left, april 2007
right, october 2010

I joined the table tennis club in the summer of 2006. I was playing casually for a few years. In the summer of 2009, after the club moved to its new wonderful location, and motivated by the coaching of Mark Nordby, I started regular, 3 times a week, more intensive training at the club. I got surprised when I noticed I started losing weight, all while enjoying myself. You don’t need to be a champion to reap the health benefits. I improved my game quite a bit, but I’m still considered an intermediate player and most of our club members have expertise that surpasses mine. At left, a picture from 2007, about the same weight as when I started training. The right picture is me, 38 pounds lighter and 3.5 years older. Click the picture to enlarge.