A Healthy Professional Lifestyle?

[x2ski]

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Hes from Wisconsin! Hes a special bread.

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Yes. I'm a cheesy plumpernickel beer-bread. Very tasty.

[littlejohn]

My bike has a wide enough panel on the front of it that I just sit the laptop there. If I were more industrious I'd make something to hold it in place but a couple fingers usually does the trick. And I have a table next to me for the water and mouse.

[Woodbear]

I think you've come far, you know excactly what your problems are, and you have many sollutions to them. I'd take it slowly, and start with the easiest things first. If you can deal with one problem, you'll surley feel the progress, but without progress, you're much more likely to give up.


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You guys and your running.

What is it that you're running from? huh? HUH?! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

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I agree, running is boring. If you don't live in a big city, I would have bought a bike, thats much more fun than running. Goes faster, more to see =)

[JaysonWeberFCP]

This was a good post to read as I've got most of the same problems I know are -EV.

I have fixed a few...

1. I Smoke
Woops.. Allright I'm still guilty of this but not NEARLY as much, I've cut down a lot. But the reasons are below.

2. I drink
I cut down on drinking a lot, and in turn you aren't going to smoke as much, it's just that easy...

3. I eat one meal a day
I was on this routine as well.. It has to do with poor sleeping habits, the above mentioned.. and not working out. I didn't know this would be so easy to fix..

4. I dont work out
I am fortunate to have a friend who is big into going to the gym 2 hours a day 5 days a week, I go with him 4-5 days a week now and this has seriously fixed all of the above problems.

Why did working out fix everything?

Well, the first week I noticed my appetite pick back up, and I was eating 3-4 meals a day (I now eat 5-6 small meals a day). It also just got me expending energy, after doing that... I got to sleep at a normal time because I knew I had to go to the gym the next day...

It got my poker schedule down pat, no longer was it play for 18 hours in a day 2 times a week and wake up whenever... I had a schedule.

Now I wake up around 9am, shower, eat and all the while my computer is humming away scouting tables with GT+ for me.

Around 1 I stop playing, Eat, grab my Gym bag and head to the gym, getting back at 3:30 showered up, hungry and ready to play poker. So I eat again (ussually have a snack before the gym too thats +EV for the workout). I then play until a certain time, depending on other things I have going on that day, But 5 days a week I'm sleeping before 2AM at the latest.

It makes you feel better all around, you don't have the desire to smoke as much, I quit cold turkey a few times but always end up puffing away on some stupid drunk weekend and falling back too it, but I smoke 2 packs a month now compared to 2 packs a week prior to all of this.

I guess it starts with working out... I suggest finding someone to workout with. You won't cheat yourself then, and it gets addicting, you'll start enjoying the workout sessions more and more.

Hope this helps, I know it helped me.

[lozen]

Same started Poker was 6'3 and 230 now 250. Bet my buddies Id be 220 by October or im apying for the round in Vegas. I set up an elyptical trainer in my office and hooked up a computer to my 42" DLP and play poker while training picture is awesome on a DLP too

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you've come far, you know excactly what your problems are, and you have many sollutions to them. I'd take it slowly, and start with the easiest things first. If you can deal with one problem, you'll surley feel the progress, but without progress, you're much more likely to give up.

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I begin my new regimen tomorrow. First of all, there will be no more alcohol in the house. Microbob seemed very concerned about the drinking and rightfully so... I'm tackling that one first, and I don't think it will be too difficult. While in Florida for a week and a half in March I barely touched alcohol and had no puffage (damn heightened airport-security). I experienced no withdrawal symptoms and even slept quite well. I still had coffee and cigarettes though.

As I said in my original post, I have never developed a tolerance to alcohol/tobacco/caffeine/puffage, just bad habits and daily routines. It's time to break them.

So with alcohol out of the house, I need to start getting to sleep and waking up at decent hours. Tomorrow I'll go for 9am (which is quite early for me). The past few days I've only been drinking 6 cups of coffee instead of my usually 8+ cups with no problems (e.g. headaches). I'll stick with that for a week and cut down even more.

With no drinking and better sleep hours, I am going to have more time than I know what to do with! I'm buying this today, although I'm unsure if it can tilt for different exercises like this one . I can't find any other relevant info on the Sears model (the Supra Pro couldn't even be found at the manufacturer's website), but we'll see.

I'm still trying to figure out an eating schedule, but I'm definitely going to begin my day with something (cereal and orange juice etc.). Probably smamitches for lunch, and a decent dinner.

Oh, and the "smoking" habits remain for the time being. We'll see how I feel after working out for a bit and take it from there [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions! I was thinking of setting up a forum-wide vice-elimination challenge, but don't want to handle the supervision/logistics of one. If anyone wants to step up to the plate, be my guest.

I might keep you all posted... then again, I might not.

[Redd]

I'm always surprised by how often the pros lament about how out of shape they've become from playing pro.

