hey all, after a pretty impactful experience on my bike a few months ago, i've strayed from riding on the road. i was a yearround all-weather bike commuter in Boston (15 miles roundtrip), and used that activity as my "exercise" for the day most of the time. however, since my "event", for a lack of better words, i've found myself driving or walking in to work far more often than riding.
this propensity to avoid biking has led me to wonder how else i can fill that gap in physical activity. i'm seeking something with low barriers to entry:
- low cost
- minimal equipment/facilities required
- minimal time to get a good workout
- don't have to learn a complicated new skill
- doesn't require teammates
- not terribly limited by weather but is not indoor-specific
i understand that it's probably going to be a "pick 2, you can't have all of them" situation...but i am wondering if there's anything else out there that i'm not thinking about.
the list that i can come up with right now for the most applicable activities is short:
- run, general
- run, stadiums
- basketball; shooting around
other things that don't fit the bill entirely that i've considered:
- rock climbing (need gear, membership to gym, and belay partner)
- swimming (need lessons for proper form, and facility)
- rowing (need membership, facility, boatmates, limited to particular times)
- lifting (indoors, boring, no cardio, tough on joints, need membership)
- bodyweight lifting (boring, no cardio, need useful props/space)
- skateboarding (i suck at it, likely result in medical bills)
- golf (timesuck, need membership/green fees, and facility)
- surfing (need board, lessons, time, conditions, ocean)
- dirtbiking (need bike/gear, place to ride, time, likely result in medical bills)
- yoga/pilates (indoors, boring, need membership)
- erging (indoors, live in an apartment/have roommates & neighbors, boring)
- mountain biking (timesuck, getting to the woods is a hassle)
- rugby (need team, particular times, has already resulted in medical bills)
- ultimate frisbee (need team, particular times, has already resulted in medical bills)
i don't know, this'll all probably mean i'll have to start going to bed earlier so i can wake up and do something before commuting, rather than the ideal situation of using my commute as the exercise.
so...what else do you do?