Young Entrepreneur Blog

One of the biggest problems with working on the Internet is the fact that you are sat on your backside for at least 8 hours per day, which can quickly lead to becoming very unhealthy (among other issues).

Today I am going to talk about how technology is making us unhealthy, and how I intend to combat this… with…. more technology.

Backstory

I started working online fulltime approx 4 years ago, and since creating a home office 12 months ago, my daily exercise has become almost non-existent. I also bought a car 5 months ago, and that has made matters even worse.

Fortunately I have a very high metabolism, so there is little chance of me becoming overweight, but there are still signs that I am not as healthy as I once was.

The Challenge

Of course, all fitness freaks will just tell me to go and run for 30 mins per day, and yes, that would help, but let’s be realistic, it ain’t gonna happen!

The Solution

I am now starting to use technology to help me get more healthy again.

Solution 1 - Nintendo Wii & Wii Fit

Create your own character and track your fitness levels, weigth and BMI.

Making fitness fun?

Using technology to get fit?

I only purchased this recently, and it is not a cheap option. With the Nintendo Wii, the game and the Wii Fitness Board it cost over $400

Result

We only got this very recently, and thus far I haven’t had time to use it much, but both myself and my girlfriend have really enjoyed it, and as I write this I am aching from head to to. The Wii also comes with many sports games, which are a lot of fun as well.

Solution 2

Last year we purchased an exercise stepping machine/bike, the idea being that we could go for a run during winter without leaving the house. To get through the boredom of this, you can simply install a TV near the machine. We personally just use an ipod touch and listen to music.

Result

I personally got bored of this, but Elena uses it almost daily. I believe that having a TV close by may help, I like the idea of going for a 90 minute run during a football game.

Possible Solution?

I do have some healthy hobbies, for example, I play golf, and I even like the occasional stroll, but like many of today’s generation, I also like to play video games and watch TV.

So here is an option… instead of fighting your passions and trying to go on a TV and video game diet, why not use technology to incorporate exercise into them?

For example, if you purchase something like this:

You could in theory play your video games and watch TV whilst exercising at the same time.

In fact, if you were watching a good TV show, you could easily do 30 mins exercice without once becoming bored, which for me, is the main issue with exercise.

Summary

Entrepreneurs are rarely lazy. I used to be a pro athelete, so laziness is not an issue at all, it is the boredom that is my issue. Entrepreneurs can often require a lot of stimuless to prevent boredom, so by incorporating exercise into my enjoyable hobbies, I may eleminate that.

Cost Issues

I appreciate that many youngsters who are reading this may not have the funds to spend $600+ in exercise equipment, or $400 on a video console, or $350 on an ipod etc… but these are alternate options that are cheaper.

Like the title of this article says: ‘Exercise is Boring - Let’s Use Technology’. Check back in one month and I will post the results.

Dean