I might not have any sort of specific numbers or charts or data, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be off when I say the vast majority of otaku are out-of-shape, yours truly included. Whether we’re malnourished and underweight or heavy eaters with huge guts, exercise is not exactly a part of the standard image of the otaku, or the geek, or anything of that sort.
What if there was an exercise regimen geared towards otaku? Maybe something one can do while watching anime, finding healthy foods to eat based on anime dishes, back-strengthening exercises to prevent the pull of heavy bookbags, that sort of thing. I know it sounds like a complete gimmick, and that it might as well be one because in the end exercise boils down to hard work and diligence, something that shounen manga is eager to teach us again and again.
If I had to guess as to why so many otaku are sacks of flab, it’s because we grow up with this mentality of brains vs brawn, that the two have difficulty existing with one another, that one is the opposite of the other. If we can first shed this misconceived notion, I think we’d be on our way.
Like I said earlier though, I’m hardly a prime physical speciment, but there is one piece of advice I can give that I know is 100% guaranteed to help otaku.
Stop drinking so much goddamn soda.
Oh, and watch out for my Otakon 2008 report tomorrow.
OGIUE MANIAX 
I always thought it was DDR, personally. I’ve made it a habit to spend at least half an hour every day or two getting sweaty to some game/anisong.
Or, going off what you said, maybe replace the usual news programming at the gym with anime. It would help me find time to watch anime too, as much as it would help motivate me to work out. XD
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“I know it sounds like a complete gimmick, and that it might as well be one because in the end exercise boils down to hard work and diligence, something that shounen manga is eager to teach us again and again.”
This is why you watch Kaiji after you hit rock bottom.
Anime and exercise, didn’t do so well for me. You could end up killing your laptop while on the treadmill like I did.
“Stop drinking so much goddamn soda.”
Quoted for truth.
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I was joking with a friend the other day about how I wanted to invent a computer that was powered entirely by exercise, Fred Flintstone style. Imagine what good shape we’d all be in.
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Darn right. Or maybe not DDR but In The Groove, since you can use USB to play any songs you want on the machine.
Perhaps interestingly, I think I exercise probably 5-10 times as much as I watch anime most weeks.
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Wii Sports!
Also people should listen to this person and eat healthy :)
If you are looking for cardiovascular exercise, start running or swimming a little bit everyday or every other day. Increase the duration gradually.
For some muscle exercise, try http://hundredpushups.com/
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I can’t keep on playing PUMP it up (a variation of DDR) because I’m not crazy about the songs. If they released a cd with only anime songs, I’d stay glued to the pad.
But asides cheating and playing games at the same time, I’m just damn lazy; it has nothing to do with being otaku I’ve been lazy my whole life.
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And I was just about to get a soda. Now I feel guilty.
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I don’t think exercising and being an otaku cannot mix.
It’s not hard at all. I wasn’t fat to begin with, but I had a flab, and so I simply decided during my birthday some months ago to start being more healthy. Besides, reclining in bed watching anime or reading hurt my back, as I often did it the whole day. Exercising is difficult at first, since one’s body is unused to pain and discomfort, but once one gets the hang of it, it’s actually quite easy. In fact, I became so addicted to exercising that to many (even my parents) I look undernourished.
Nowadays, it’s quite hard to resist exercising. I’ve now toned abs (but I can’t get make them six-packs as to do that I have to get thinner, and that is out of the question), and toned leg muscles. I just look like a thin guy, however, since my abs are my legs are covered with clothes most of the time. But my endurance has improved. I can go without sleep for a day without feeling too much stress. I can now jog a mile in under 10 minutes.
In fact, I’ve stopped exercising. HIIT does wonders, and I’ve eaten like a pig for days at a time without gaining anything. Writing about this makes me want to exercise once more.
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I might add to that, “Stop eating so much fried chicken and hamburgers.” During college and anime club, I saw a lot of fried foods and very little vegetables enter that room. And with the giant soda.
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you should definitely read
http://pleasekeeptrying.com/
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Biking has helped me lose all of my college weight and then some. I was a-round 230-235 lbs (pun intended) and after biking 20-30 miles a day every summer, I’m now 211 lbs.
I like to bike because it helps me clear my head and I get to see something different every time I do it. I can’t really say the same for grueling it out in the gym, but that’s just me. While I was on my bike, I got back in touch with nature and began to better appreciate the little things in life.
TheAndySan
http://www.theandysan.com
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