  I'm more out of shape than I thought!

I don't actually look very pearlike, luckily, but I'm not in good shape either, as last night quite painfully reminded me.


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## EricNoah (Feb 17, 2005)

I like variety.  I have a few videos (non-dancy aerobics, ab workout, basic yoga), I have my bike on a trainer, and I have a few weights.  I'm not really in a routine now, though, which is something I always struggle with.  

In the spring/summer I do a lot of biking and hiking.  Probably one or the other nearly every single day.


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## BiggusGeekus (Feb 17, 2005)

After two years of completely neglecting my perfect body, I have restarted and wow is it ever slow going.

Diet is low carb.  I got this high-fiber Scandinavian crisp bread that fills me up.

I am just getting to the point now where I am physically capeable of doing 8 pushups.  I do weights three times a week, using 12-10-x reps, where x starts out at 8 and when it gets to 12 I use a higher weight for that exercise.  Five days a week I hop on the treadmill.  On weekends I take walks with my daughter.

I am 6'1" and 290lbs.  My first goal is just to get to 250.  I can do it.  I will do it.  But it's going to take a bit of time.

Oh, but just so we all understand each other: I'm _still_ sexy!


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## ForceUser (Feb 17, 2005)

Evilhalfling said:
			
		

> Just curious, about how the nonstandard gamers are doing.
> I am fighting against assuming the shape of a pear, and am curious how I stack up.
> 
> my normal routine is running 3 miles on a treadmill, and crunches about 3-4 times a week and either legs or arm weights (sometimes)
> ...



I walk 2.5 miles to college, and 2.5 miles back, three to four times a week. I used to miss my car, and sometimes I still miss driving, but I must admit that it's healthier for me and the planet if I just walk to school.


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## Citizen Mane (Feb 17, 2005)

When I was in Chapel Hill (and before the blizzard last month), I was running around 3.5 miles daily.  As I'm still waiting for there to be enough of a shoulder for me to run on (lots of snow on the backroads here), I've started doing some light lifting and crunches, neither of which I've done much of in the past two years.  That, with a change in diet (lots more vegetables since I left grad school), has me feeling pretty good and I'm gradually losing some of the weight I put on at the end of my time in Chapel Thrill.

Nick


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## Desdichado (Feb 17, 2005)

I'm going to start the "Numa Numa Dance" excercise routine.  Apparently there's a video and everything.


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## fusangite (Feb 17, 2005)

1. Stay on the Atkins diet.
2. Don't learn to drive.

I absolutely hate exercising. Now that Atkins allows me to not be too fat (I'm 6'4" and I dropped from 240lbs to 196 on the diet), I really have no incentive to exercise, beyond walking to subway stations and running after buses. I figure I'm probably giving up about 10 years of my life. But considering what hellish torture I find exercise, that's a price I'm willing to pay.


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## Ferrix (Feb 18, 2005)

Being that I've never been fat, my exercise regimen if you can call it that comes out sorta like this.

I teach dance once to twice a week depending upon the session for an hour and a half to three hours, and also go out dancing for four or so hours a week. And by dance I mean Lindy Hop, which can be quite physically intensive. I do Capoeira two to three times a week totaling about five to seven hours, which has built up my muscles very quickly since I started and also greatly improved my balance (on my hands) and body control. I walk 25 minutes to get to university, and then another 25 minutes to get back at least four days a week. I live on the fourth floor with no elevator, so going up and down those stairs helps a bit. I trade swing dance lessons for kung fu lessons on saturdays, an hour for an hour, so that's another two hours. I stretch every night before I go to bed.

I eat like a vegetarian since I live with one. We eat really well, making sure to fill out all of our groups. I eat a lot, but I also do a lot so it sort of makes sense.


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## Stone Angel (Feb 18, 2005)

Well I my physical shape has greatly gone down hill since my days of being a high school all star athelete. My fastest time ever in the mile was just under six min. I had the fourth fastest on the team! I could at one point bench about 320 pounds, deadlift 545 lbs and squat almost 600 lbs. I would have been asked to play for a major university if I hadn't torn my knee almost off and had I not went to a tiny highschool and had I actually been taller and had the size.

Now I work for a weighing company I am constantly swinging 25 and 50lb weights all day, on the scale off the scale on the scale. 

Usually I start to run in about March(hey thats comin up) I try to get in a mile or two every other day, to get in shape for lake season, but all the beer I drink at the lake seems to offset my running lol.

Hopefully work will buy us a gym membership so I can really get in shape, the biggest problem is that I don't have anyone to work out with and it's awkward to lift with someone you don't know, it's kind of personal and intimate I guess.


The Seraph of Earth and Stone


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## Rel (Feb 18, 2005)

Ugh.  Well today I got a reminder of why I have a treadmill.

I have had another damn cold lately and it feels like I've been sick since about the middle of December.  That's meant that I've exercised virtually none and I've been feeling pretty blah.

So today I thought up this _great idea_:  My truck needs to be inspected so after I take my daughter to pre-school then I'll drop it off at the autoshop near my house.  I'll walk home, dork around on the computer for a few hours and then get in a run when I go back to pick up the truck (It's around a mile to the autoshop).

Well the first part went fine.  It was cold and blustery out but I had on a warm coat, gloves and a nice, hot cup of coffee.

Then I went back to pick up the truck.  It's sunny out and about 40 degrees so I strip down to a t-shirt and some jogging shorts for the run.  When I step outside it feels COLD.  So I walk for a couple minutes to warm up but I can't stand the temperature so I start to run.  I have to cut through a local park to get to the auto place so I (stupidly) decide that one mile is just not a decent enough run (mind you this is probably the first time I've run at all in a month and a half).  So I take an extra lap around the park, adding another half mile onto the run, before I get out on the road and head to get the truck.

Big mistake.  The wind was blowing like a complete bastard.  By the time I made it out onto the road my hands were getting numb and once I lost the tree cover around the park it was just pure hell.  I make it to the auto place and drink some water from their cooler before I headed home.

