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If you really want to get fit, there's one easy thing you can do that actually works: Take up a sport that gets you fit as a side effect. I have two obsession

If you really want to get fit, there's one easy thing you can do that actually works: Take up a sport that gets you fit as a side effect. I have two obsessions in life: Rock Climbing and Surfing. I'm pretty good at the first, and borderline hopeless at the other, but I'm committed to the point where I've arranged my life so that I can travel for months at a time to pursue one or the other each year. When I'm working a contract to save up for the next trip, I'll find myself slowly fattening up on fish tacos and 12 hour days coding in a felt cube with only the occasional after work or weekend fix of rock or salt water. After a few months I'm decidedly soft, and quite a bit heavier. But put me on the beach in Thailand for 5 months and holy crap, what a difference. It's like Fat Camp out there. There's so much fun climbing to be had right on the beach. Overhanging routes that work you into the sort of shape that lets you literally hand-over-hand your way out a horizontal roof by your fingertips as your feet dangle out in space. Without anybody forcing you, you spend your entire day working yourself silly, then you come back and eat rice. You can imagine what that does for your physique. It's like a convention of Men's Health cover models out there. I come back to the world, and watch people going to the gym and clearly hating every minute of it. I can't understand why they would do that to themselves, when there's a climbing gym just a few miles away.

