keeping fit kind of tip.

[nudone]

i recently bought an exercise bike at the beginning of the DC GTD experiment with the hope that i'd be able to use it without giving in after a week.

thankfully, i'm still using it but i have only just started to not hate it - and so i come to the tip...

i thought watching TV whilst using the bike would take my mind off the ordeal of sitting there peddling away for 30 minutes. NOT True. i don't think it made any difference from just staring at the wall or out of the window. every time i looked at the clock it looked like time had actually slowed down - i'm pretty convinced that my perception of time did change as trying to guess a one minute passage of time proved that i was way off.

now, the good news is that instead of watching TV and experiencing time grind to a halt, i find that if i read something whilst using the contraption then it seems that time is either running about right or maybe even a bit quicker. i assume that reading requires more effort than watching TV and so my mind is more occupied and so, i forgot about what my legs are doing and the tedious exercise.

i really believe there is a dramatic difference between the two methods of attempted distraction.

if you have recently started a similar exercise routine and you are able to read at the same time then i thoroughly recommend trying it.

maybe listening to a podcast would be just as good as reading but i doubt it - afterall, listening to something is not much different to watching something on TV.

i guess if you could do something that engaged the mind even more than reading, like doing a puzzle, then the passage of time might seem even quicker.

[mouser]

good tip!
i think we should all be trying to get in a bit of shape during gtd as well, might help positively reinforce the thing.

[app103]

I could never deal with a stationary bike or treadmill. It's too boring for me.

I want to see the scenery change...feel the wind in my hair.

And there is definitely something to be said about having a purpose & a destination. Unlike some stationary bike or treadmill, if you leave your house with a destination & purpose, you won't stop till it's completed and you are home again. And at the same time, you can accomplish some getting things done, if it involves a trip to a store for something you need...or the mailbox...etc.

And if you use the time to clear your mind of stresses and soak in what you are seeing/hearing/feeling around you, you will find that a lot of creativity will start to flow.

Make it even more enjoyable...take a walk & bring a digital camera...snap pics of everything...stuff you wouldn't think of taking pics of normally....street signs...cracks on the sidewalk.

Do you recognize this picture? (hint: look at my avatar)


It was taken while on a walk...right on my own block...in front of a neighbor's house.

Keeping fit isn't just a physical thing...it should involve your whole being.

[nudone]

yes, i can agree, BUT for the millions of people like me, exercising outside the house just isn't going to work - just yet.

i have a good mountain bike - it's in the shed with flat tires. i used to go out jogging - i have a pair of practically untouched good running shoes in the cupboard. i used to skateboard every day - there's ramp on the next street to my house - i'd be embarrassed to use it.

so, perhaps just for the near future, i'm using the indoor exercise device. it's the easiest thing to do - i don't have to prepare in any way - it takes half an hour and then i forget about it and get on with stuff i would rather be doing.

now, i admit, it's not as fun as other exercises i can think of but i really can't be bothered to do anything else - i just want something that i can turn on and turn off - and now i've realised i can be reading at the same time then i'm obviously getting even more done. i might even start reading some novels i've been meaning to get around to.

in the not too distant future then maybe i will be doing something similar to what you are doing, app, but that will depend on what else i manage to complete first.

[brownstudy]

When we got a treadmill, I got a subscription to Audible.com because I knew I'd be bored out of my mind just listening to whatever was on the radio. Have gone through several books that way.

[mitzevo]

Work hard, feel good, get great results.. doesn't get any simpler than this.. all the other factors are personal areas.. Do the work, and get rewarded. You can't and shouldn't expect to do nothing and get want you want when it come to fitness/exercise.. unless you purchase some of the absurd devices they have these days.. but really.. these are lazy peoples way out. What matters most is that you feel good for doing some thing hard and worth it.

edit: spelling mistake.

[brownstudy]

I wrote a blog post earlier this year on when I revamped my exercise program:
http://highunimportance.blogspot.com/2006/03/modest-change-3-exercise.html

Lately, my work/school schedule has prevented even this, but I've decided that being healthy has to be a priority if I'm to meet all my obligations, so I'm cogitating on ways to to get back to the weights.

But just a 30-minute walk around the pond at work or after supper can have good benefits for you health-wise (not so much losing weight-wise). As a previous poster said, it's all about feeling better. YOur body will tell you when it wants a greater challenge.

[dallee]

Get a pedometer and wear it daily (the 10,000 steps program) -- an amazing $5 expenditure with real fitness and health benefits

Step 1:  Select a pedometer (step counter), the more basic the better. 

I like the Sportsline 340 Basic Electronic Pedometer, shown http://www.amazon.com/SportLine-SP2795BK-Sportline-Strider-Pedometer/dp/B0006VWRX6/sr=8-1/qid=1159594734/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-0810581-2379030?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods
I got one at my corner chain drugstore for under $5,  so you might find one locally.  Mine had no problems, but I note I clip it on a waistband, not a belt.  If you want to clip it to a belt, shop for a different simple model.

Fancier models are trouble.  If it has a cover you have to open, the cover breaks after a while (and that little reset button really does not need to be protected by a cover).  If it has all sorts of programable information and calculations, those features may not work (my experience) and just give you data which adds nothing to reaching your basic goal of taking 10,000 steps a day.

Step 2. Keep in your mind that the desirable goal is 10,000 steps a day.

Hitting this goal, without more, improves cardiovascular health, reduces the risk of diabetes, and helps you stay limber.  See some real data bearing out this assertion at http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/studies/step.shtml.  This goal is generally recognized as easier to implement than trying to take a daily walk of a pre-determined distance (http://10000steps.org.au/?page=lifestyles/why10kaday).

If you want to do a web search, a lot of links are listed on an About.com page on walking at http://walking.about.com/od/measure/f/10000steps.htm.  The 10,000 step goal has been recommended by the Surgeon General, if you consider that important.

3.  Look at your pedometer every night.

My experience, as a very sedentary professional who sits at a computer too much, is that my normal walking is 7,000 steps daily.  When I do a nightly pedometer reading, and without trying to make any project out of it, my walking swings up to 10,000 steps.  For me, the pedometer reading is sufficient to bring the goal into awareness and then I just naturally walk a bit more for things ... to get a book, to the water cooler, whatever ... and get up to and stay at 10,000 steps in a matter of days.  And I do feel more limber, in addition to other less observable health benefits.

It is possible to make a project out of wearing a pedometer, but I don't find the need.  If you want to keep a log, you can find sample forms at http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/health/health20percentboost.html and through links on the About.com walking page.

          * * *

A pedometer is a really good place to start a fitness program and is one piece of fitness equipment you are almost guaranteed to end up using on a daily basis.

I love mine!

                 Dallee

[app103]

ooooh...I like that pedometer & 10,000 steps idea.