Can Science Enthusiasts Also Excel in Sports and Fitness?

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The discussion revolves around personal fitness experiences and challenges, highlighting a mix of athletic backgrounds and current struggles with exercise motivation. Participants share their past achievements in various sports and extracurricular activities, indicating a history of being active and engaged. However, many express a decline in their exercise routines due to factors like busy schedules, injuries, and mental fatigue from demanding jobs. There’s a humorous tone as members joke about unconventional workouts, such as shoveling and walking, while discussing the difficulties of maintaining fitness in sedentary jobs. Some express a desire to explore new activities like Parkour, while others reflect on their fitness levels and the importance of staying active despite life changes. The conversation captures a blend of nostalgia for past athleticism and the ongoing quest for a balanced, enjoyable approach to fitness.
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Are you science type guys, one gets the impression of the book wormy type as real damp squids, but i am sure you aint.
 
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Well just look at Astronuc, hahaha.

Anyway, for my case, I weight 180 pounds and my height is 5'11". I play soccer sometimes (about 1-2 times a week), and do weight lifting (3-4 times per week).
 
Woolie, I got varsity letters in basketball, baseball, cross-country running, and skiing (all the sports my school offered at the time) and academic letters in every darned subject field that I studied. I also participated in band and chorus, including getting selected for regional and all-state performances. Add in Student council and NHS, and I didn't have a lot of free time. In short, I was a geek. Over-achieving and hyper-active, but a geek, just the same. When I graduated, I was presented a silver V, given to the graduate with the most extracurricular activities to their credit. I just wanted to do everything.

During HS, I also participated in a brass quartet, worked as a ski patrol member and played guitar and sang in an all-electric garage band doing blues/rock. At least I got paid for that last one.
 
I used to like exercising. For some reason I just don't feel like it anymore. It's just a hassle and to start seeing any results you need to stick with it for at least several weeks. It seems I always either get sick, injured, or something else comes up that makes me take a break for a week or two, then I get to start all over.
 
WarPhalange said:
I used to like exercising. For some reason I just don't feel like it anymore. It's just a hassle and to start seeing any results you need to stick with it for at least several weeks. It seems I always either get sick, injured, or something else comes up that makes me take a break for a week or two, then I get to start all over.

Hahaha, yup. Either too much work from school or other reason, sometimes you miss a week or etc.. I guess I just keep doing it for the journey rather than the results lately.
 
The only excercise that I partake of is breathing. If I could hire someone else to do that for me without dropping dead, I would.
 
I also breathe and I walk too :approve:
 
I walk several miles a day to and from class.
I also weight lift ~5 days a week.

I really want to take up Parkour this summer with my friends.
 
It's all fun and games until you fall a few stories and break your neck StickandStones.
 
  • #10
Cyclovenom said:
Hahaha, yup. Either too much work from school or other reason, sometimes you miss a week or etc.. I guess I just keep doing it for the journey rather than the results lately.

That was my attitude too until I realized that out of a 5 mile journey I kept circling around the first few yards. It gets boring really fast.
 
  • #11
I was really fit. Just a few months away from the sheep, and I already feel myself going soft. If I was sitting on my butt all day, I'd probably start going to a gym after work since I have plenty of time for exercise, but I'm standing on my feet all day, so even though I'm not doing much exercising, my back, legs and feet are sore and tired from all the standing and the last thing I want to do then is workout. :frown: I need to eat less too...my diet was fine while spending all day sweating with the sheep, but definitely too much for a more sedentary job. I might volunteer to help with a day of blood collections on someone else's experiment just to stay in sheep shape. :rolleyes:

Maybe I should park at the furthest end of the parking lot just to get a little extra exercise...but when I arrive at 7:30 in the morning, that empty front row is just WAY too tempting (I'm still NOT a morning person...the only exercise I want at 7:30 in the morning is lifting a coffee cup. Whose bright idea was it to have classes start at 8 AM anyway?! ).
 
  • #12
I see a new excersize video, "sweating with the sheep". :biggrin:

I am NOT a morning person. If I can get dressed and make it into work, I've already done more than is humanly possible.

