Achievements and Accomplishments Thread

[Denali87]

Dear Boggle community, I am a boggleholic. My wrists and forearms are in perpetual pain and overused from frenetic typing to try to beat the scores of erakis, scheffek, and the like. Does anyone else have this problem? I am also a professional mover, so perhaps that is compounding the problem. I am going to take a long break from boggle and hope my condition improves. I cant live in pain anymore. I found quinquavigintillionth in a puzzle the other day and that's good enough for me.

[mdyak]

Dear Boggle community, I am a boggleholic. My wrists and forearms are in perpetual pain and overused from frenetic typing to try to beat the scores of erakis, scheffek, and the like. Does anyone else have this problem? I am also a professional mover, so perhaps that is compounding the problem. I am going to take a long break from boggle and hope my condition improves. I cant live in pain anymore. I found quinquavigintillionth in a puzzle the other day and that's good enough for me.

Sure. Stop typing so much (or swiping if that's what you do). Take a different approach like lalatan's where you just go for high point words and don't type all the same little stuff over and over again. Congrats on quinquavigintillionth!

[jbud1980]

Dear Boggle community, I am a boggleholic. My wrists and forearms are in perpetual pain and overused from frenetic typing to try to beat the scores of erakis, scheffek, and the like. Does anyone else have this problem? I am also a professional mover, so perhaps that is compounding the problem. I am going to take a long break from boggle and hope my condition improves. I cant live in pain anymore. I found quinquavigintillionth in a puzzle the other day and that's good enough for me.

Yes, I've experienced the same thing, except my pain is in my shoulder, as well as my forearm. I'm pretty sure this has been exacerbated due to busting my arm working out a couple months ago. I have noticed that resting in-between games instead of consistently playing has helped. I get it, you're hooked on playing, but you don't want to get to the point where you cannot play anymore because of pain, which apparently, you have. I have found some stretching/exercises on Google/YouTube that have helped a bit.

[lalatan]

...My wrists and forearms are in perpetual pain and overused from frenetic typing to try to beat the scores of erakis, scheffek, and the like. Does anyone else have this problem? I am also a professional mover, so perhaps that is compounding the problem. I am going to take a long break from boggle and hope my condition improves. I cant live in pain anymore...

I'm no physiotherapist (if you can, I recommend that you go to one) but I'll share with you what I learned about the issue. I played competitive badminton for 30 years or so. It's not the backyard kids' game that comes to mind for most people. There is more running in a single's match than in playing 60 minutes of football. The wrist and forearm muscles are used all the time. When I reached my 30's I found that if I didn't strengthen my forearm muscles for a month before badminton season, I was going to have a biting pain where the muscles attached to the bone all season long. Also, I had to stretch them before and after my 2 hours of playing and, if I had to wait for another game, I'd do a little stretching then too. Before beginning a competitive game we'd always "rally" beforehand for a few minutes to warm up the muscles. Like yourself I used my forearms a lot at work on computers and wiring as a telecom technician. I had really good grip strength but that wasn't enough when I worked them hard playing badminton. So, it seemed to take a combination of strength and flexibility to avoid forearm pain.

In your current condition, I'd definitely do a lot of stretching (not overstretching, just a gentle pull on the muscle for at least 30 secs). You probably need to rest your forearms (as you are doing) to recover. But at some point you should begin to gradually build strength as well as stretching. It's important not overdo it, as we are often impatient to be better again.

That biting forearm pain returned a few months ago after I played Boggle most days for the last 7 years. I noticed I had more difficulty opening sealed jars so that signaled to me I needed to build more forearm strength again. I started with 2 lb. weights (forearm muscles are small) and a rehab squeeze ball. The problem was that exercise created more pain. I remembered a technique the instructor at a an evening course on massage therapy told us he used in his practice. After a long day of work, he ran a sink of water as hot as he could stand to put his arms in. In the other sink he ran cold water and added ice cubes. He immersed his forearms in the hot water for 30 secs and then the cold water for 30 secs. He repeated the procedure 5x. After I did my forearm exercises a few months ago, I did that 3x and there were no pains afterward. I gradually increased reps and weight. Now I have no forearm pain while playing Boggle. As a long word player, I admittedly don't have as rigorous a workout as speed players though.