But just because I was now in the comfort of my heated truck (and a couple minutes later in my house) doesn't mean the fun is over.  All that sucking in of cold air has made it feel like I have about five pounds of quick-drying cement in the bottom of my lungs.

After a lengthy period of cooling my body down and a LONG hot bath I'm feeling about 80% as good as I did before I left the house.   :\   Bleah.


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## Impeesa (Feb 19, 2005)

Well, up until about 2 years ago I swam competitively. Anywhere from 2-5 km per practice, twice a week in the off season and 6-8 times a week during the summer. 

Now I do pretty much.. nothing. When I start feeling out of shape I'll make a more serious attempt at getting back in the pool, I guess. I should mention that swimming is one of the best low-impact, full-body workouts you can get, if anyone's looking to get into it. 

--Impeesa--


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## barsoomcore (Feb 19, 2005)

I walk a little every day (20-30 min) and I don't drive or anything like that so I'm a little bit active. Walking to get groceries, walking to get coffee, walking to get beer...

My office is HOPEFULLY moving soon to a building with squash courts, which make perfect places to practice swordfighting, which is the only exercise I've ever found that I can actually tolerate doing. Lifting weights or treadmills or whatever -- I just can't make myself do it.

Practicing how to kill people with swords? That I can do. And it's pretty good exercise, too.


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## Pbartender (Feb 19, 2005)

Pinotage said:
			
		

> My kids give me enough exercise most of the time, but I cycle the 4 miles to work and then back again every weekday. That's 8 miles of cycling a day, 40 miles a week. Not bad, all things considered. Going to work I average about 16 miles/hour, but coming back, the uphill part, it's closer to about 12 miles per hour.




That's me too.

I've got about a 10 mile round trip by bicycle.  I ride year-round at all hours (I work a rotating shift).  Last year I rode nearly 3,000 miles total.  That's one oil change and (by last year's gas prices) about $250 in gasoline.


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## Wereserpent (Feb 19, 2005)

Eating Marshmallows.


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## Blue_Kryptonite (Feb 20, 2005)

More or less:

Wake up. Sit up. Wait for heart rate to drop.

Go downstairs. Take heart meds. Wait for nausea to pass.

Light housework. Quite a lot of sitting in between.

Take meds. Make dinner. 

Lay down, wait for heart to stop pounding.

--

On good days, more activity, including resuming as much of my old martial arts workout as I can stand before I want to collapse... usually not much these days. Hopefully, I can get more active now that my meds are being adjusted after the trial period.


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## Abisashi (Feb 21, 2005)

Ski 8 hours a week? I walk some too, and occasionally do pushups and situps. But at 20, I'm still coasting on the strength of my metabolism.


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## MonsterMash (Feb 21, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> walking to get beer...



Best exercise evah!


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## KnowTheToe (Feb 21, 2005)

You notice you really put on the weight after college.  I think it has some to do with age, but mostly with activity.  You walk a crapload in your life through college, but once you graduate, you don't even know what walking is.  In the Army we would walk 2 miles to the PX and back without thinking, not, my stores are half that distance and I have never walked or biked to run my errands.  Desk jobs & cars are evil SOBs that rob us of our personal energy.

I hate to excercise.  So I chose things that take only a few minutes.  Pushups.  Do all the pushups you can in two minutes and you are wiped out.  Same thing with crunches and situps.  I do 100 jumping jacks (1 minute) and I walk my dogs.  Throw pull ups and chin ups in there and you hit every major muscle group in your body.  This is excellent for toning, but will not change the shape of your body.  If you want to change the physical shape of your body, you need weights.


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## Pbartender (Feb 21, 2005)

KnowTheToe said:
			
		

> I hate to excercise.




Oh boy, so do I.  The thing I've found that helps a lot, is doing excercise that actually accomplishes something...  Riding a bicycle to work, walking to the library, chopping wood, walking the dog, gardening, using a push mower on the lawn.



			
				KnowTheToe said:
			
		

> If you want to change the physical shape of your body, you need weights.




Losing weight (fat) is easy...  Calories in << Calories out  ...that's all you need to know.

Eat less or excercise more...  Better if you do both.


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## ledded (Feb 21, 2005)

Well, my youth was filled with baseball, football, running and hiking in the National Forest I grew up on the edge of.  I had to walk a mile and a half to the nearest kid's house I was friends with, so we rode bikes and ran around pretty much constantly.  Later, I did a PT regimen through high school ROTC and early college ROTC, and started weight conditioning.

In mid-late college, I mostly participated in binge-drinking and extended periods of laziness, occasionally interrupted by the aerobic activities of chasing women, keg parties, and walking/biking to classes with horrific early morning hangovers.

My post-college life P.K. (pre-kids) was such that I played indoor soccer/raquetball/flag football off and on, did Shinkendo (kenjutsu) twice a week for 2-3 hours, did olympic fencing for about 5-6 hours per week, did at least 2 or 3 3-5 mile runs per week, and on top of that did a weight conditioning program to help condition me for the above activities.  5-6 years ago I was in the best shape I've been in since early high school.  After kids and jobs where I had to travel a lot (forcing me to quit most of the hobby sports/martial arts for a few years) I have more weight on me than I'd like (but not too much), and have recently been attempting to get into better shape mainly so that I don't, you know, die. 

So I decided to eat less, drink less beer, quit smoking, get more rest, and change jobs to one where I can learn new things and that I am more challenged at by essentially having to do things I havent done much before.  I've started going to the gym in our building at lunch at least 4 times per week during my lunch hour, doing a modified super-set weight regimen to pack in as much pain as it possible in about 45 minutes at only a fraction of the level I did it at 4-5 years ago, and I run/stair step/walk/swim at least 2 miles/30-40 minutes 3 times per week (I have to mix it up because of an old sports injury to the knee and back which are troubling me more now that I've turned 35).  I play disc golf (lots of walking with hills), raquetball when I can, and go for fast walks in my hilly neighborhood pushing a double stroller full of children who keep asking me why I'm breathing so hard.

The results?

Well, to be honest, it sucks.

