Thursday, February 16, 2012

Staying Healthy in the Internet Age

The term couch potato referred to people who would sit on their sofas all day and watch television. Nowadays, people spend hours on end on the internet - surfing, playing MMORPGs and the like. There have been multiple instances where gamers have just dropped dead after marathon sessions where they refused to even leave their computers to eat or use the bathroom.

Another related problem in America, and for many people in the Philippines is obesity. There is a great emphasis on junk food, red meat, bacon, fat and alcohol. While in the States, some of these fads are starting to die down, it seems that things are just picking up here in the Philippines, what with the belated introduction of the KFC Double Down, and new restaurants popping up inspired by Epic Mealtime.



A man suffered a heart attack while eating a calorie-laden burger called the "Triple Bypass" at a place known as (wait for it...) Heart Attack Grill. With a motto that goes, "Taste... Worth dying for," I wonder if the man really thought the burger he was eating when he got a heart attack was really worth it.



On the other hand, the New York Times came out with an article that 20 minutes of exercise twice a week is really all one needs to stay healthy. The concept is based on interval training - 1 minute of intense exercise such as sprinting followed by 1 minute of walking, and repeated ten times, for a total of 20 minutes. I doubt that this will be enough to counteract eating a triple bypass burger or something similar, but it will probably be effective if one starts eating healthier (or at least, slightly healthier) as well.

I think I'll try this workout. It's perfect for law students who always complain that they have no time (or are rather, just too lazy).

Daniel Luis Convocar
Entry #7














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