[JohnAkaMrP]

Big for me - my play style is trying to maximize my score and word count, so to an extent I avoid looking for long words since that can be at odds with maximizing my word count and, depending on the circumstance, my score. However, with long, complex words being intentionally seeded into some boards, it's possible to sometimes infer the presence of these long, complex words without spending much time to confirm whether the letters are actually there and in the right positions. That's exactly what happened for me on a 4x4 board yesterday where towards the end of the two minutes I found quiet, then disquiet, then dis/quieting, and finally disquietingly - which is 13 letters and 28 points, both of which are new records for me. I'm not sure what my prior records are/were, probably 11 letters and less than 20 points if I had to guess. Anyway, it was a pretty exciting moment for me!
New all time best word score and length - 13 letters and 28 pts.PNG

[Naboka]

Big for me - my play style is trying to maximize my score and word count, so to an extent I avoid looking for long words since that can be at odds with maximizing my word count and, depending on the circumstance, my score. However, with long, complex words being intentionally seeded into some boards, it's possible to sometimes infer the presence of these long, complex words without spending much time to confirm whether the letters are actually there and in the right positions. That's exactly what happened for me on a 4x4 board yesterday where towards the end of the two minutes I found quiet, then disquiet, then dis/quieting, and finally disquietingly - which is 13 letters and 28 points, both of which are new records for me. I'm not sure what my prior records are/were, probably 11 letters and less than 20 points if I had to guess. Anyway, it was a pretty exciting moment for me!
New all time best word score and length - 13 letters and 28 pts.PNG

Wow.

And those certainly weren't beginning or intermediate players you beat.

Ps. after posting the above comment, ran into one of your games. Thought I wasn't doing well today, but just missed your high score by a couple of points. You're on a list of next level players I'd like to match, but probably never will. Again, congratulations on the stars.

[Denali87]

Thank you Lalatan for the good advice. Yes, it is hard to have sympathy for you as a long word player you definitely don't get the same intense forearm workout. When I am playing on my cellphone on vacation or killing time in the airport I transition into long word play since obviously it is harder to go for points when you are limited by playing a on a phone. I love the thrill of chasing down a high score though, and seeing if in the last 30 seconds I can get enough inspiration to rack up those few game winning words. Here I am playing again now after a hard day's move. I'm incorrigible.

[bwt1213]

I'd hurt my right thumb The doctor said I'd sprained it -- by removing clothes from the washer and putting them in the dryer. I guess it's all in how you do it, and if you do it wrong you're going to hurt yourself. But I thought it was more likely to be a repetitive stress injury caused by using my mouse with my right hand. So I moved the mouse to my left hand and the pain has almost completely gone. But was that a sprained thumb naturally healing because it wasn't being abused by the mouse, or was the original injury because of the mouse? Impossible to tell. Suggestion: Change the mouse to the left hand. Balance the work out a little more. Yeah, I know the keyboard already favors the left hand. But the mouse causes more tension than typing. Try it and see if it makes a difference. Can't hurt anything, right? Because if it does, you'll just switch back and call me a few names.

[Naboka]

Thank you Lalatan for the good advice. Yes, it is hard to have sympathy for you as a long word player you definitely don't get the same intense forearm workout. When I am playing on my cellphone on vacation or killing time in the airport I transition into long word play since obviously it is harder to go for points when you are limited by playing a on a phone. I love the thrill of chasing down a high score though, and seeing if in the last 30 seconds I can get enough inspiration to rack up those few game winning words. Here I am playing again now after a hard day's move. I'm incorrigible.

There's the rub.

Trying to do the best you can.

All the time.

But it just wears you out.

Your body and mind need rest to recover.

I have a Stages SC3 indoor bike. Love the thing. Love to get on and ride as fast as I can. I just love the feeling of pushing the limits and setting personal records. The heart is racing, your body is screaming at you to quit, and you push through the pain. But there are limits to physical performance. Regardless of whatever dreams and willpower you apply, the body's structure simply resists. I seldom push for a personal best on the bike. Mostly, it's just training, getting the heart rate up, running intervals on pace.