I want a cigarrette so bad I could chew through the arm of my desk chair for one.  I'm hungry because I'm trying not to gain 20 lbs while quitting smoking, and quitting smoking makes the desk chair arm look quite appettizing.  I'm taking Zyban to help me quit smoking, which means I've all but eliminated my alchohol intake (bah... how bad could a brain seizure be anyway?), while experiencing my emotions as if being sucked through a large ball of styrofoam that is stuffed over my head.  Wrapped in plastic.  The Zyban, however, has had the positive effect of me not actually maiming or killing anyone for committing horrendous offenses such as asking me what time it is .  I've cut my caffeine intake because I'm tense enough quitting smoking, and eliminating smoking makes caffeine a lot more intense for you, so not much coffee these days either.  The workouts have helped with the quitting smoking in that they also make me cough up pieces of something that I swear are my pancreas and make my lungs hurt, along with quite a few other muscular bits that I've forgotten or let atrophy a bit.  Every couple days I'll switch up my conditioning so that I can discover an all new muscle group that I've been stupid enough to ignore for far too long, and then wonder why after quitting smoking my body has decided that it should produce 5 times the mucus that it did BEFORE I quite smoking.  My guess is that I'm shedding the lining of all the internal organs that smoking/drinking/bad food have corroded.  Of course, since I'm fitting in that much more activity and a new somewhat-stressful job (that I like) with lots of extended hours I have much less time for leisure activities or rest, which with a wife and 3 young kids wasnt very much to begin with, so I can't tell if I'm sleep deprived because I havent had the luxury of more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep at one time in so long I've forgotten what it's like.

So all in all, it's not that bad, the road to better health and all that.  Though I am now convinced that I'm a bad haircut, an orange robe, and a brass bowl away from a one-way ticket to Tibet with all of the denial that I've been putting myself through lately.

(ok really, it's not that bad.  I am having a craving filled morning, and so far all I've filled it with is work.  Mmmmmm yummy work, ah so satisfying)


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## Desdichado (Feb 21, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Practicing how to kill people with swords? That I can do. And it's pretty good exercise, too.



Indeed.  I know you do Oriental swordfighting, so I don't know what you're moves are like, but I remember when I was learning the foil that I literally couldn't walk up stairs after we learned lunges and practiced them for 45 minutes straight.  Aaiee, my poor calves!  I wonder if Errol Flynn ever had that problem.


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## barsoomcore (Feb 21, 2005)

Actually, Japanese swordfighting has nothing on fencing when it comes to exercise. Fencing is _insane_. Probably up there with tap-dancing and boxing as far as sheer energy expended per second.

If I didn't hate the rules of competitive fencing so violently, I'd fence like a madman. But every club I ever joined wants you to put on those stupid electrics and then obey a bunch of stupid rules (I'm thinking particularly of the one that says that after you've been blocked you have to let the other guy have a turn) when all I want to do is run around, you know, swordfighting.

It's the same thing in kendo. You're not allowed to back up in kendo. It's the stupidest thing ever.

When swordfighting becomes a sport all the fun goes out of it.

My wife is reading _The Book of Five Rings_ and we spent yesterday afternoon going through a bunch of videos of my dojo's kata and talking about the moves and how they're performed and what they're for. It was very inspiring.

Not sufficiently inspiring to get me out of bed early enough to go to the gym and practice, of course, but still. Doesn't the thought count?


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## ragboy (Feb 21, 2005)

ledded said:
			
		

> I want a cigarrette so bad I could chew through the arm of my desk chair for one.




Hey Ledded! I heard that updating your story hour burns like 5000 calories and helps with the nicotine cravings... 

Sorry. Couldn't resist. 

I'm in the same boat brother. I went my entire pre and early adult life disparaging cigarettes and smokers and then I got stuck in the Saudi desert for six months with nothing to do and a carton of cigarettes won in a poker game. Now, fifteen years later, I'm trying to kick, too. All last year I used a generic brand of nico-gum and damned if it didn't work worth a darn. Every time I chewed one, I wanted to wash the taste out of my mouth with a pack of cigarettes. I broke down over the Christmas holidays and bought the Nicorette (mint and coated...i.e. chiclets with a kick) and it was like a switch turned off as far as cravings. I cruised along smoke free until this last week when the addiction bug came down like a sledgehammer (I think it had to do more with approaching deadlines and half a book to complete). Anyway, I'm chewing again today, and things are snappy. 

Other than that, I started a workout regime in December. I do about 3 miles of cardio (usually walking home from the gym) and lifting (muscle concentration - Monday: triceps and chest, Wed. Biceps and back, Friday: shoulders and lower back) and then as much abdominal exercises as I can take. I found this website to be extremely helpful. I'm not going for the bodybuilding look, but the proper execution of exercises (and a wide variety of exercises by muscle group), as well as some great balanced diet tips had me sold: 

www.bodybuilding.com

If you're going the weight route, remember that the more muscle you build, the more calories your body burns just sitting still. As long as you feed the muscles and get them to the level you want, you'll have an easier time with diet and cardio. I used this type of regime to lose about 50lbs of fat (gained about 20 lbs of muscle) three years ago, and have finally had the time and money to get back into it. 

Good luck everyone!


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## barsoomcore (Feb 21, 2005)

I quit smoking a couple of years ago. The physical cravings actually go away after (so I'm told) three days. From then on out it's purely psychological.

One GREAT trick that really helped me is that most cravings only last for a limited amount of time -- usually less than a minute. Just tell yourself, when the craving hits, that you'll wait for five minutes and see how you feel. Just five minutes.

Not the rest of your life. Just five minutes. I found it MUCH easier to resist for five minutes at a time.

All that said, I just sucked back a little tobacco smoke this morning. Hunter S. Thompson is dead and it seemed an appropriate way to mark the sad occasion.

Or at least, as appropriate as I could legally get away with at work. We'll see what happens at the poker game tonight.


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## ledded (Feb 21, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Actually, Japanese swordfighting has nothing on fencing when it comes to exercise. Fencing is _insane_. Probably up there with tap-dancing and boxing as far as sheer energy expended per second.




