Monday, March 7, 2011

Taking a Walk....





Exercise is done against one's wishes and maintained only because the alternative is worse.
George A. Sheehan


Okay. I admit it. I have, over the past 25 years, put on a little bit of weight. I mean, it's only been 5 pounds a year. That's not so much. Until you start doing the math. And then, well, WOW. That's a lot of weight.

So, over the years, I've struggled with the whole weight loss thing. The one thing I've learned, is that it all comes down to diet and exercise. Frankly, that just sucks. I've been hoping that someone would invent a magic pill that I could slip under my pillow one night and awake the next morning magically transformed into that gorgeous under-appreciated body I had at seventeen. I'm still waiting.

I have food issues. I GET that. I'm working through them. But the kicker for me has always been exercise. I just don't like it. I mean come on... It's so FREAKING BORING!!! And it's time consuming. Did I mention it's BORING? And it takes time away from doing things that are actually enjoyable. Like reading, or eating, or surfing the net.

So, I've been trying to think of what motivates me. I didn't have to think very hard. It's confession time:

My name is Agbag and I'm a WoWoholic.

Yes it true. Four and a half years ago, I discovered the World of Warcraft. I discovered that I love my virtual world. I love the friends I've made and the toons I've created. I would rather play WoW than just about anything. But I have guilt when I play WoW. Is this time I should be spending cleaning house? Should I be playing with the dog? Paying bills? Doing laundry? Pampering Ondigo? Every time I sit down to my computer to play, I feel guilty.

Which brings me back to the whole exercise thing. One day, while reading one of my favorite blogs, I saw this:


Yes, that is a treadmill with a desktop retrofitted to it, so that one may use a computer and walk at the same time.


Inspiration! I have a treadmill. I have an Ondigo who is very clever with his hands. I can have this! Then, I can play World of Warcraft. GUILT FREE!! Because, after all, I won't be frittering away my time on a useless pursuit. I'll be EXERCISING!! I'll be VIRTUOUS!! Fair to say, I won't be raiding Blackwing Descent, but I can farm and do Archeology and track my auctions.

So I approached Ondigo with the idea and being busy repairing our master bath shower, his lack of enthusiasm was palpable. So I thought, what the hell, I know how to use power tools. I can do this myself. Fortunately for everyone, the idea of me and power tools together was disconcerting enough to Ondigo that last weekend he made this:





So, now I am motivated to exercise. It's not much, but it's a start.

Thank you Jen at Cakewrecks, for writing your wonderful Epbot blog. And thank you Ondigo, for being so very clever with your hands.

And as icing on the cake (get it? cake?), I wrote this while walking on my treadmill! Woot!

As people are walking all the time, in the same spot, a path appears.
John Locke