Thousands of years of evolution came up with a blueprint that simply isn't designed to accommodate modern aspirations.

Trying to sprint a long distance race is a quick way to lose. Longer distance runners pace themselves, reserving the sprint for the race's end.

I was getting carpal tunnel playing for monthly trophies. Since every lost point per game becomes a thousand lost points over a thousand games, pushing hard on each game seemed to make mathematical sense. 30-50,000 points a day? Not a problem. Bring it on.

Except for the wrists. Scoring more just wasn't worth the risk of needing surgery. I've just learned to live with my own limitations. Everyone has different levels of limitation. Even Megaword has limitations. Mostly these days, I just coast through the games. I don't push them. Sometimes I'll push a game where everything seems to be clicking, but mostly it's just an easy pace.

My scores are down 20-40 points a game, but who cares? Even if I were to add 50 points to my best efforts, better players would trounce those scores. A lot of days, I set about 15 records, many games with over 20 plays, but better players just eat those up. Doesn't matter if they beat my best by 2 points or 200. It was only temporary until a bigger fish came by.

In the 70's I did a lot of drugs. Getting high seemed important. But...

Getting the adrenaline rush and the endorphins from playing well provides its own high. But...

Staying happy and healthy are more important.

I took several months off playing to redo the master bath. And when I finished, the game was still here.

Happy and healthy.

[jbud1980]

There's the rub.

Trying to do the best you can.

All the time.

But it just wears you out.

Your body and mind need rest to recover.

I have a Stages SC3 indoor bike. Love the thing. Love to get on and ride as fast as I can. I just love the feeling of pushing the limits and setting personal records. The heart is racing, your body is screaming at you to quit, and you push through the pain. But there are limits to physical performance. Regardless of whatever dreams and willpower you apply, the body's structure simply resists. I seldom push for a personal best on the bike. Mostly, it's just training, getting the heart rate up, running intervals on pace.

Thousands of years of evolution came up with a blueprint that simply isn't designed to accommodate modern aspirations.

Trying to sprint a long distance race is a quick way to lose. Longer distance runners pace themselves, reserving the sprint for the race's end.

I was getting carpal tunnel playing for monthly trophies. Since every lost point per game becomes a thousand lost points over a thousand games, pushing hard on each game seemed to make mathematical sense. 30-50,000 points a day? Not a problem. Bring it on.

Except for the wrists. Scoring more just wasn't worth the risk of needing surgery. I've just learned to live with my own limitations. Everyone has different levels of limitation. Even Megaword has limitations. Mostly these days, I just coast through the games. I don't push them. Sometimes I'll push a game where everything seems to be clicking, but mostly it's just an easy pace.

My scores are down 20-40 points a game, but who cares? Even if I were to add 50 points to my best efforts, better players would trounce those scores. A lot of days, I set about 15 records, many games with over 20 plays, but better players just eat those up. Doesn't matter if they beat my best by 2 points or 200. It was only temporary until a bigger fish came by.

In the 70's I did a lot of drugs. Getting high seemed important. But...

Getting the adrenaline rush and the endorphins from playing well provides its own high. But...

Staying happy and healthy are more important.

I took several months off playing to redo the master bath. And when I finished, the game was still here.

Happy and healthy.

Hi Naboka, and happy playing. I have been in the market to get a stationary bike, but I'm not paying a Peloton price. However, i live upstairs in a duplex that was built in the 40s. My neighbors can hear when I flush the toilet and when I let out a boisterous yelp when I best a MegaWord score. Haha, kidding, as that won't happen. Can you recommend a stationary bike that won't create a lot of noise? The soccer league I was apart of disbanded due to COVID and I need a cardio outlet (I cannot stand long distance running).