Amen to that, though the Kenjutsu I did can be very physically taxing, because some of the more complicated kata, plus the kumite (contact sparring), are very energetic.  And we weren't really allowed much 'rest' during class, as our Sensei ran it like a traditional dojo.  But really, instead of being super-intense and fast, it was more like exercises in endurance and stamina (a heavy contact bokutoh gets very heavy after an hour of straight contact kata).



			
				barsoomcore said:
			
		

> If I didn't hate the rules of competitive fencing so violently, I'd fence like a madman. But every club I ever joined wants you to put on those stupid electrics and then obey a bunch of stupid rules (I'm thinking particularly of the one that says that after you've been blocked you have to let the other guy have a turn) when all I want to do is run around, you know, swordfighting.
> It's the same thing in kendo. You're not allowed to back up in kendo. It's the stupidest thing ever.




Sounds like you should have tried Epee .  Seriously though, my biggest problem was not the rules (because I understand their reasoning behind some of them whether I liked them or not) but the things people would try to come up with to circumvent or take advantage of them that were not even related to good swordfighting, i.e. excessively whippy "flicks" in foil (you fencers know what I'm talking about).  Come on, if I was a real swashbuckler and a guy "whipped" his flimsy sword at me and just barely smacked me with the tip, I'd whip the crossgaurd of my cutlass into his nose... but *nooooooo* they get all upset when you do that in olympic style.  Sheesh, he *has* a mask on.

That being so, the best time and some of the best exercise I ever got was when we would do Sunday afternoon "melee" in fencing... line up 5 guys on a side, you get hit by anyone you are sidelined for 20 seconds; 3 hits and you're out for good.  Just enough rules to be safe and 10 guys go at it, using tactics and positioning to gang up on each other.  One of the only times I ever got to feel like Errol Flynn when fencing was fighting off 3 guys coming for me, back to a wall, while I yelled for my buddies to get back in.  Of course, *real* fencers would never do stuff like that, because it might mess up their _style_ (i.e. they'd get trounced).



			
				barsoomcore said:
			
		

> When swordfighting becomes a sport all the fun goes out of it.




Yeah, it depends on the people a lot, but it can get kind of frustrating when it gets too "sport".  One thing I loved about my kenjutsu is that while we didnt have unrestricted sparring, our sparring kata were usually active enough to scare the crap out of us, and it was a class for people who were serious about good sword work.  Plus, after you got good enough, they gave ya a real sword and you got to cut up bamboo and stuff, and *that's* when you find out who really knows how to swing that sword.  



> My wife is reading _The Book of Five Rings_ and we spent yesterday afternoon going through a bunch of videos of my dojo's kata and talking about the moves and how they're performed and what they're for. It was very inspiring.




That is so cool.  My wife is not much of one for reading guys like Musashi or Yuzan Daidoji or books like Hagakure, the Konjaku Monogatari or Tengu Geijutsuron.  Though she does like to watch my old dojo videos every now and then so she can make witty comments about us all wearing our "funny black skirts" .



> Not sufficiently inspiring to get me out of bed early enough to go to the gym and practice, of course, but still. Doesn't the thought count?




*To think, "I will not think" - This, too, is something in one's thoughts. Simply do not think about not thinking at all. - Takuan*

**


----------



## Desdichado (Feb 22, 2005)

ledded, you got it.  Luckily, I was with a club that didn't care to compete with anyone other than each other, so we didn't worry _too much_ about our form.  It's all about pretending you're Errol Flynn on the deck of a sinking pirate ship, IMO.  Although for that, I really needed to learn sabre, I think, and unfortunately, I only had the opportunity to do foil.

I've been seriously considering finding a local fencing club and taking it back up again, but like you said, I most certainly do not want to worry about competing or anything like that.

In other news, barsoomcore, I have no idea what you're talking about letting the other guy have a turn after having been blocked.  Maybe I'm just completely misremembering from when we were actually taking lessons as opposed to just fencing for fun, but I have no recollection of any rule like that in the textbooks we used, or the way we fought for that matter.


----------



## Ibram (Feb 22, 2005)

about 3 hours a week of classical Japanese Martial Arts makes up most of my exercise.


----------



## Greatwyrm (Feb 22, 2005)

I've recently made a concious effort to use the intercom less and actually walk to talk to people at the office.  That's the closest I've gotten to exercise since my Junior year in high school.

That is, unless you count all the walking at GenCon.


----------



## ledded (Feb 22, 2005)

Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> ledded, you got it. Luckily, I was with a club that didn't care to compete with anyone other than each other, so we didn't worry _too much_ about our form. It's all about pretending you're Errol Flynn on the deck of a sinking pirate ship, IMO. Although for that, I really needed to learn sabre, I think, and unfortunately, I only had the opportunity to do foil.
> 
> I've been seriously considering finding a local fencing club and taking it back up again, but like you said, I most certainly do not want to worry about competing or anything like that.




Most of the fencers were into just fencing, some were goofy "purists" like me.  Then the club got more organized, got real coaches, and took a more competitive edge and I lost interest.  I did some rapier work with some guys who claimed to have did some training with John Clements, but they turned out to be a bunch of yahoos that were more likely to get someone injured than to learn much real rapier.  I also did a bit with some SCA breakaways who did some fun things with rattan and goofy protective gear, but that just got a bit too silly.  *Great* exercise though, and reading the books, then putting them into practice will give you a whole new insight into swordplay for movies/games/books while getting you in great shape.  I wish the guys that really "got it", i.e. were there to try to understand real smallsword/rapier/broadsword fencing methods, had not mostly moved away, because we had a lot of fun reading old fencing manuals and working out wherever we could find a piece of gym.  We would even mix up an epee fencer with a guy wielding a bamboo shinai to get a little east vs west flavor.



> In other news, barsoomcore, I have no idea what you're talking about letting the other guy have a turn after having been blocked. Maybe I'm just completely misremembering from when we were actually taking lessons as opposed to just fencing for fun, but I have no recollection of any rule like that in the textbooks we used, or the way we fought for that matter.




