Sports and fitness

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Now it's not a topic most people would expect to see on a roleplaying forum but I was wonderring what sports and excersises fellow Eonites do for fun and/or to stay healthy.

I ask because over the past year I've tried to get healthy by means of exercise, but found there was little fun to be had while going on long high paced walks and pretending to be Chuck Norris while using a home gym. I was forced to stop for a while and when I finally was able to resume my exercises I had little motivation, but recently things have changed.

About 3 months ago some friends and I decided to start up squash and have become hooked! Despite spraining my ankle and bruising a bone in my foot some 3 weeks ago during a practice round (damn near buckled my racket aswell but it somehow survived), I'm still playing with the aid of a $90 ankle brace, overpriced but it lets me play so I can justify the price tag.

I've also taken up fencing with an amature club at a nearby university gym, and found it just as addictive and plan to get my own equipment when the next club order is placed. Since starting fencing I have found that the 2 sports are complimentary so it's an added bonus for me.

That's me done, now let's here about your sport and exercises... hmm... and what the hell favorite healthy meals too, just to round out the topic. ::wink

[ConcreteDragon]

Thank You, Ayre! ::thumbsup

Because of my 'Alternative' life style, I have to pick up and stack 5 tons of hay for my goats every fall. I also have to move 1,220 of grain.

During winter I have to snow shoe in to my wifes ranch (1 kilometer) 3-4 times a week and shovel lots o' snow off the roofs. On snow days, I also walk to work from our town house, to avoid the crazy drivers.

In late spring I have to cut up the trees that have fallen across the driveway and stack them.

Summer is time to split the windfall wood from the previous year. My wife loves to drag me and the kids camping and hiking in the nearby mountains.

For fun I downhill ski and mountain bike ride in the forest.

And with all that, I'm still 10kg overweight ::withbeer ::drunkenmonkey ::beer ::chillbeer ::withbeer ::drunkenmonkey ::beer ::chillbeer ::withbeer ::drunkenmonkey ::beer ::withbeer ::drunkenmonkey ::beer ::chillbeer I wonder why?

[Bahamut810]

::blink

[ezekiel]

Which weapon are you specializing in in Fencing? I used to do competitive sabre (Quebec games twice and a few other competitions) and have equipment lying around back home. Electric vest and awesome mask if my brother hasn't mucked around too much with it...already broke my blades the twit. hmm, though you're in Australia right? You can probably find cheaper, shipping would be a hassle.

Honestly I think the best way to health is through your diet. I don't follow one...but I don't eat fish 'n chips everyday or fastfood, etc. Actually now that I'm in Taiwan I'm eating healthier than ever...ah, right now healthy meals would include steamed vegetables, stir-frys, vietnamese soups, thai curry...

My main activity right now is teaching kids English which means I'm standing, walking around and whatever for 6 hours a day with 30 minutes break in all between that. Weekends I'll do whatever...biking, hiking, even sleeping. I don't actively go in search of exercise, it just finds me somehow.

Green curry:

Chicken breasts, diced

2 green peppers (capsicums to you aussies)

Onion, bite size slices

Carrots cut into little sticks, I don't like diced carrots and it looks nicer this way. I'm convinced it tastes better too, but that's me.

ah, ****, can't remember the English...Green bean pods...anyway, I add those add the end just before serving, still crunchy.

Funky stuff you need:

Cans of coconut milk 2 or 3 depending on how much you're making.

Green curry paste

Fish sauce (look in asian markets, its watery and brown and smells like ah, rather not say, but tastes great in certain stuff)

Sesame oil

Lemongrass

So, wok...stir-fry your vegetables quickly, don't over cook, you want chewy yet firm; less is more since it'll cook a bit more later. Set aside vegetables.

Drop a spoonful of curry in the wok (there should be some oil left from the veggies you just cooked but add a bit if needed...oh, I use olive oil not that it matters hugely.) Warning, this stuff is HOT and can be unpalettable if used abusively for curry neophytes. I like it kinda spicy...With your first put a bit less, you can always add some later in the cooking process, dunno if frying ahead really does something for it but I do it anyway.

Add one can coconut milk and stir...take in the smells, add second and third cans slowly. Add fish sauce...uh...3 spoonfuls? more? dunno, to taste. Add a bit of sesame oil (not too much, sesame oil has a powerful taste) and some lemongrass, bring to boil. Add chicken to let cook...add vegetables...when its about ready drop in the bean pods(pois mangetout in French, check the link and tell me the English 'cause its killing me)...

and that's it! Serve on rice or rice noodles...usually I use rice noodles and add some sesame, fish sauce and lime juice to them for a bit of inherrent flavour.

so yes...I cook.

Edit: Lemongrass should look like this.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

zeke: So far I'm practicing foil and just begining epee I won't start sabre untill January at the earliest though my epee instructor thinks I'd be a natural (I tend to come in with the edge using the epee. For those of you who don't know, I'm being insulted as the epee is a point weapon). As for the equipment I have to get a 'big boy' (at least a 58) sized lame' though the guy in charge is trying to get one from another club that 'owes him one' ::wink and the blades are some cheap chinese ones ~$30 a pop one of the guys at club has sourced.

As for the green curry, I'm going to have to try that, the ingredients I can get from just about any supermarket these day (I've had fish sause before, it stinks). I welcome a bit of heat in my foods, sick of the bland stuff and have been adding chilli sause to most things lately anyway. ::thumbsup

CD: sounds painful ::confused in a cool kinda way ::wink

[ezekiel]

A word of warning though, for beginning sabre fighters strength control is a problem. You give your opponent a good one so of course he gives you a big on in response. I used to come back from training with whip marks across my back (as opponent hits your shoulder or sides the blade flexes and whacks you.) On the bright side, the pain is what motivates you to not get hit. Later on experienced fighters learn to hold back a bit. I've been issued red cards for hard hits so really, you can't just hit as you'd like.

