50 Ways to Leave Your Blubber 

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First Ward Recreation Center, 610 E 7th St., 704-336-3375.

Charlotte Table Tennis Club meets Sundays 1:30-5:30pm at the First Ward rec center, 610 East 7th Street, 704-336-2008; and Thursdays from 7:00-10:00pm at 521 District Park Recreation Center, 1401 Ardrey Kell Road, 704-540-2426.

43. PAINTBALL This increasingly popular sport can be enjoyed in Charlotte at a growing number of paintball facilities, including a soon-to-be-open playing park in Rock Hill. Don't mistake paintball as some little hobby for kids. The sport has its own national magazine (Splat), sophisticated equipment-including $1,500 paintball guns — and national competitions with corporate sponsors and big prize money.

CJ's Paintball, 1600-F Matthews-Mint Hill Rd., 704-814-7393 / 18505-A05 Statesville Road, Cornelius, 704-987-5053
UNC Charlotte Paintball
UNC Charlotte Paintball club is dedicated to promoting, educating, and presenting paintball to the UNC Charlotte students and surrounding community. http://www.triple3studios.dhs.org/paintball/
Paintball Central, Tower Plaza Shopping Center, 8700 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Suite 600, 704-752-9774.
Paintball Central is scheduled to open a new state-of-the-art park in June, off I-77 at exit 77 in Rock Hill. For reservations call 1-866-421-PLAY.

44. GET LAID Yes, it's true: Sex really is good for you. Studies have shown that if you have sex three times a week for a year, you'll burn approximately 7,500 calories — the equivalent of running 75 miles. Moreover, the act of sex releases endorphins, which helps diminish pain, improves cholesterol levels and increases circulation. For women, sex triggers the release of oxytocin, which promotes feelings of affection and triggers a nurturing instinct. In men, sex encourages the flow of testosterone, which strengthens bones and muscles and helps transport DHEA, a hormone that may be important in the function of the body's immune system. Unfortunately, we have no contact information for this one — you're on your own.

45. GO TO THE MOVIES In order to get the best workout from your moviegoing experience, adhere to the following rules: Pummel any fool that strolls into the theater more than 10 minutes after the film has started. Smack around any brain-dead parent who takes their underage kid to a movie and allows the tyke to scream, cry and run amok. Finally, feel free to do great bodily harm to anyone who starts chatting on his cell phone during a movie. Chances are the other moviegoers may join you for a healthy group workout.

46. 12-OUNCE CURLS OK, you're not the workout type. No problem. You can still get some exercise while also enjoying one of mankind's favorite flavors. Just open up a can of beer, lift it to your mouth, drink, and then put it down. Now lift it up again, drink, and put it down. Repeat over and over. Cans of beer can be found at numerous stores in the Charlotte area.

47. THE OTTOMAN SHUFFLE This is for the couch potato who simply cannot pull him or herself away from the furniture. You can still get a bit of exercise, however minimal, by this simple method: while you're sitting there, lift both feet off the floor and place on a footstool or ottoman. After awhile, put your feet back on the floor. Repeat as often as you can handle it. Variety is important in exercise, so occasionally prop up only one foot, then the other. You can also cross one ankle over the other for a change and, if you're really into it, you can move the ottoman side to side in order to make your legs stretch a little.

48. VIDEOGAMES Yes, you read that right, videogames. You can never underestimate the value of muscular thumbs and wrists, so feel good playing videogames, knowing your digits (or at least two of them) and your joints (in your body, not your mouth) will be better for it.

49. CIGARETTE LIGHTING Many people underrate the exercise value of lighting up a smoke. Granted, there's not much to it if you're indoors, but the trick is to try it outside, particularly on windy days; you doubters will be singing a different tune then. First, you have to cup your hand around the cigarette, then your neck and knees get a workout from having to move around in various directions to get out of the wind. Hell, often you wind up going around and around! For a real challenge, do what the pros do and use matches instead of a lighter. It can leave you breathless. Cigarettes are readily available in thousands of locations.

50. NAVIGATING SOUTHPARK If you lived in Charlotte way back in the pre-Nordstrom, pre-Cheesecake Factory days of SouthPark, and your sense of direction is anything like mine, then you still can't quite get your bearings when you enter the mall. Every time I think I've figured it out, I invariably end up wandering around lost for a good 20 minutes looking at overpriced women's shoes or getting sprayed by one of the perfume girls. Well, why fight it? Next time you get lost in SouthPark's posh maze, use it as an excuse to walk off some extra pounds — perhaps from that cheesecake you scarfed down.