Ah, the fun of foil.  Remember, whoever extends their arm on attack "threatens" first, and the "threat" must be removed before attacking.  So guy 1 extends and lunges, you have to parry/beat/etc before attacking, because if you attack into his "extension" and get hit, it's his point regardless of who actually landed their attack first.  It's supposed to teach you to parry so that you dont attack at the expense of skewering yourself on your opponents blade.  Epee is a bit less rigid... hit the other guy first, who cares how.  Of course, being 5'9" and short-legged, I usually ended up just getting hit on the toes or fingers a lot before I could get within 5' of the typical 6'4" Epee guys.  So I took up Saber, where you can actually whack people in addition to sticking them, which was fun.

To anyone who plays an RPG with swords in it and wants some exercise, I do suggest that you find some kind of iaido/kenjutsu/kendo/fencing/whatever and at least give it a try, because you'll learn a few things about the stuff in your game while getting some superb exercise at the same time.


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## Desdichado (Feb 22, 2005)

ledded said:
			
		

> Ah, the fun of foil.  Remember, whoever extends their arm on attack "threatens" first, and the "threat" must be removed before attacking.  So guy 1 extends and lunges, you have to parry/beat/etc before attacking, because if you attack into his "extension" and get hit, it's his point regardless of who actually landed their attack first.  It's supposed to teach you to parry so that you dont attack at the expense of skewering yourself on your opponents blade.



It's been a while, but I do vaguely remember that now that you mention it.  Of course, it's so intuitive, that it hardly needs to be spelled out as a rule; it's just common sense.

Then again, the foil was my second best.  What I'm really interested in is taking up some serious sabre work.  Wow, I'm really starting to get motivated again.  I'm gonna look up a local club and see what they've got going on.


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## Pbartender (Feb 22, 2005)

I used to do a little kendo back in college to help with my stage-combat style in plays.

I had friend, who'd had a lot more lessons and practice than I did, and we'd just go down to the beack along lake Michigan and spar...  With no real hard and fast rules.  Just: 3 hits to extremities and you're out.  One hit to head or torso and you're out.  That's it.

We had a lot of fun pretending we were Jedi or Highlander or some such nonsense.

Plus, dueling footwork on sand or peagravel increases the difficulty of the workout tenfold.

My buddy was taller, heavier, and generally more skilled than I was, so he beat me more often than, though I did get my licks in.  My proudest moment was when he made a powerful over-head cut at me, and I just dodged it by retreating a step or two.  He over-extended himself, and the tip of bamboo sword dropped into the sand.  I took a step forward, stepped on the tip of his sword, and made a short lunge.  He couldn't hold on, and dropped the sword at my feet.  So I picked up his sword, and chased him down with one in each hand.    

Oh yes, those were the good old days.

Now, I can't find anyone nearby willing to teach it.  I'd love to get back into practice.


----------



## der_kluge (Feb 22, 2005)

Greatwyrm said:
			
		

> I've recently made a concious effort to use the intercom less and actually walk to talk to people at the office.  That's the closest I've gotten to exercise since my Junior year in high school.
> 
> That is, unless you count all the walking at GenCon.





I lost 5 pounds at Gen Con one year.  Really looking forward to that again this year.


----------



## barsoomcore (Feb 22, 2005)

Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> Of course, it's so intuitive, that it hardly needs to be spelled out as a rule; it's just common sense.



Shut up.



Common sense my sweet patootie.


----------



## Desdichado (Feb 22, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Shut up.
> 
> 
> 
> Common sense my sweet patootie.



Well, if you're going to essentially run yourself through on your opponent's sword, I can see why you didn't take to competitive fencing.


----------



## ledded (Feb 22, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> I quit smoking a couple of years ago. The physical cravings actually go away after (so I'm told) three days. From then on out it's purely psychological.




Shut up.



Three days my sweet patootie.



Seriously, the medical experts tell you it's three days to a week, but the second and third week of quitting has always been the hardest for me, and it still comes on strong some days weeks later and the craving lasts for an hour or two (like yesterday).  It's like having a small monkey sitting on your shoulders, squeezing your neck with his legs, and then every 10 seconds or so slapping you on the forehead really hard.  Sounds kind of funny at first, not so bad, but after a week you just WANT IT TO FREAKING STOP ALREADY 

<whew>  Ok sorry, I'm feeling much better now.



> One GREAT trick that really helped me is that most cravings only last for a limited amount of time -- usually less than a minute. Just tell yourself, when the craving hits, that you'll wait for five minutes and see how you feel. Just five minutes.
> 
> Not the rest of your life. Just five minutes. I found it MUCH easier to resist for five minutes at a time.




I do that, and think of my kids while I do so I can really twist the guilt knife in hard.  Makes me more anxious and angry at myself, but less likely to light up.

OldDrewId had a really good mental method that he used which I am borrowing.

There was some statistic that said that only 1 in 10 people who quite smoking actually stay quite for more than a year, most go back within the first few weeks/months.  You get competitive and imagine these 9 other guys all trying to quit, and watch them drop off one by one as the time period between guys dropping off increases, until around the 11th month it's just you and that last monkey-flocker; then you really dig in and see his ass off too till it's just you and no cigarettes.

So far I've mentally asked guy #3 for a cigarrette like 6 times, but he said no, and now he's being a *real* prick about it...  



> All that said, I just sucked back a little tobacco smoke this morning. Hunter S. Thompson is dead and it seemed an appropriate way to mark the sad occasion.




Yes, last night, in lieu of any tobacco, I threw back several whiskey-n-waters in fond rememberance and honor of him, then ranted illegibly to my dog for several minutes about my lack of willpower regarding nicotene.  There really are not, and probably will not, be another journalist with quite the cajones, or mental instability, of that man.

Ragboy, I know your pain my brother.  I did the gum several times and it never worked for me... I just chewed more and more and had to start buying cigarrettes again to help me quit that damned expensive gum. 