[Naboka]

Hi Naboka, and happy playing. I have been in the market to get a stationary bike, but I'm not paying a Peloton price. However, i live upstairs in a duplex that was built in the 40s. My neighbors can hear when I flush the toilet and when I let out a boisterous yelp when I best a MegaWord score. Haha, kidding, as that won't happen. Can you recommend a stationary bike that won't create a lot of noise? The soccer league I was apart of disbanded due to COVID and I need a cardio outlet (I cannot stand long distance running).

May be a personal bias but the Stages SC3 is a better bike than the Peloton.

I really don't recommend stationary bikes for most people. The drawback of stationary bikes is the limited muscles groups being exercised. You're not doing much for the core, the back, the chest, the shoulders, the arms. You're not even working your hamstrings all that effectively if you're not wearing cleats. Nor are you working your glutes that hard if you're mostly sitting down. There are reviews floating around YouTube over which bikes are the most quiet.

I'm not sure how much noise translates from floor to ceiling where you live. Apartments are usually built with inadequate sound proofing. What does the owner care if a tenant is bothered by noise as long as the lease is in hand.

Cardio is an easy thing to achieve. You don't need machines at all. You can exhaust yourself to the point you think you're about to die by just using body weight exercises. Try doing a hundred burpees. (I did almost 200 on one of my military fitness tests.) You tube is filled with routines for body weight exercise. PIYO is an effective style. You can hit every single muscle group with proper planning. And the price is right. Zip, zilch, nada. (Though PIYO usually costs.)

Dancing is excellent cardio and tends to work a lot of muscle groups. An array of modern dance styles use contractions and popping that enlist all your muscle groups. And it's fun. Once again: YouTube.

A variety of boxing and martial arts moves give you plenty of cardio. Kicks and punches wear you out. In boxing matches, fighters are more exhausted by punches the miss than the ones that connect. You would also get the benefit of developing self protections skills. You don't need to go to a dojo to learn. Though, it's useful to have sparring partners.

TRX is a fitness system developed by a Navy SEAL. It'll give you all the cardio you need. You can look it up. And like every system, it has less expensive knockoffs that are nearly as good.

As for machines, if you go to Rogue Fitness you can find the Rogue Echo bike that's built like a tank. It's a fan driven bike and you move the handlebars forwards and backwards, as well as peddling. It's a machine used in Crossfit competitions. It'll wear you out much faster than a normal stationary bike. It's quality is far better than a Peloton or any normal stationary bike--and with the advantage of working almost all your muscles groups.

You could also try a Concept 2 PM5 rowing machine. Very well built and works your whole body.

The market is full of types of Pilates machines. They work well for a full body workout. You Tube once again.

Simple exercise bands are also a good alternative to weights. You can do a lot of exercises watching your favorite TV programs.

Walking is an excellent cardio. Easy and cheap. Running isn't necessary. If you want to be challenged, carry something with weight. A couple of gallon jugs of water will wear you out after a mile. Or a couple of decorative bags filled with sand. Really good for the shoulders, arms and core. The shifting weight taxes your core as the muscles are forced to constantly restabilize.

If you're really wanting a bike, I have the feeling the secondary market will have plenty. People were on waiting lists after the pandemic hit. Now, those machines are sitting in family rooms gathering dust and not being used. I saw the one I have for $1500 less than I paid. Not sure how the supply chain problems are affecting that, but it's an option. That applies to all sorts of fitness equipment people bought with the best of intentions.

Sorry to make a simple problem even more complex.

[Naboka]

BTW,
Jbud1980,

congratulations on filling up your orange social bars.

[2cute]

Dear Boggle community, I am a boggleholic. My wrists and forearms are in perpetual pain and overused from frenetic typing to try to beat the scores of erakis, scheffek, and the like. Does anyone else have this problem? I am also a professional mover, so perhaps that is compounding the problem. I am going to take a long break from boggle and hope my condition improves. I cant live in pain anymore. I found quinquavigintillionth in a puzzle the other day and that's good enough for me.