Oh, and aim for the wrist... ::biggrin

[ConcreteDragon]

'Zeke--Great ::thumbsup

Mind if I steal it to use on my wife?

(us Yanks call them 'Pea Pods' ::wink )

CD: sounds painful  in a cool kinda way 

Well, I don't do it all in one day! I do spread the heavy stuff out over 4-5 weekends ::smokin

[ezekiel]

'Zeke--Great 

Mind if I steal it to use on my wife?

(us Yanks call them 'Pea Pods'  )

'course not. Pea pods...I was close.

Easy recipe, take's half an hour...not even that if your a quick chopper.

[madcat82]

Hmmm, excersice? I play a lot of 3d shooters, and in those I run around quiet a bit ::biggrin

Nah, to be serious, I have trained Aikido and swimming quiet a bit. Have plans on starting to climb big rocks.

[knave]

Hmm... I play squash (the racquet kind). Chase women. ::tongue Run away from their boyfriends. ::nervous You know... The usual. ::confused

Did some aikido a few years ago. That taught me two important things: 1) Despite what people say, being 6'3" is pretty darn useful against most people in Aikido. ::biggrin 2) My joints didn't bend the way the sensei thought they should ::shocked .

[Sphere]

I try and get to the gym three times a week for a couple of hours, and occasionally play a little basketball with my brother and one of our friends of a Sunday (to get the blood pumping before our weekly session of Aberrant ::biggrin ). And yet I still have a body that only a Trek fan could love (I keep it in the basement ::wink ).

Sounds like a nice recipe Concrete, will have to give it a try. Us Brits tend to call them mangetout cos we think it makes us sound all cultured and stuff (sniff) innit.

I used to fence a loooooong while ago. Always enjoyed it. But the instructors never got round to teaching us anything other than foil so I eventually left out of boredom. Pity, would have liked to have given sabre a try.

[madcat82]

My joints didn't bend the way the sensei thought they should

Unfortunately mine bendt exactly the way sensei thought they should. It was a very painfull way. ::biggrin

[ConcreteDragon]

Sounds like a nice recipe Concrete, will have to give it a try. Us Brits tend to call them mangetout cos we think it makes us sound all cultured and stuff (sniff) innit.

Thanx, 'cept It's 'Zeke's recipe, and I nick'd it ::tongue

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Just came back from a fencing session and due to the clubs funding being docked to nearly nothing our coaching lessons are being cut. The coach is still going to attend and help out but not nearly enough to cover the number of members, as such I was told to take up the sabre by the some other members and...

HOLY HELL THIS IS THE WEAPON!

I love it! I always thought I would like it but christ, I even enjoyed getting hit, motivates the hell out of you... Though I'm probably gonna have a purple left nipple as one of them got me there 4 times, still it's my first real battle scar from fencing. I suprised myself that I was able to keep up and score against these guys... I couldn't believe the pace, it doesn't stop and despite the exhaustion you don't want to, Oh and I got to lock gaurds a few times, lol can you tell I'm hyped up? ::laugh

Still wanna get my point control on foil perfected (ok so not perfect but once I would like to not get someone in the groin, just once ::tongue ), and epee is great for the whole "no off target" rule. Being heavier than the foil I tend to control it better, but my focus from now on will deffinately be sabre. ::biggrin ::fencers

[ezekiel]

::biggrin

Now you know...

I can't remember having hurt nipples though, I must protect them better than you do.. ::wink ::tongue

There there nipples, there there.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

I tell you I never parried better after those hits! ::laugh

[SnakeEyes]

Talking of excercise, I really think I should. I wouldn't really expect it from you guys, but too many people think that we vegetarians are malnourished skinny people. I happen to be a strict vegetarian (no gelatin, e124, glycerol, or similar products), and am 4stone (25.4Kg, or 56lbs) overweight.

My problem isn't my excercise entirely, I mean sure, I'm not perfectly fit, but I walk over 3 miles a day, sometimes nearer 5. The problem really is my appetite. At 18stone, it's difficult to do much rigourous cardiovascular excercise, especially when you wake up at 5am, get home at 6.30pm, and eventually get to sleep at 11pm. My day leaves me too drained (even after starbucks ::hehe ) to do anything more than click a mouse (although still have enough energy to type at over 40 words a minute).

I have a black hole for a stomach. Although many obese people with similar problems mention a craving for food, I don't crave it. I mean, sometimes I completely forget to eat. The diet's not a problem either, I get a perfectly balanced diet, and I don't drink sugary fizzy stuff, and rarely drink anything alcoholic (don't get me wrong, I love it as much as anyone, I just don't drink it very often). It's just the appetite's too big, takes too long to be satisfied. It's probably a psychosomatic thing, and I probably could think my into losing weight.

Ah hell. If the stress doesn't kill me (in psychological terms, I have a type A personality, if that makes sense), then my weight will. It's either I do something about one, or I do something about the other. Considering I'm now at university, something tells me the stress isn't going to fall much. So I'd better start that excercise program... again.

However, I would be perfectly happy with being 2 stone overweight. I mean, overweight's fine, I like being big. But obese is another thing entirely.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Are you a vegan? i.e. no dairy, etc?

If not then I suggest adding whey to your meals, being almost pure protien and it's very rapid absorption into your body you should notice your appetite reducing.

[SnakeEyes]

No I'm not a vegan... I couldn't live without some camembert or cheddar. But yeah, I'll try that. Hopefully it'll work.