The workouts do help a lot though, especially the exhaustive super-set weight conditioning;  it's a great alternative to the illogical nicotene-anxiety-driven urge to hit something really hard when I don't have a bag around to work


----------



## Dingleberry (Feb 22, 2005)

When my wife and I had our first child six weeks ago, I knew I had to do two things: (1) start getting back in shape after putting on my "sympathy weight", and (2) become an expert in changing diapers before going back to work (I took two weeks off).  So I came up with a plan that accomplished both: every time I changed the baby's diaper, I had to do 10 push ups; but if someone _else_ changed the baby's diaper when I was available to do it, I had to do 20.

I should've done the math before committing to it.

The first few days were brutal, but once I started getting conditioned to it, it's been great.  My arms haven't been in this good of shape since I was drumming several hours a day back in college.


----------



## Greatwyrm (Feb 22, 2005)

die_kluge said:
			
		

> I lost 5 pounds at Gen Con one year.  Really looking forward to that again this year.




I'm guessing I've got you beat.  The second day of GenCon, I got both a kidney stone and tonsilitis.  I think I lost about 40 pounds, but with the Vicodin, it was hard to remember.  Still made it to the finals in the Eberron open, though.


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## barsoomcore (Feb 22, 2005)

Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> Well, if you're going to essentially run yourself through on your opponent's sword, I can see why you didn't take to competitive fencing.



This is where my gibbon-like arms come in handy. My opponent can give my incoming blade a whack and I've still got a foot of extension to go without moving my body.

led: I'm not saying the psychological craving are any easier to deal with than physical ones, mind you. Hang in there, buddy.


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## Desdichado (Feb 23, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> This is where my gibbon-like arms come in handy. My opponent can give my incoming blade a whack and I've still got a foot of extension to go without moving my body.



That's one aspect of fencing that's a bit miffing; genetics make so much difference in how good you'll be (or at least, they can make it quite a bit easier).  Not that I should complain too much; I'm taller than average (by a bit) and naturally lanky in build (only the last five years or so have started to challenge that statement a bit) so it's generally been in my favor, but still.


----------



## BiggusGeekus (Feb 23, 2005)

Greatwyrm said:
			
		

> The second day of GenCon, I got both a kidney stone and tonsilitis.  I think I lost about 40 pounds, but with the Vicodin, it was hard to remember.  Still made it to the finals in the Eberron open, though.




This is the best gaming story I've ever heard in my entire life.


----------



## Greatwyrm (Feb 23, 2005)

BiggusGeekus said:
			
		

> This is the best gaming story I've ever heard in my entire life.




Thanks.  The hospital turned me loose at 11 am and I was at the table for the WWE: Know Your Role demo at noon.  Some people just don't know when to quit.


----------



## ledded (Feb 23, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> This is where my gibbon-like arms come in handy. My opponent can give my incoming blade a whack and I've still got a foot of extension to go without moving my body.




Ha-ha! "Gibbon-like" arms. That's funny, kinda like how Andy in Jonrog1's pulp story hour said his Captain Texas PC had trouble manipulating small objects because of his "huge Kirby-hands".

I know what you mean. I spent most of my time in various swordwork learning how to get inside on big fellas like you. Those gibbon-arms get a little tangled up when you've got a saber-wielding fire hydrant standing 1 foot in front of you .



> led: I'm not saying the psychological craving are any easier to deal with than physical ones, mind you. Hang in there, buddy.




Phhhpppttt! This ain't psychological brother! This chemical (or lack thereof) is trying to *kill* me. Why, just the other day, I was feeling so anxious that I darn near felt like my heart was going to start palpitating, and I was taking short breaths and trying to do my old martial arts breathing exercises, and this little voice in my head says "I'm gonna give you a f-----g heart attack if you dont get some nicotene. Now. Are you listening? Because next I'm starting in on the testicles...". I tell you what, that addiction beast is one bad mutha. And he's got, like, Darth Vader force powers and stuff, but with James Gandolfini's voice. 

But thanks for the support anyhow. Actually, I find a good rant every now and then helps me a lot, because that's how I burn off some of the excess nervous energy.



			
				Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> That's one aspect of fencing that's a bit miffing; genetics make so much difference in how good you'll be (or at least, they can make it quite a bit easier). Not that I should complain too much; I'm taller than average (by a bit) and naturally lanky in build (only the last five years or so have started to challenge that statement a bit) so it's generally been in my favor, but still.




Yeah, people kept telling me that. Being about 5'8" tall but of Italian decent (so it's all body with short tree-trunk legs) I had to just ignore it. Of course, those stubby ape-like legs allow me to make short leaps with deceptively good speed (when I'm in shape), and I did drill after drill after drill to cultivate fast hands. You know, having someone stand behind me while I face the wall and throw glove after glove over my head and hit the wall, trying to pin them as they fall with my foil/saber. Or doing the tennis-ball hanging on a string thing in the garage, but putting it close enough to the wall so that when I hit it with the foil/saber, it can rebound back with a little bit of speed, then I keep extending over and over to try to keep it going for a few hits. Heck, I even bungeed one for a while so when I hit it with saber I had to dodge the thing as it shot back at me and then try to hit it as it "retreated". Oh, for the record, a moving tennis ball smarts when it hits you in the eye, so wear your stupid mask if do this drill. Or so I heard .

Epee was the only place it really killed me, because even though I'm short I have big stupid clown feet for my height (11.5), so the tall guys would retreat from me as fast as they could, then wait for me to overextend trying to catch their lanky butts and put all my weight on my front foot, and then flick-hit me in the big freakin' toe or the top of my clown foot. Which smarts. A lot. Sheez. If I was Errol Flynn and I was fighting a duel and some mook hit me *in the toe*, I'd pull my damn flintlock and shoot him.

That's why I liked Saber most, and foil some. In foil, most folks dont think to back up too much, because they still have to hit you in the main part of the body which requires them to maintain a "deadly" distance (i.e. they stay close enough for me to hop-lunge after 'em), and Saber folks are just too darn crazy to retreat 


Oh, and Greatwrym... you win.  Hands down.  A man is willing to take that kind of pain to game, I gotta respect that.


