I have always enjoyed solitary exercise activity like bike riding, swimming, hiking and various yoga moves. But I’m currently chewing on the matter of whether or not I need to get a little more social with an exercise activity. I wouldn’t mind meeting some new people that aren’t “musicians” or “passionate crusaders”; or another way of putting it: I wouldn’t mind having some more friends that are relatively “grounded” and “turbulence free” so to speak. I was considering getting back to some sort of team or group sport as a way to do something about it. I’ve spent too many years glued to the studio or an instrument without much ‘modest human’ interaction as a counter force to the more nebulous and ambitious half of my life.
I used to do Hockey in my teens, so I’m thinking about that. Another one that pops up is Aikikai Aikido. I’m not sure yet though, and I’m waiting till I get back into my 4-times a week singing practice sessions to assess how much left over energy I will have after work and so on.
It has been interesting to read people’s replies and to think about them. So thanks!
Solitary cycling or with my wife, not really a sport any more. I did used to race when I was a teenager (like suva, nothing to brag about, just fun) and I still like to go as hard as I can when I’m on my own… I think it was the years of racing which left me with the instinct to try and “out-do” other riders on the road in terms of speed. I do have some fun with it, being on a relatively crappy looking mountain bike (which has been tweaked for road riding and actually rides much better than it looks) and screaming past the wankers in their lycra and jerseys designed to look like they’re sponsored racers on their $5k road bikes. So there’s that little bit of competitiveness I get out of cruising around due to the pace I try to keep.
Rock climb
Mountain bike
Body building
Pilates
Treadmill
Unicycle
Croquet
Geocaching
Honestly, exercise has dramatically improved my ability to use and understand Renoise. What people don’t often think about is how good exercise is for the brain. BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) production is jacked up when you exercise. This chemical is miracle grow for the brain. Also, a ton of other chemicals are released such as IGF-1 (important for cell proliferation), vascular growth factor (more blood vessels) dopamine(motivation/learning/reward), serotonin(mood), acetylcholine(memory/learning) list goes on. These chemicals enhance your brain, give you more motivation, creativity, smarts, happiness etc.
I wouldn’t have the working memory capacity to keep all my fx chains and devices in my head (remembering what they are doing to the sound) nor the ability to completely visualize the Renoise environment(menus and all) in my head and work on sound design ideas on the go if it weren’t for daily exercise.
If you look back in history, many composers were very athletic. If you haven’t been active in awhile, try it out! A study I read once said 3 months of 30-40mins of cardio 5 days a week boosted participants overall brain function 150%!
as Croco already pointed out, excercising the body is great for brain, but also exercising the brain is good for the body. Chess is a sport, really: anxiety, emotional management, competition, memory, dedication and many other things which exist in “normal” sports do exist in chess too.
If you still don’t think chess is a sport, you could try Chess boxing
Ah yeah jiu jitsu is such a fantastic discipline. I did some training in it for about a year, but had to stop for a while because of some surgery on my leg. By the time it was healed the gym I was going to had become overcrowded as it had suddenly become a popular thing to do (this was around the time the MMA leagues came into the spotlight of the mainstream…)
I fully intend to have another crack at this one day, but finding a good trainer is pretty important and I don’t know where to start [that last gym came recommended by a knowledgeable person I am no longer in contact with…]. I know how you can hurt yourself or the other person in more permanent ways if you mess up some of the moves… but done properly is an amazing way to take on people in a fight without relying on brute strength and hard hits, which makes it feel a lot more like a sport and much less like fighting than most martial arts.
edit - don’t suppose you train in Sydney, Australia Winther? </wishful thinking>
As 4 me, workout at the gym, gaining mass and stuff. When my mom seen me 3 months after I started training she said I should stop or else I won’t fit in the door lol
I can’t believe that nobody put volleyball. I love volleyball (beach more than court).
Go to the gym, but that’s an on-again, off-again thing. I love swimming and bodysurfing, and am really thinking about getting into kitesurfing. It looks so much fun. I’m spending a few months down in Barbados to avoid Canadian winters, so I may just make that happen. (I consider anyone who says that Canadian winters are beautiful are suspect!)
that australien sun would probably kill me 
