Exercise

[creepingcharlie]

I don't know if this is common for INTPs or if it's just me. I have a hard time getting into a regular exercise routine. I have plans for a vacation in January 2009 to go to Brazil for my cousin's wedding. After that, since I'm already going to be in South America, I'm going to fly to Peru and one of the major regions I want to visit is Cuzco.

Cuzco is very high altitude, which I understand, is very energy draining until your body adjusts. I want to get in shape before the trip because I hear your body adapts to the change in altitude a lot faster.

So I'm wondering if anyone has tips for working out that can keep me interested in continuing to keep it going until I actually get out there.

 

[Agapooka]

I find that attending Karate gives me the motivation that I otherwise lack. INTPs seem to normally have have high expectations when it comes to their performance, doing something about which they are passionate. Often, this activity isn't so physical, yet I've found that I can become passionate about martial arts. It's just so intruiging to think about the physics that makes it work and to know that you can exploit the laws of nature so that they coincide with your will. The only difference with magic being that you do not change the laws of nature to bend to your will, but rather use those laws as they are. Much more efficient, when you think about it

Plus, you get much more out of it than physical excercise. Good luck!

 

[creepingcharlie]

Yeah, I was really into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a while, eventually I got tired of the practice sessions and the passion was gone. I developed a lot of confidence during that time though. Maybe I should give it another go.

 

[CowSavior]

I don't know if this is common for INTPs or if it's just me. I have a hard time getting into a regular exercise routine. I have plans for a vacation in January 2009 to go to Brazil for my cousin's wedding. After that, since I'm already going to be in South America, I'm going to fly to Peru and one of the major regions I want to visit is Cuzco.

Cuzco is very high altitude, which I understand, is very energy draining until your body adjusts. I want to get in shape before the trip because I hear your body adapts to the change in altitude a lot faster.

So I'm wondering if anyone has tips for working out that can keep me interested in continuing to keep it going until I actually get out there.

I don't know.
I have the same problem, but I always exercise if I'm part of a sport or something.

I only work out about once a month when there are no sports... (Man, I gotta run track.)
But I'm still in highschool, and since youre doing all of this travelling, I'm assuming both youre not in hischool and that you don't have time to be committed to something like that.

You could just try to set an alarm and get up and work out before you start your day.
I would have done that, but I have to get up at 5:30 as it is to get ready for school.

 

[Olba]

Well, I did break dance for about five years. Haven't been to a single lesson in two years now. Well, saying lesson is a bit misleading, as they were more about practicing things that we already knew or trying to work out the things we knew how to do but couldn't actually do.

But no, I don't have any plans for any routines nor do I have a reason to, either. Other than gaining weight.

 

[CowSavior]

Well, I did break dance for about five years. Haven't been to a single lesson in two years now. Well, saying lesson is a bit misleading, as they were more about practicing things that we already knew or trying to work out the things we knew how to do but couldn't actually do.

But no, I don't have any plans for any routines nor do I have a reason to, either. Other than gaining weight.

What kind of physical training do you do for breakdancing?

I know you'd need a lot of upperbody strength to do Holds and such things.

 

[Olba]

What kind of physical training do you do for breakdancing?

I know you'd need a lot of upperbody strength to do Holds and such things.

Actually, break dance doesn't require that much physical strength. The only moves that do are the so-called power moves, such as the windmill or the flare. And even for the powers, the control and balance still play a much higher role than the actual physical strength.

And due to the nature of the moves in break dance, most of the required physical strength will be achieved simply by practicing the physically demanding moves.

However, if anything, stamina is a good thing to have. Believe it or not, but pulling off a two or three minute constant show makes most people pretty exhausted. Which is also the reason that in all of the organized competitions, each turn is usually 30, 60 or 90 seconds at most.