It sounds to me you're already injured & resting your muscles from @ least the typing for more than a week, should allow your muscles to slightly recover. I had a similar problem in my hands. The muscle between my index & middle finger used to get swollen & extremely painful from mousing. I too got it from gaming. I tried switching hands (play w/my left instead of my right), but then my left hand began to hurt too. Plus since it wasn't as strong as my right, it hurt more as well. Initially I tried to play through the pain, but it just got worse. Its like a form of carpal tunnel inflammation and just strengthening the muscles isn't enough. You really need to rest & recover as eventually you won't be able to use the muscles @ all & then you won't be able to work either.

I think lalatan's idea of strengthening your muscles is also a good idea then they'll be able to endure more AFTER you rest & recover for a while. Also if you keep your arms in a similar position when your gaming, try to sit differently so you'll be in a different position & won't use those overworked muscles in the same way. Like if you normally sit & type, try standing & typing,. Or raise your chair higher (or lower) than what you normally would do, for examples.

[jbud1980]

May be a personal bias but the Stages SC3 is a better bike than the Peloton.

I really don't recommend stationary bikes for most people. The drawback of stationary bikes is the limited muscles groups being exercised. You're not doing much for the core, the back, the chest, the shoulders, the arms. You're not even working your hamstrings all that effectively if you're not wearing cleats. Nor are you working your glutes that hard if you're mostly sitting down. There are reviews floating around YouTube over which bikes are the most quiet.

I'm not sure how much noise translates from floor to ceiling where you live. Apartments are usually built with inadequate sound proofing. What does the owner care if a tenant is bothered by noise as long as the lease is in hand.

Cardio is an easy thing to achieve. You don't need machines at all. You can exhaust yourself to the point you think you're about to die by just using body weight exercises. Try doing a hundred burpees. (I did almost 200 on one of my military fitness tests.) You tube is filled with routines for body weight exercise. PIYO is an effective style. You can hit every single muscle group with proper planning. And the price is right. Zip, zilch, nada. (Though PIYO usually costs.)

Dancing is excellent cardio and tends to work a lot of muscle groups. An array of modern dance styles use contractions and popping that enlist all your muscle groups. And it's fun. Once again: YouTube.

A variety of boxing and martial arts moves give you plenty of cardio. Kicks and punches wear you out. In boxing matches, fighters are more exhausted by punches the miss than the ones that connect. You would also get the benefit of developing self protections skills. You don't need to go to a dojo to learn. Though, it's useful to have sparring partners.

TRX is a fitness system developed by a Navy SEAL. It'll give you all the cardio you need. You can look it up. And like every system, it has less expensive knockoffs that are nearly as good.

As for machines, if you go to Rogue Fitness you can find the Rogue Echo bike that's built like a tank. It's a fan driven bike and you move the handlebars forwards and backwards, as well as peddling. It's a machine used in Crossfit competitions. It'll wear you out much faster than a normal stationary bike. It's quality is far better than a Peloton or any normal stationary bike--and with the advantage of working almost all your muscles groups.

You could also try a Concept 2 PM5 rowing machine. Very well built and works your whole body.

The market is full of types of Pilates machines. They work well for a full body workout. You Tube once again.

Simple exercise bands are also a good alternative to weights. You can do a lot of exercises watching your favorite TV programs.

Walking is an excellent cardio. Easy and cheap. Running isn't necessary. If you want to be challenged, carry something with weight. A couple of gallon jugs of water will wear you out after a mile. Or a couple of decorative bags filled with sand. Really good for the shoulders, arms and core. The shifting weight taxes your core as the muscles are forced to constantly restabilize.

If you're really wanting a bike, I have the feeling the secondary market will have plenty. People were on waiting lists after the pandemic hit. Now, those machines are sitting in family rooms gathering dust and not being used. I saw the one I have for $1500 less than I paid. Not sure how the supply chain problems are affecting that, but it's an option. That applies to all sorts of fitness equipment people bought with the best of intentions.

Sorry to make a simple problem even more complex.

Thank you for the response. I need to do some research. Thank you.

[jbud1980]

BTW,
Jbud1980,

congratulations on filling up your orange social bars.

oh, woo hoo! Thank you. How many times have you bested me this week? Merely curious. I tied RussDnails on words this week, which is such a feat. He is such a great 5X5 player. May I ask why you do not play 5X5? Happy playing.