After beating my head against my desk all day, all I want to do when I get home is change into something comfortable and try to unwind mentally so I can manage to get to sleep in a couple of hours.

I have a very mentally draining job, pouring over government rules and regulations and legal decisions and trying to explain these things to my clients. Everything that was interesting about my job is gone, I am now just an analyst, more than anything. :frown:
 
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  • #13
I sit on my *** all day, read, play video games, or research.
Clearly, I'm enjoying the instant noodles and caffiene diet.
 
  • #14
Evo said:
I see a new excersize video, "sweating with the sheep". :biggrin:

Shoveling sheep **** is a great workout too. Hits the three major areas of fitness. Strength training - definitely lots of lifting; if you need to increase the weight, get a larger shovel. Flexibility - bend, scoop, twist and turn, repeat. Aerobic - you'll definitely be breathing hard and breaking a sweat; if you're not, shovel faster! :biggrin: Lifting, tossing and stacking hay bales is pretty good too, but the weight isn't as adjustable, so that's really more for the advanced workout (for some reason, people like hay bales to be uniform weights :rolleyes:).

The only people on the farm crew who aren't in great shape are the ones who spend most of the day driving the equipment...tractors, skid steer...
 
  • #15
I'm fairly fit. I try to park at the farthest part of the parking lot at school, and I sometimes exercise, too. I stand all day at work and run around at work, so I get my exercise there. I think it is actually making me lose more weight and my dad is starting to think I'm too thin now.
 
  • #16
Moonbear said:
I was really fit. Just a few months away from the sheep, and I already feel myself going soft. If I was sitting on my butt all day, I'd probably start going to a gym after work since I have plenty of time for exercise, but I'm standing on my feet all day, so even though I'm not doing much exercising, my back, legs and feet are sore and tired from all the standing and the last thing I want to do then is workout. :frown: I need to eat less too...my diet was fine while spending all day sweating with the sheep, but definitely too much for a more sedentary job. I might volunteer to help with a day of blood collections on someone else's experiment just to stay in sheep shape. :rolleyes:



Up until that last sentence I thought you were referring to regular gym-goers as "sheep". :smile:
 
  • #17
Moonbear said:
Just a few months away from the sheep, and I already feel myself going soft.

I'd expect to hear that from Wolram or Brewnog, but it seems kind of weird coming from a female.
 
  • #18
Moonb must be sheepra.
 
  • #19
wolram said:
Moonb must be sheepra.
As in Dopak Sheepra?
 
  • #20
I think I'm fairly fit. I'm 5'11, 155 pounds, work out about 3-4 times a week, and have a fairly healthy diet. Last time I had my blood pressure checked it was 95/50.

The way I see it, if you can't run a mile in under 7 minutes, then your not in shape.
 
  • #21
I've never been able to run a mile in anything under 8 minutes, even when I was in the best shape of my life, which was exercising about 7-8 hours a week.
 
  • #22
Topher925 said:
I think I'm fairly fit. I'm 5'11, 155 pounds, work out about 3-4 times a week, and have a fairly healthy diet. Last time I had my blood pressure checked it was 95/50.

The way I see it, if you can't run a mile in under 7 minutes, then your not in shape.

If it ever takes me as much as 7 minutes to run a single mile, I'll just head straight for the Old Folks Home and my walker.
 
  • #23
I'm not sure I have ever actually tried to run a mile...and I don't think I am out of shape, though, I could be fast, who knows. Long legs aid me in being quick :biggrin:
 
  • #24
I've got a runner's body 5' 6" and about 100 pounds.

I've run track, played soccer, and I kayak and raft during the summer.
 
  • #25
mcknia07 said:
I'm not sure I have ever actually tried to run a mile...

I've never been able to run a mile, and don't see any point in it. I'm sure I could if I was being chased by a swarm of angry bees, but otherwise, no thanks. I treasure my knees too much to go around running for no reason.
 
  • #26
Chi Meson said:
As in Dopak Sheepra?
:smile:
 
  • #27
Running? I can't run. After the last fall, sometimes I bend over and can't straighten back up. I told the Evo Child to have me put to sleep if I start waddling when I walk.