----------



## Desdichado (Feb 23, 2005)

ledded said:
			
		

> Saber folks are just too darn crazy to retreat



Exactly why that style appeals to me the most.


----------



## ledded (Feb 25, 2005)

Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> Exactly why that style appeals to me the most.




Heh heh... me too.  Another reason why I like kenjutsu.

Because at the end of the day, when you cut through all of the hullabaloo and hoity-toity, there is something quite liberating about participating in a sport that pretty much amounts to charging at someone, screaming, with a stick in your hand.  Epee people are just too... placid.  Foil people like to argue too much.  Makes me wanna get my saber and give 'em both a nice _WHACK_

I imagine that it's similar to how a bunch of Scots a long time ago got drunk and a little crazy, then all of a sudden you have men doing caber toss.


----------



## Desdichado (Feb 25, 2005)

ledded said:
			
		

> I imagine that it's similar to how a bunch of Scots a long time ago got drunk and a little crazy, then all of a sudden you have men doing caber toss.



I imagine that's how all Scottish sports started.  I mean, _dwarf-tossing_?  C'mon.

For that matter, I think that's how most Scottish food started.  A bunch of drunk guys sitting around the farm at night, daring each other to eat things.


----------



## barsoomcore (Feb 25, 2005)

And let's not get started on Scottish clothing.

Or, in fact, Scots. Er.


----------



## danbuter (Feb 25, 2005)

I go to the gym four times a week. Mondays and Thursdays, I do preacher curls, benchpress, situps, and stairclimber.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, I do arnolds (dumbbells straight up), reverse sit-ups, pull-downs, dips, and stairclimber.
Yeah, I'm in pretty damn good shape these days  .


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## barsoomcore (Feb 28, 2005)

Okay, so I actually went to the Y yesterday and did a little swordfighting practice.

Ran through my Katori Shinto Ryu omote-tachi and omote-bo, and my NakayamaKai kenjutsu, jojutsu and kihon dosa. Yay!

Now I'm very stiff. But yay. Yay me.


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## DungeonMaster (Feb 28, 2005)

Hmm... can't comment on Kenjutsu but I do Haidong Gumdo, an ancient Korean form of sword fighting, and I can guarantee it's more of a workout than any other martial art or sport I've ever done (including fencing). 
It's relatively unknown outside of Korea but gaining popularity abroad (in Canada in particular). We use bokken and live blade for training purposes, much like Kenjutsu I beleive, or at least Yagyu style. 
30 minutes of  Gumdo "basic training" - a series of roughly 1000 sword swings with some brutal stances and displacements - will flatten even a fit person.  
The only other combat art I've found that equates to the same workout is wrestling and even then it's a different muscle emphasis and you're not "expected" to wrestle for over long.


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## ledded (Mar 1, 2005)

Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> I imagine that's how all Scottish sports started. I mean, _dwarf-tossing_? C'mon.
> 
> For that matter, I think that's how most Scottish food started. A bunch of drunk guys sitting around the farm at night, daring each other to eat things.




Yeah, I imagine it went something like this:


Seamus: "Eh, Conner, I bet I cood toss tha' stick a bi' farther than yi!"

Conner: "Is that righto, lad? I bet I cood toss this.... tree! Yah, dis fookin tree!"

Seamus: "...blimey Conner, tha's a big fookin tree..."

McGrath: "Er, I'm noot as strong as yi two, but I bet I ca eat this... sheeps stomach stuffed with all manner o' nasty gut bits! Ha! How aboot tha'?!?"

Conner: "Aw JeesusMaryAnJoseph, McGrath... you've got ta be muckin' aboot!"

Donnel: "I can beat tha'. I'll do aaaaaall o' tha'... but wearin' ah fookin' _skirt_!"

<stunned looks>

McGrath: "Um... will i' 'ave yi' tartan on it, Donnie?"

Donnel: "Of course ya daft barmy pillock! I'm noot some nellie knob-jockey, yi barkit wee minker! Say tha' again an' eh'll gie u a right clout, pal!"

Seamus, to Conner: "Aye, he's a rank nutter, that Donnel, 'i jus' might doo et..."

Conner: "Eh'll drink ta tha!"


----------



## der_kluge (Mar 1, 2005)

Greatwyrm said:
			
		

> I'm guessing I've got you beat.  The second day of GenCon, I got both a kidney stone and tonsilitis.  I think I lost about 40 pounds, but with the Vicodin, it was hard to remember.  Still made it to the finals in the Eberron open, though.




Oh well, if that's the game you want to play, then GenCon 2001, I got Mono.

My friend who went with me had a horrible time.  I guess I did nothing but complain the entire time.  Fortunately, it didn't really set in until the last two days or so.  By Sunday, it was the worst.  I went to a Monte Cook seminar with hives!


----------



## ledded (Mar 1, 2005)

DungeonMaster said:
			
		

> Hmm... can't comment on Kenjutsu but I do Haidong Gumdo, an ancient Korean form of sword fighting, and I can guarantee it's more of a workout than any other martial art or sport I've ever done (including fencing). .




When I was in Montreal a while back I met some guys who did Haidong Gumdo, and went to watch them practice.  I can attest that it's *very* physical, and looked like a ton o' fun. 



> It's relatively unknown outside of Korea but gaining popularity abroad (in Canada in particular). We use bokken and live blade for training purposes, much like Kenjutsu I beleive, or at least Yagyu style.
> 30 minutes of Gumdo "basic training" - a series of roughly 1000 sword swings with some brutal stances and displacements - will flatten even a fit person.
> The only other combat art I've found that equates to the same workout is wrestling and even then it's a different muscle emphasis and you're not "expected" to wrestle for over long.




It was similar in many respects to how we trained in Shinkendo;  quite a bit of sword swinging/movement drills using different bokken and even shinken (live blade).  The website for shinkendo has some really cool videos and pictures of the founder and others doing some neat stuff with live blades.  I used to love doing the multi-target tameshigiri (test cutting) that you got to do after you had advanced to higher levels after several years of training.