 

[mindovermatter]

i used to work out and my husband owned a gym for a while..........did it for years and hated every second of it......so i have no motivation suggestions other than having someone do it with you so you aren't bored out of your mind.......if i had no one there to mouth off at me to keep it up, i was really a slacker

 

[EditorOne]

Exercise as a pure undertaking is so incredibly boring. I'd rather be an accountant.

The only way I've managed to stay in shape over the years (well, as much shape as there is) involved a variety of activities that incorporated elements of exercise. Boy Scout (parent), living history (drill and long marches), hiking, carpentry, boating (sail boat), hunting, fishing, firefighting, etc. Exercise for competition, like in karate, might not be so bad, but I'm clumsy and tend to hurt people. I've considered ballroom dancing but how embarrassing would it be to hurt someone else while dancing? :-) Oh, did weight lifting in college for two semesters because a room mate was a nut about it, but the residuals from that have long since worn off.

 

[Wisp]

Yes. Exercising is boring. This is why I don't.

 

[CowSavior]

Actually, break dance doesn't require that much physical strength. The only moves that do are the so-called power moves, such as the windmill or the flare. And even for the powers, the control and balance still play a much higher role than the actual physical strength.

And due to the nature of the moves in break dance, most of the required physical strength will be achieved simply by practicing the physically demanding moves.

However, if anything, stamina is a good thing to have. Believe it or not, but pulling off a two or three minute constant show makes most people pretty exhausted. Which is also the reason that in all of the organized competitions, each turn is usually 30, 60 or 90 seconds at most.

...!?
That's odd.
I can do a windmill.

 

[Radioactive_Springtime]

I just walk alot

 

[Olba]

...!?
That's odd.
I can do a windmill.

This makes me wonder whether you're just a rookie or someone who's got at least a few years of experience. If I had to make a guess, I'd say the former.

Also, the terminology you use hints towards that as well. And the original question itself.

And no, doing "a windmill" doesn't matter. Try doing 5, 10, 15, 20 or 50 rounds of it without pausing. And you do realize that the whole point of the wind mill is to have your legs straight unless it's one of the harder variations such as halo, right?

And in case you're interested, I used to be able to pull off an indefinite number of rounds depending on my physical condition at the time. But then I went off to try to pull off variations, which didn't end up too well. And then I moved over to the country side, which made daily or even weekly practice rare if not down right impossible.

Well, in my case, I'm more of a floor person than a power person. Mainly because it allows to be utilize head stands and the like, which are much harder to do in power moves. And I lack the physical strength and build to be able to pull off powers in the first place. Well, being able to balance myself extremely well while on my head for unknown reasons ended up with me implementing head spins and head stands to most of my routines.

 

[CowSavior]

^ I actually don't really breakdance.
I can only really do a windmill, but I'm practicing.
I can do about 3-10 in a row.

I only really practice in my kitchen though, lol.
My cat get's scared, and runs away, except for one time when I was doing a windmill I looked up, because he walked in the kitchen, and then I looked back down quickly realising I shouldn't have looked up to begin with, and I hit the back of my head pretty hard on the floor.

Then My cat came over and started mewing at me, and my freind walked in my house and came in the kitchen only to find me cradling my head on the floor.

My freind just looked at me like I was insane, then yelled "STAY THERE!!! I'M FINNA GO GET MY CAMERA!!!!"
(Yes, he really said "finna.")

 

[Linsejko]

I find myself somewhat naturally athletic. I am currently very into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (it's not a recent thing, but I did just come back from a year break that was a result of money. ), and have done serious enough rock climbing to shape my upper body. I did weights in high school when I was in Wrestling, also.

Just last night I talked to a friend about starting a regular workout routine that would consist of jogging, hanging sit-ups, and pull-ups each day. We're going to start (hopefully) tomorrow at 11AM, and try to make it regular.