Last weekend I went for a two mile walk and at my normal pace I timed myself at 10 minutes a mile. Decent for walking. At least when I'm not in pain.
 
  • #28
Evo said:
... I timed myself at 10 minutes a mile. Decent for walking...

Decent? In the military a fair marching pace is 10 minutes a kilometer. That's a mile in about 16 minutes. So by that standards, you're beating young recruits by a considerable margin.
 
  • #29
Yes, and how many pounds is she carrying? How far is she going?

Unless you're saying that in the military your marches are 2 miles long and you walk around without anything on your back.
 
  • #30
WarPhalange said:
Yes, and how many pounds is she carrying? How far is she going?

Unless you're saying that in the military your marches are 2 miles long and you walk around without anything on your back.
Yes, full military gear makes a huge difference.

But I do walk faster than any I know, and i can keep it up for miles. I'm not doing the silly "power walkinhg" either, it's my normal pace.

I used to walk the 7 miles down the strip in Las Vegas in 115 F heat. I had one guy that could keep up with me, about 20 years younger.
 
  • #31
Moonbear said:
I was really fit. Just a few months away from the sheep, and I already feel myself going soft.
Moonbear you're not secretly a Welsh farmer by any chance are you? :biggrin:
 
  • #32
Evo said:
Yes, full military gear makes a huge difference.

But I do walk faster than any I know, and i can keep it up for miles. I'm not doing the silly "power walkinhg" either, it's my normal pace.

I used to walk the 7 miles down the strip in Las Vegas in 115 F heat. I had one guy that could keep up with me, about 20 years younger.
Now that is open to all kinds of interpretations :biggrin:
 
  • #33
Oh Art...
 
  • #34
What the hell is with all the sheep?
 
  • #35
binzing said:
What the hell is with all the sheep?
Why do Welsh sheep farmers wear Levi button-fly jeans?

Because a sheep can hear a zipper at 100 yards
 
  • #36
I like to think I'm pretty fit.

I do weigh 225 and some may think that is a lot, but a lot of it is muscle. Most people are surprised I weigh over 200 when I tell them, since I am thinner than most people expect for a guy who has that weight.

I work out regularly. I can jog a mile in 8 minutes, and I don't have much of a gut, either.

I have also taken up Judo, which is incredibly fun. Also, if you have a good sensei, they'll teach you how to modify some throws to use in self defence. I seriously recommend it for a great workout.

Working out is something that keeps me sane. If I spent all my time sitting in a chair in front of a computer I would lose it.
 
  • #37
I got a black and blue belt in judo.
 
  • #38
Black and blue?
 
  • #39
i lift 3 days a week, big compound exercises everyday too, none of this pansy machine stuff, swim 2 days a week, mma 2 days a week and run sundays. yes that's exercise every day of the week. this summer i went to the gym twice a day, lift in the morning 4 days a week and swam at night and then on the off lift days swam twice a day.
 
  • #40
wolram said:
I got a black and blue belt in judo.
:smile: Did you belt him back?
 
  • #41
Art said:
Why do Welsh sheep farmers wear Levi button-fly jeans?

Because a sheep can hear a zipper at 100 yards

That joke is originally about Scottish farmers and kilts. So, as a Scot, I take grreat offense, an ah'll do yeh up a trrick, mate!
 
  • #42
I hate excersize. It bores me to death. The only excersize I have ever been able to stand is doing something fun that happens to be excersize aswell. Some friends of mine and I used to spar with shinai (bamboo swords) and that was amazing fun. I could keep it up for hours. I would be sore the next day but being unable to move my hand due to the rapping my knuckles took usually took my mind off that.

I used to walk a lot when my car was broken down. That wasn't so bad, though it took hours out of my day and I had little time for anything but work. If it was only a couple miles to my job and I didn't need a lot of stuff with me I would probably walk it. It would certainly save on gas.
 
  • #43
Im in the college soccer and basketball teams, play a lot of table tennis, run about 3km everyday, lift weights 4-5 times a week and am usually in the top 10% of my class.
 

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