As a professional poker player, you make a living through extremely disciplined decisions. Why can't you apply that discipline to the other parts of your life? It seems like pro poker players would generally be much better than the average person at willing themselves to do (or not do) something.

And btw: the coffee withdrawl only lasted for about a week for me, and I'm a million times better off without it.

[jvphish]

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Never give up the wacky tobackie.

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NEVER. hell, the only reason i really even play poker online is to pay for my herb. it's a beautiful cycle. smoke > play > win money > buy more herb...repeat as needed.

[MicroBob]

This is kind of an interesting point.


I think it's just the 'sit at the computer and veg your whole life away' aspect.


I've done the caffeine withdrawl before....had a couple days off a few years ago (before my poker days) and I just laid around on the couch watching TV allowing myself to get the inevitable head-aches.
After a couple days I was better but I was still in a bit of a cloud. I was working in radio at the tiem and I remember interviewing some guy and having no idea what I had just asked him. Fun interview. Kind of strange.

About a week later I was better off.

I'm all over the caffeine now but am doing much better than I was 4 or 5 years ago.
Probably 2-4 drinks per day of coffee or coke's which I'm not so worried about.


My GF has just picked up smoking a little bit again during a high-stress period....she had not had a smoke for 3 or 4 months and says her urges are much less then last week and will be getting rid of it soon.
I have never smoked one cigarette (nor have i ever 'puffed') so I can't comment on it....but she seems pretty able to do it and she thinks that her frequent trips to the gym help her out.


When we were talking about her smoking and her exercise and my caffeine and our eating-habits and my Dad's alcohol I brought up this thread of the guy who seems to be in ALL of these ruts at the same time.
Mentioned that I was more alarmed by the 6-10 drinks a day than the other stuff (which is all pretty bad too of course).

She again mentioned her trips to the gym on her days-off.
"I treat it like a second job basically," she said. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to motivate myself to go. I specifically make plans to get up early enough to go to gym as if it were my job."


I think that for an online-poker guy who doesn't get out of the house this could be a REALLY good idea. Kind of semi-social...it at least gets you out and about a little bit.

For me, I find it very important to get out and play at wireless-internet coffee places a couple times a week.
I also play in a recreational soccer league.
I don't do weights or swimming....so gym's don't do it for me as much. But I did like to play raquetball and tennis back in the day and will be joining a raquet-club at some point.
whatever floats your boat.
Hell, even going out and golfing or bowling (as long as you don't have too many beers) at least gets you up and moving.
Go golfing without a cart. carrying those clubs all over the 18 holes will work up a little sweat.

The point is that anything that gets you out and about and moving can be helpful for this lifestyle-change kick that you want to go on.


I'm not as bad as you are right now (mostly because I'm such a light-weight drinking that I couldn't do what you do even if I tried...and, as I said, I have never smoked)
....but I too need to do more regarding my diet and exercise and social-life so this post does hit home in some small way for me.

[goodguy_1]

Focus on aerobic exercise. It will help you the must... for me lifting weights is fuggin boring and its gay-I dont want to hang around inside a gym for very long... I'd rather do stuff outside. Also give yourself a chance to try quirky things/stuff you never thought about until you find something that really feels good to your mind and body..If you dont find something you enjoy it's doubtful you will keep at it.

Stuff like mountain biking,roadbiking,walking,swimming,rowwing,rollerb lading,ultimate frisbee,team sports-baseball,soccer,YMCA stuff,yoga, Martial Arts..blah blah.

swimming rules. I'm completely addicted to it. Without regular strenuous aerobic exercise I would not be able to put in the type of hours I do at poker.

If you want to really focus on getting in all-around great shape w/o lifting weights. Check out any Navy Seals prep. exercise program.It combines alot of aerobic exercise(swimming and running),simple exercises where you use your own body weight ie pushups,situps,pull-ups and also stretching .
Workout.

I dont hate lifting weights I just think you we really benefit more from arobic exericise. It will force you to quit smoking,your weight will drop,your resting heart rate will drop,it will raise lower your overall cholesterol count but raise the good cholesterol/HDL.

You will get addicted to the endorphin buzz once you maintain any type of regular aerobic exercise. Swimming is the best exercise because unlike running you use almost every muscle in your body. It's not only aerobic but when you pace yourself it aslo can be very meditaive almost and I dont really know dick about yoga.

Find something you like and do it regularly.

Pokerwise you will be able to play longer hours,focus better and for longer amounts of time, TILT much less ..you will find that beats that used to roil you and get u upset will just quickly fade into the next hand.

I also smoked for 25 years. Smoking is really some dumbass chit to do your body ..no matter how good it feels. It is so god damn addictive it is scary. I still jones for an occasional cigarette.

I'm too lazy to do the stretching but swimming takes care of that. The fun thing is doing the supersets of pushups,pull-ups and situps or crunches. You can do them in 20 minutes after your run or before a swim. Total workout time about an hour.

This is a very simple weigh to stay in great shape.