ilovecomputers 16y ago
Also, don't eat boxed foods or foods that went through multiple stages of processing. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan spells it out very well, but I'll just give you my simple definition: Eating healthy is as close to eating dirt without actually eating dirt. Produce, grain, cheese, 1/2 pound to a pound of meat a week[1], and whatever else Marion Nestle recommends[1.5]. Just imagine what primitive man would eat. He would spend most of his days eating what grew from the ground and when they finally hunted down meat, they would eat their catch as a group[2]. That doesn't mean you have to do exactly that, but try to keep your eating habits in sync with what it was originally adapted to consume not what hyper stimulates made you believe it wanted to consume[3]. Now don't go about forcing yourself to eat stuff you don't enjoy. In the same manner jasonkester engages in something he enjoys that have the "side effect" of being healthy (I still think these activities are something we were adapted to engage in the first place), find foods you find delicious but also happen to be something that isn't processed. I can assure you that there is plenty of "healthy" or "natural" foods out there that you would enjoy[4]. [1]http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_w... [1.5]http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eating-made-simple http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eating-made... [2]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3723678050599653349# http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3723678050599653349# [3]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzN-uIVkfjg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzN-uIVkfjg [4]http://smittenkitchen.com/ http://smittenkitchen.com/
- NickPollard 16y ago
  I'm not going to argue that what you describe isn't good, but 'nature intended us to' isn't a particularly solid argument. You could argue that nature intended us to die from Malaria by the age of 30, I'm very glad that for most of the world that's no longer the case.
  - btam 16y ago
    The difference here from malaria would be that our bodies evolved, adapting to the nutrients that we were getting. We're more efficient on them -- more capable of living 'natural' lives. [Of course, whether a 'natural' life is desirable is debatable.] Malaria, however, we attempted to evolve away from(sickle cell anemia).
  - desigooner 16y ago
    That's precisely why the "nature intended us to" argument doesn't really work for me when I hear people trying to convince me to try the Paleo diet. Whatever the benefits might be (besides making the author of those books a good chunk of money), they can be garnered by other means. What I hate even more is when a few devotees of such diets go on a slant about vegetarianism/veganism etc. etc.
    - xiaoma 16y ago
      Not only that, but our "nature" has changed considerably since those times. Evolution has been far faster, likely 100 times faster the past several thousand years than it was before civilization. 15,000 years ago, nobody was lactose tolerant, nobody had blue eyes and who knows what else was different.
      - JoelMcCracken 16y ago
        That isn't evolution, it is a diversification of our genetics. There are lots of things that many humans are intolerant to which would have probably been a really big weakness in the past. Humans are no longer subject to natural selection. There needs to be significant culling pressure for real evolution to happen.
VB6_Forever 16y ago
Rock climbing is dangerous. I don't get why people do life threateningly risky stuff that has no potential reward beyond fun.
dschobel 16y ago
Could not agree more. I never got in shape until I found a workout which I loved and could not wait to get back to (ironically, it was crossfit which the author calls out as "sadistic"). All of a sudden I even enjoyed planning my diet just on the chance that it would make me strong/faster in the next workout. So, yes, like all in things in life, put the right incentives there (and just getting fit/healthy, obviously doesn't cut it for millions of Americans) and make it fun and it's a piece of cake. And for those of you who haven't found your muse yet, I urge you to give crossfit a try. It lets your inner 5 year old run wild. You'll get to run/jump/climb/swing/throw heavy things until you crumble in a sweaty heap at the end. It is pure unadulterated fun. Plus, fat will run screaming from your body (but that's just a happy side effect).
- frankus 16y ago
  I'm guessing the bit about sadism was added by the headline writer, since a lot of what the author describes is textbook Crossfit. Besides, isn't it more strictly speaking masochistic? That said I'm currently taking a break from it due to a jumper's knee that won't go away.
haraball 16y ago
As a squash player, one thing I hear often, and also tell people myself is: You don't play squash to get fit, you get fit to play squash. It's a bit opposite of what you are saying, in the sense that you want to do alternative/strength training next to your sport to improve your game. This mentality and way of training has radically improved my own game the last year.
tfh 16y ago
> But put me on the beach in Thailand for 5 months and holy crap, what a difference. That's my dream right there.
- jasonkester 16y ago
  Best stop dreaming and start saving then. Book your flight for the end of November. Round trip to Bangkok before the peak will run you $600-$800 from the west coast. Make your way to Tonsai and negotiate yourself a good monthly rate for a bungalow. If you show up before the main tourist season and plan to stay until March, you can usually get them down to around $200/month. Even with all the Beer Chang and Massuman Gai you can handle, you still won't be able to spend more than five grand all in. Don't forget to send us a postcard!
  - mcdowall 16y ago
    Having travelled both Indonesia and Thailand I am surprised you mentioned Thailand as a good spot for Surfing. I just found a lot more surfers in Bali and on the Gili Islands. Food was probably comparable in price, but a Bintang being slightly more expensive than an 80Baht Chang :)
    - jasonkester 16y ago
      Not sure how you got that from what I wrote. As you correctly noticed, Thailand has roughly the same surf potential as Iowa. Possibly Montana. Unless you hit it on just the right day in 2004. It does, however has some truly amazing rock climbing on the beaches in Krabi Provence. That's why I spend every other winter there.
      - mcdowall 16y ago
        "I have two obsessions in life: Rock Climbing and Surfing. I'm pretty good at the first, and borderline hopeless at the other, but I'm committed to the point where I've arranged my life so that I can travel for months at a time to pursue one or the other each year." I think I took from your original post that you do both, hence my confusion. Regardless, congrats on the pursuit, its something I am very envious of!
mkr-hn 16y ago
It's good that you live in a place that's conducive to significant physical activity and have the means to take advantage, but the gym is the top option for most situations (access + expense).
jerf 16y ago
Every time there's an article on exercise or diet, there's a pileon of people promoting their own beliefs, with no apparent sign that they read the original link. How do you address the fact that your point is actively contradicted by the article? Did you even know your point is actively contradicted by the article? I'm not even saying that proves you're wrong; what bothers me is that you just ran off to post your own stuff with no apparent engagement of the topic. That's not a recipe for learning anything.
- jasonkester 16y ago
  The author talks about his experience or getting fit by going to a gym and lifting free weights. I countered with my approach, which revolves around setting your life up so that fitness is merely a side effect. I'm not contradicting anything that he says. I used to lift weights in much the manner that he describes, and it'd be difficult to deny that it works. The thing that he misses is motivation. Most people simply have none of it. I certainly don't for weight lifting. In my experience, climbing rocks and surfing, while possibly suboptimal as workouts, will absolutely get you into great shape. And they have the added benefit of providing their own motivation.
  - js2 16y ago
    In my experience, climbing rocks and surfing, while possibly suboptimal as workouts, will absolutely get you into great shape. And they have the added benefit of providing their own motivation. Eh, I don't find rock climbing at all enjoyable. But I love running marathons. I've even been known to put in 22 miles _on a treadmill_. Different strokes for different folks.
    - weaksauce 16y ago
      He said to take up a sport that you love. Rock climbing is my passion as well but most certainly not for everyone. I am in much better shape now that I am a rock climber than before because of two reasons I do it a lot, and any outside trip is a hike with heavy gear. I honestly cannot stop thinking about my next climb and that is the kind of thing that will bring you fitness as a side effect. If you love (insert sport/fit activity that you cannot stop thinking about) then do that and be super fit because you love it. That was the op's point.
ciupicri 16y ago
Eat rice and what else? Rice alone is not enough. It doesn't provide vitamins like A, C and E and fats.
- jasonkester 16y ago
  Rice and Thai Food. So add lean chicken and some vegetables to that if you want to be literal.
  - ciupicri 16y ago
    My intention wasn't to be literal. I was really curious what kind of food is available over there and what would you recommend eating. Not everyone eats Chinese, Thai, Mexican or other foreign cuisines.
code_duck 16y ago
Even better, take up a daily activity as a matter of routine that gets you fit as a side effect. I locked up my care for a summer and biked to the coffee shop and grocery store every day.Before long I was taking 5 mile bike rides on the spur of the moment. I lost about 35 pounds that summer. Unfortunately, I live somewhere that has a winter which makes biking impossible. I should have switched to cross country skiing or something I guess... if only they groomed ski paths on the side of the street.
- freiheit 16y ago
  Winter doesn't make biking impossible, just challenging. Get a basic aluminum mountain bike, put studded tires on it, and dress pretty much the same as you would for skiing (but with right pant cuff held down somehow). Make sure to clean salt off the bike, or you'll have to replace components more often. Way more here: http://www.icebike.org/ http://www.icebike.org/ and here: http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/winter?sort=votes http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/winter?so...

