Saturday, July 23, 2005
Slot Machines and Exercise
First, a disclaimer. This post may seem to be about gambling, but it's really about exercise. I don't encourage anyone to gamble.
The old-time slot machines were mechanical. You pulled a handle and the reels spun. (The handle is the reason they were called one-armed bandits.) The new ones are electronic. If you decide, for instance, to wager $10 worth of nickels, and then cash out, win or lose, here's how it would work. Old way. You take $10 to the cashier and get 200 nickels. You put these in a little paper tub and carry them to a machine. 200 times you take a nickel from the tub and put it in a slot with your left hand, then pull the handle down with your right hand. You're getting some light exercise for your shoulders, left triceps, and right biceps. When you finish, you scoop up coins, put them in your bucket, and take them to the cashier, who gives you paper money and coins easier to carry around. This may be, but probably isn't, more than your $10. Now you go to wash your hands, which are filthy from handling the coins.
New way. You put your $10 bill into the machine, bypassing a trip to the cashier, and are given 200 "credits." Seeing as you are playing a nickel each time, you can probably just push one button each time, exercising only your index finger, and that not much, as well as losing your money much more quickly. You cash out by collecting a paper slip, much easier (and cleaner) to take to the cashier.
The old way uses more energy than the new. I don't know how much, maybe 20 or 30 calories. Now, before you shrug that off as only a couple of peanuts, consider how many activities you do each day that use less energy than they used to because of labor saving devices or other microprocessors. These add up big time, and are one of the main causes of the obesity "epidemic." Make an effort to do things the hard way, or purposely expend extra energy. In the casino, you can take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk in from the parking instead of taking the tram. At home you can walk more and minimize your use of power-assisted appliances. Walk or bike to the store and carry stuff home. And don't hire someone to mow your lawn while you're at the gym.
The old-time slot machines were mechanical. You pulled a handle and the reels spun. (The handle is the reason they were called one-armed bandits.) The new ones are electronic. If you decide, for instance, to wager $10 worth of nickels, and then cash out, win or lose, here's how it would work. Old way. You take $10 to the cashier and get 200 nickels. You put these in a little paper tub and carry them to a machine. 200 times you take a nickel from the tub and put it in a slot with your left hand, then pull the handle down with your right hand. You're getting some light exercise for your shoulders, left triceps, and right biceps. When you finish, you scoop up coins, put them in your bucket, and take them to the cashier, who gives you paper money and coins easier to carry around. This may be, but probably isn't, more than your $10. Now you go to wash your hands, which are filthy from handling the coins.
New way. You put your $10 bill into the machine, bypassing a trip to the cashier, and are given 200 "credits." Seeing as you are playing a nickel each time, you can probably just push one button each time, exercising only your index finger, and that not much, as well as losing your money much more quickly. You cash out by collecting a paper slip, much easier (and cleaner) to take to the cashier.
The old way uses more energy than the new. I don't know how much, maybe 20 or 30 calories. Now, before you shrug that off as only a couple of peanuts, consider how many activities you do each day that use less energy than they used to because of labor saving devices or other microprocessors. These add up big time, and are one of the main causes of the obesity "epidemic." Make an effort to do things the hard way, or purposely expend extra energy. In the casino, you can take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk in from the parking instead of taking the tram. At home you can walk more and minimize your use of power-assisted appliances. Walk or bike to the store and carry stuff home. And don't hire someone to mow your lawn while you're at the gym.
# posted by joann @ 11:31 AM 