I wrestled for a bit when I was in high school, and it was a great workout too;  more muscle/stamina oriented but very good.


----------



## barsoomcore (Mar 1, 2005)

ledded said:
			
		

> When I was in Montreal a while back I met some guys who did Haidong Gumdo, and went to watch them practice.  I can attest that it's *very* physical, and looked like a ton o' fun.



Plus it's called Haidong Gumdo. Just saying it cheers me up.

Haidong Gumdo.



See?


----------



## Desdichado (Mar 1, 2005)

ledded, I'm saving that.


----------



## Felix (Mar 1, 2005)

4 days a week:

5:15 am. Wake up.
5:45 am. At the boathouse.
6:00 am. On the Potomac River rowing.
7:30 am. Off the water.
7:45 am. Run to work downtown DC.
8:15 am. Shower at work.
8:40 am. Breakfast.
9:00 am. Ready to WORK!
...
5:00 pm. Out of work, at happy hour with fellow rowers.
...
7:30 pm. Passed-friggin-out. 

Seriously, anyone who wants to exercise needs to get themselves to the nearest public or private boathouse and look into rowing in the mornings. It gets you moving, gives you energy, and rowing buddies are the best drinking buddies you can find.

Which, interestingly enough, segues into another topic that cropped up around here.

I quit smoking about 2 years ago after smoking for 5, and I did it to row better. My quitting technique: The physical addiction is easy to conquer, it's the psycological that's the honker. And the worst psycological hurdle is the smoking-while-drinking bit. So...

Day 1: Quit smoking
Evening 1: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 2: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 3: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 4: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 5: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 6: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 7: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 8: Get Drunk.
Day & Evening 9: Get Drunk.

Heh. And every time you do that, make sure you're with friends that won't let you smoke, and carry a box of toothpicks around to take care of any oral fixation you might have.

A two-week bender will solve your smoking problems.

I can't say it will help with your drinking problems however.


----------



## Desdichado (Mar 1, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Plus it's called Haidong Gumdo. Just saying it cheers me up.
> 
> Haidong Gumdo.



It sounds like something to eat.  Or maybe that's just because I haven't yet today.  Either way, it's not cheering me up...


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## barsoomcore (Mar 1, 2005)

You haven't Haidong Gumdo-ed yet, either. Maybe that's your problem.

Haidong Gumdo.

I want to play a fiendish gnome half-illithid with that name. "Haidong Gumdo, at your service."

(I'm honestly NOT poking fun at the actual Haidong Gumdo tradition, of which I know absolutely NOTHING. If I'm being offensive, just let me know and I'll stop. It just makes me giggle every time I say it.)

Haidong Gumdo.


----------



## ledded (Mar 2, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> You haven't Haidong Gumdo-ed yet, either. Maybe that's your problem.




Maybe it will help if you say it with the voice from Adam Sandler in The Waterboy. I tried it that way, and laughed so hard I nearly peed myself.

"Man, dat sum hiiiigh quality Haidong Gumdo dere, chere..."


(disclaimer:  Err, ok, sorry... I'm not making fun of Haidong Gumdo tradition and/or practice either, which I have the utmost respect for.  But I'm having *way* too much fun with this to stop now )


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## GentleGiant (Mar 3, 2005)

ledded said:
			
		

> Yeah, I imagine it went something like this:
> <snip>



I think somebody's been watching (or listening to) too much Robin Wiliams Live on Broadway


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## Angel Tarragon (Mar 3, 2005)

Slobbing in the morning, slobbing in the afternoon then a nap before the big evening slob. Sorry. But I do love Red Dwarf!


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## xrpsuzi (Mar 3, 2005)

Isn't it obligitory to by chubby and wear a black tee-shirt? I thought they revoked your gamer membership card when you became too svelt? 

We have had great sucess on the "eat a little and walk uphill all the damn time" diet, of course, we were living in the foothills of the Himalayas, Joe's vegetarian, and I'm diabetic (carb-sensitive), so that rules eating out a lot of good food on a daily basis.

Now we hit the gym with low-impact exercise for a longer duration daily. But sometimes taking a plane to India for 6 months is easier than trying to lose weight in the US. It's a little _too_ comfortable. Joe's like fusangite. He hates making a special visit/effort to exercise, but if he has to walk 3-5 km a day to run errands, that seems less egregious to him.


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## barsoomcore (Mar 3, 2005)

suzi yee said:
			
		

> Joe's like fusangite. He hates making a special visit/effort to exercise, but if he has to walk 3-5 km a day to run errands, that seems less egregious to him.



If you need your ENWorld pals to come up with errands for Joe to run, I'm sure we'd all be willing to pitch in.

I could really go for a roast beef sandwich, hold the mayo.


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## astralpwka (Mar 3, 2005)

I started seriously lifting weights at the start of the year. I'm lifting 4 days a week, and using a Gazelle for cardio (not the animal, the weird treadmill-like-walking thing). I have no idea how much I walk per day. My job involves a lot of it, plus plenty of stairs.

In D&D, my Strength is still only around a 14 (read as = wimpy).


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## Nifft (Mar 3, 2005)

1d4+2 times a week, I do 30 minutes on the ellipse machine (zero-impact, 500 calories or so, heart rate between 160-185 for at least 20 of those minutes).

1d4+1 times a week, I do 2d3x10 minutes of weight stuff. Still not that buff, but getting better. Depends on how much time I have available.

 -- N


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## xrpsuzi (Mar 4, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> If you need your ENWorld pals to come up with errands for Joe to run, I'm sure we'd all be willing to pitch in.
> I could really go for a roast beef sandwich, hold the mayo.




Walking to Canada from Texas, huh? Not quite like running up the bazaar to get some fruit or walking to the jewelers to get a clasp fixed, but a good roast beef sandwich cannot be shorted its due respect. 

BTW, I was looking for your completed storyhour download, but it wasn't on the list (since the server upgrade that is). You got a link or plans to upload it? I also see the all Stewardess story hour is finished as well, but I haven't gotten time to take a stab at it yet.


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