I've also really been into teaching myself gymnastic type things; I have taught myself to do both a standing front flip and back flip, I can slowly fold into a very nice backbend and come out of it by either standing back up or kicking over. I can do prolonged handstands (30+ seconds), Cartwheels on both hands, headstands, and some arcane form of a handspring that isn't very efficient. xD

I played soccer as a kid, too. The competitive edge in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a very encouraging cause to continue... the required time to create perfection is a deterent. It takes a level of discipline to continue in Martial Arts.

In rock climbing, there was a mentally challenging aspect of examing the wall, and trying to figure out how to form your body to reach, to get your angles right, etc.

I have been into running before, and while it was not enough in the end, I could sometimes use the time as a relaxing mental phase.

Having a partner really helps, though- once my partner stopped running with me, it wasn't another 2 months before I had stopped also. The accountability is a huge motivator. Also, keeping a record of how much you can endure, and trying to break those records, is helpful. For pull-ups, how many can you pull off, at all? For running, how fast can you run a mile? Set a goal like a 6 minute mile. Have someone there to compete against.

Hope that was helpful.

.L

 

[Ex-User (221)]

I'm a drummer and that's about the only exercise I get. It's good for stamina and reactions, and my legs are pure muscle from using the bass drums.

 

[manger]

I joined the crew team when I got to college. It was tough because I went from being a night owl who never exercised to having to wake up at 5am and doing a grueling hour and a half training workout. I really loved it though. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it, but when you have a whole boat of people who are relying on you to be there on time, it's kind of impossible to be late. I made some great friends and had a lot more energy. There is nothing like being on the water as the sun is rising.

I ended up having to drop it when I switched schools because it was much more competitive and I was just not able to keep up. I took up road biking and have had that as my main physical activity since. Going to the gym and keeping myself on track is too boring for me. With biking, you can't always stop because once you get so far, you have to turn around and go back to get home. The changing scenery, winding between traffic, and people watching keeps it interesting.

 

[creepingcharlie]

Thanks for the ideas. I've decided that I'm going to try to find three different people that can each work out with me once a week. That way if one gets lazy I will have two back ups to keep me going strong.

For now it looks like I'll mostly be biking and rollerblading. I might get back into BJJ down the line for more upper body and abdominal exercise.

 

[zxc]

Play professional table tennis! (or at least serious table tennis)

It's intricate enough to satisfy INTPs like myself, and sporty enough to certainly keep you on your toes, if you take it really seriously.

 

[Wisp]

Yay! Pingpong! The ultimate pinnacle of nerd lore!

 

[Saturnine]

I forgot to put exercise under my list of hates! I don't mind going for a walk but the temp. has to be perfect, and I have to have music with me.

 

[grettiron]

i'm a little different, though i should mention i am a fairly kinesthetic and hands-on person.

i love lifting weights and i follow a powerlifting style regimen. it's very satisfying to beat my own records and push my limits. programming the routine is a difficult problem and usually specific to an individual to a certain extent. i love the intensity that comes from lifting maximal weights. it's much more of a mind game then a layperson would anticipate and sometimes i feel the weight only moves because of sheer willpower. plus it's nice to be relatively strong

another activity i enjoy is downhill mountain biking. my favorite part about the sport is focusing intensely on my body and the trail and pushing to go faster and faster. it's very "in the here and now" i guess.

both activities require pretty intense focus, which i find very rewarding. it feels good to keep pushing my limits and if i break a personal record or have a particularly smooth run it feels even better!

 

[grrreg]

i exercise for only the most shallow reasons, but they keep me going back 3-4 times a week, GO VANITY!!!

 

[mopo1]

Hmm all these tips are good but the best one was left out. Get a wife and do all the excersice you need at bed time.

 

[ElectricWizard]

You're hilarious
I generally exercise around 3-4 times a week, since there's a gym near here, though it's incredibly boring. I only do it because I'm a vocalist, and I need to keep at least moderately fit to manage. On the other hand, I'm also learning guitar now, so now it's probably going to go down to 2-3 hours.
Table tennis is fun, though.