I love this post. As a hacker myself I can relate. I did not do much while at school - that pretty much took all my time. Also, "regular" sports did not appeal to me. I started taking up martial arts as soon as I started working and it has completely changed my life. It clears my head, keeps me fit.
I never liked the idea of hitting the gym just so you could have a "beach body". The idea of learning a new skill (or set of skills in my case) appealed to me. Having a fit and healthy body was a side effect. The inverse wasn't true, - lifting weights at the gym wouldn't yield any additional skill so it definitely did not appeal to me.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you find the physical equivalent to hacking - whether it's rock climbing, free running, or doing wushu - it's fun and will also keep you in shape.
Going to the gym does give you some incredible new skills, though, just not in the way you would think. How useful is it to be able to properly pick up very heavy objects, or to be able to outrun 70% of the population? What about the benefit of being more attractive, which does lead itself to more opportunities?
You're definitely right about choosing your own path, though -- as long as you do something to stay in shape, you'll be alright. Any sport can bring useful new skills to the table.
I never liked the idea of hitting the gym just so you could have a "beach body". The idea of learning a new skill (or set of skills in my case) appealed to me. Having a fit and healthy body was a side effect. The inverse wasn't true, - lifting weights at the gym wouldn't yield any additional skill so it definitely did not appeal to me.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you find the physical equivalent to hacking - whether it's rock climbing, free running, or doing wushu - it's fun and will also keep you in shape.