Chapter 4 – Operating System
Training Mission – Exercise for the Cybernetic Soldier
Getting off your butt and into a piece of the action
Having increased energy levels is not the only objective in elevating the quality of your life. Your body can benefit from activity. It was built to be used, to be operated, to be put into action. Unless you constantly keep it in shape, your body will “rust” like an abandoned cyborg in an interstellar spaceyard. Exercise will strengthen a lot of muscles, but the most important muscle is your heart. By toning it and your lungs through aerobics and similar cardiovascular exercises, you will make oxygen transfer more efficient. This is important both for thinking capacity, and for immune system functioning.
Rebounding
Zero Gravity on Planet Earth
The best overall exercise is… rebounding. That is, trampolining, or bouncing up and down on a taut piece of fabric. Doesn’t exactly sound too macho for the cyborg warrior now does it? But rebounding is the best kind of exercise you can do. Albert E. Carter, a world authority on rebounding exercise, says that it is “the most efficient, effective form of exercise yet devised by man.” In his book The Miracles of Rebound Exercise, he identifies the key factor in any effective exercise: Resistance against gravity. That is, anyone who is exercising – whether they are dancing, skipping rope, jogging, lifting weights, or even swimming – they are pushing or pulling against forces that resist them, and the common denominator to all these exercise forms is gravity. Rebound exercise maximizes the benefits of gravity resistance. When you bounce, you are exercising every part of your body. The exercise comes from the top and bottom of the bounce. At the bottom, your G-force (gravitational force) is maximized, and your entire body resists the downward movement (from your falling). At the top, your body relaxes, and is in free-fall. This up/down motion and gravity/free-fall effect will tone muscles and in addition will stimulate your immune system. Your so-called immune system is near-synonymous with the lymphatic system. Lymph is the fluid that transports your body’s defenses around, and takes care of the removal of toxins and foreign invaders. The lymph fluid does not move around in the same way your blood circulates because it does not have a central “pump” mechanism. Instead, lymph moves when you move. Muscular contraction/relaxation pushes the lymph. Thus, when you exercise – especially during rebounding – you increase the circulation rate of your lymphatic system, and speed up the immune function. Rebounding is also the safest form of exercise because there is no impact on your body: At the bottom of the bounce, you are gradually slowed down by the stretching of the fabric. There is no jarring shock, unlike an exercise such as jogging. Rebounding is also more efficient, because it maximizes the gravity effects. In fact, rebounding for five minutes a day, especially soon after getting out of bed in the morning, is all you really need. It’s very effective.
Rebound units that are no bigger than a small coffee table in diameter, and which can fit under your bed when not in use, cost only about thirty dollars. There is no need to buy really expensive units, but be sure that the unit you get is well-constructed and won’t suddenly collapse after a few bounces. If you already exercise, you should really consider rebounding as an alternative. It is inexpensive, requires very little time, and is very effective. It is also a very fun way to get healthy. There probably are very few people in this world who haven’t loved to bounce, when they were children, whether on a bed, tree branch, or a parent’s back. (Pity Dad’ and his chiropractor!)
Rollerblading
Warpspeed Transportation
While we’re on the topic of fun exercise, let’s talk about Rollerblading, or more generically known as in-line skating. This form of sport has hit our country like a shock wave, and it’s extremely hard to find a place in the city where in-line skaters don’t come whizzing by. Obviously, there’s got to be good reasons why so many people are “blading,” and there are. Rollerblading is relatively inexpensive, is effective, and above all it’s excellent transportation. People even skate to school and to work.
In-line skates are like turbo units for your feet. When you know how to skate, the world suddenly collapses and shrinks. Places that were too far to walk are now within a couple of minutes’ reach. If you’re a student, skating to school may be the most intelligent choice, and can save you the costs of automobile or public transportation. While at school, skating can reduce the amount of time you spend walking between classes, and makes the entire campus much more accessible to you. Sometimes students neglect to go to the library often enough, because they don’t want to walk “all the way over there.” By zipping around on blades, you make moving about on campus more efficient and fun. In fact, if your library allowed it (or didn’t explicitly ban it!) locating research books on the shelves will be rapidly accomplished, simply by gliding along on skates. You might even be encouraged to do more in-depth research because of all the time and effort you’ve saved, and because it’s so darn fun! As for skating to work, I know some people who do just that, and you might see them flying by on their way to the office, with blades, suit, tie, briefcase and all!
In-line skates range from $80 to more than $400. If you don’t already have skates, a pair costing about $150 will do the job. Look into it, whether as a form of fun exercise you can do with a bunch of friends, or by yourself, or as a form of transportation that is not only environmentally-friendly but can also provide your body with the workout it needs.
Finally, let me remind you again that when it comes to your body, how you treat it is how your body will treat you. Don’t neglect the powerful and wonderful machine you inhabit. By keeping it well-maintained, you will ensure that it will give you many years of service. After all, there’s no money-back guarantee on it, and the non-renewable warranty expired ninety days after you were born!
Now that we’ve taken care of the organic part of us, let’s investigate the cybernetic – or mechanical – side of our cyborg existence. Let’s check out the…
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