ilovecomputers 16y ago

Also, don't eat boxed foods or foods that went through multiple stages of processing. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan spells it out very well, but I'll just give you my simple definition: Eating healthy is as close to eating dirt without actually eating dirt. Produce, grain, cheese, 1/2 pound to a pound of meat a week[1], and whatever else Marion Nestle recommends[1.5]. Just imagine what primitive man would eat. He would spend most of his days eating what grew from the ground and when they finally hunted down meat, they would eat their catch as a group[2]. That doesn't mean you have to do exactly that, but try to keep your eating habits in sync with what it was originally adapted to consume not what hyper stimulates made you believe it wanted to consume[3]. Now don't go about forcing yourself to eat stuff you don't enjoy. In the same manner jasonkester engages in something he enjoys that have the "side effect" of being healthy (I still think these activities are something we were adapted to engage in the first place), find foods you find delicious but also happen to be something that isn't processed. I can assure you that there is plenty of "healthy" or "natural" foods out there that you would enjoy[4]. [1]http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_w... [1.5]http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eating-made-simple http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eating-made... [2]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3723678050599653349# http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3723678050599653349# [3]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzN-uIVkfjg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzN-uIVkfjg [4]http://smittenkitchen.com/ http://smittenkitchen.com/

NickPollard 16y ago
I'm not going to argue that what you describe isn't good, but 'nature intended us to' isn't a particularly solid argument. You could argue that nature intended us to die from Malaria by the age of 30, I'm very glad that for most of the world that's no longer the case.
- btam 16y ago
  The difference here from malaria would be that our bodies evolved, adapting to the nutrients that we were getting. We're more efficient on them -- more capable of living 'natural' lives. [Of course, whether a 'natural' life is desirable is debatable.] Malaria, however, we attempted to evolve away from(sickle cell anemia).
- desigooner 16y ago
  That's precisely why the "nature intended us to" argument doesn't really work for me when I hear people trying to convince me to try the Paleo diet. Whatever the benefits might be (besides making the author of those books a good chunk of money), they can be garnered by other means. What I hate even more is when a few devotees of such diets go on a slant about vegetarianism/veganism etc. etc.
  - xiaoma 16y ago
    Not only that, but our "nature" has changed considerably since those times. Evolution has been far faster, likely 100 times faster the past several thousand years than it was before civilization. 15,000 years ago, nobody was lactose tolerant, nobody had blue eyes and who knows what else was different.
    - JoelMcCracken 16y ago
      That isn't evolution, it is a diversification of our genetics. There are lots of things that many humans are intolerant to which would have probably been a really big weakness in the past. Humans are no longer subject to natural selection. There needs to be significant culling pressure for real evolution to happen.

VB6_Forever 16y ago

Rock climbing is dangerous. I don't get why people do life threateningly risky stuff that has no potential reward beyond fun.

dschobel 16y ago

Could not agree more. I never got in shape until I found a workout which I loved and could not wait to get back to (ironically, it was crossfit which the author calls out as "sadistic"). All of a sudden I even enjoyed planning my diet just on the chance that it would make me strong/faster in the next workout. So, yes, like all in things in life, put the right incentives there (and just getting fit/healthy, obviously doesn't cut it for millions of Americans) and make it fun and it's a piece of cake. And for those of you who haven't found your muse yet, I urge you to give crossfit a try. It lets your inner 5 year old run wild. You'll get to run/jump/climb/swing/throw heavy things until you crumble in a sweaty heap at the end. It is pure unadulterated fun. Plus, fat will run screaming from your body (but that's just a happy side effect).

frankus 16y ago
I'm guessing the bit about sadism was added by the headline writer, since a lot of what the author describes is textbook Crossfit. Besides, isn't it more strictly speaking masochistic? That said I'm currently taking a break from it due to a jumper's knee that won't go away.

haraball 16y ago

As a squash player, one thing I hear often, and also tell people myself is: You don't play squash to get fit, you get fit to play squash. It's a bit opposite of what you are saying, in the sense that you want to do alternative/strength training next to your sport to improve your game. This mentality and way of training has radically improved my own game the last year.

tfh 16y ago

> But put me on the beach in Thailand for 5 months and holy crap, what a difference. That's my dream right there.

jasonkester 16y ago
Best stop dreaming and start saving then. Book your flight for the end of November. Round trip to Bangkok before the peak will run you $600-$800 from the west coast. Make your way to Tonsai and negotiate yourself a good monthly rate for a bungalow. If you show up before the main tourist season and plan to stay until March, you can usually get them down to around $200/month. Even with all the Beer Chang and Massuman Gai you can handle, you still won't be able to spend more than five grand all in. Don't forget to send us a postcard!
- mcdowall 16y ago
  Having travelled both Indonesia and Thailand I am surprised you mentioned Thailand as a good spot for Surfing. I just found a lot more surfers in Bali and on the Gili Islands. Food was probably comparable in price, but a Bintang being slightly more expensive than an 80Baht Chang :)
  - jasonkester 16y ago
    Not sure how you got that from what I wrote. As you correctly noticed, Thailand has roughly the same surf potential as Iowa. Possibly Montana. Unless you hit it on just the right day in 2004. It does, however has some truly amazing rock climbing on the beaches in Krabi Provence. That's why I spend every other winter there.
    - mcdowall 16y ago
      "I have two obsessions in life: Rock Climbing and Surfing. I'm pretty good at the first, and borderline hopeless at the other, but I'm committed to the point where I've arranged my life so that I can travel for months at a time to pursue one or the other each year." I think I took from your original post that you do both, hence my confusion. Regardless, congrats on the pursuit, its something I am very envious of!

mkr-hn 16y ago

It's good that you live in a place that's conducive to significant physical activity and have the means to take advantage, but the gym is the top option for most situations (access + expense).

jerf 16y ago

Every time there's an article on exercise or diet, there's a pileon of people promoting their own beliefs, with no apparent sign that they read the original link. How do you address the fact that your point is actively contradicted by the article? Did you even know your point is actively contradicted by the article? I'm not even saying that proves you're wrong; what bothers me is that you just ran off to post your own stuff with no apparent engagement of the topic. That's not a recipe for learning anything.

jasonkester 16y ago
The author talks about his experience or getting fit by going to a gym and lifting free weights. I countered with my approach, which revolves around setting your life up so that fitness is merely a side effect. I'm not contradicting anything that he says. I used to lift weights in much the manner that he describes, and it'd be difficult to deny that it works. The thing that he misses is motivation. Most people simply have none of it. I certainly don't for weight lifting. In my experience, climbing rocks and surfing, while possibly suboptimal as workouts, will absolutely get you into great shape. And they have the added benefit of providing their own motivation.
- js2 16y ago
  In my experience, climbing rocks and surfing, while possibly suboptimal as workouts, will absolutely get you into great shape. And they have the added benefit of providing their own motivation. Eh, I don't find rock climbing at all enjoyable. But I love running marathons. I've even been known to put in 22 miles _on a treadmill_. Different strokes for different folks.
  - weaksauce 16y ago
    He said to take up a sport that you love. Rock climbing is my passion as well but most certainly not for everyone. I am in much better shape now that I am a rock climber than before because of two reasons I do it a lot, and any outside trip is a hike with heavy gear. I honestly cannot stop thinking about my next climb and that is the kind of thing that will bring you fitness as a side effect. If you love (insert sport/fit activity that you cannot stop thinking about) then do that and be super fit because you love it. That was the op's point.

ciupicri 16y ago

Eat rice and what else? Rice alone is not enough. It doesn't provide vitamins like A, C and E and fats.

jasonkester 16y ago
Rice and Thai Food. So add lean chicken and some vegetables to that if you want to be literal.
- ciupicri 16y ago
  My intention wasn't to be literal. I was really curious what kind of food is available over there and what would you recommend eating. Not everyone eats Chinese, Thai, Mexican or other foreign cuisines.

code_duck 16y ago

Even better, take up a daily activity as a matter of routine that gets you fit as a side effect. I locked up my care for a summer and biked to the coffee shop and grocery store every day.Before long I was taking 5 mile bike rides on the spur of the moment. I lost about 35 pounds that summer. Unfortunately, I live somewhere that has a winter which makes biking impossible. I should have switched to cross country skiing or something I guess... if only they groomed ski paths on the side of the street.

freiheit 16y ago
Winter doesn't make biking impossible, just challenging. Get a basic aluminum mountain bike, put studded tires on it, and dress pretty much the same as you would for skiing (but with right pant cuff held down somehow). Make sure to clean salt off the bike, or you'll have to replace components more often. Way more here: http://www.icebike.org/ http://www.icebike.org/ and here: http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/winter?sort=votes http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/winter?so...