What else do you do? (activity-wise)

[seanile]

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:

1. low cost
2. minimal equipment/facilities required
3. minimal time to get a good workout
4. don't have to learn a complicated new skill
5. doesn't require teammates
6. 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?

[veggieburger]

Ever tried yoga? Would seem boring, but you're so focused on holding poses and trying not to let the sweat drip in your eyes that the 45 mins or hour passes quickly. Plus I find it's one of the things my body loves the most.
(obviously there are many different types of yoga, but something moderately challenging is a joy)

Always enjoyed indoor rock climbing, but like many sports, you need a partner. Same w racquetball and squash, two of my favorite sports...but you need a court and someone at a similar skill level.

Run is good. Walk is good. Do people still rollerblade? Swim would be good, but that's the king of all boredoms for me.

If you loved biking but are nervous about the cars, look for gravel trails. Light dirt trails. Alleys, little used roads.

Good luck.

[seanile]

Originally Posted by veggieburger

Ever tried yoga? Would seem boring, but you're so focused on holding poses and trying not to let the sweat drip in your eyes that the 45 mins or hour passes quickly. Plus I find it's one of the things my body loves the most.
(obviously there are many different types of yoga, but something moderately challenging is a joy)

Always enjoyed indoor rock climbing, but like many sports, you need a partner. Same w racquetball and squash, two of my favorite sports...but you need a court and someone at a similar skill level.

Run is good. Walk is good. Do people still rollerblade? Swim would be good, but that's the king of all boredoms for me.

If you loved biking but are nervous about the cars, look for gravel trails. Light dirt trails. Alleys, little used roads.

Good luck.

i did bikram yoga years ago, and that was great for getting out of the house when i had nothing else to do. i have noticed my hamstrings are disturbingly tight these days, as well as my hip flexors..perhaps i should take a closer look at it.

[veggieburger]

Originally Posted by seanile

i did bikram yoga years ago, and that was great for getting out of the house when i had nothing else to do. i have noticed my hamstrings are disturbingly tight these days, as well as my hip flexors..perhaps i should take a closer look at it.

Btw....can I ask what happened? I'm not familiar with your "event". Hope it wasn't too debilitating.

[Lanternrouge]

I go to the gym 2-3 times a week and walk the dogs, though that's more for their benefit than mine since they don't get to leave home unescorted. I've always had a fascination with scuba diving, but that's never really gone anywhere.

[Elefantino]

I chase my greyhound around our property.

I only catch her when she stops.

[William]

A few...

Martial Arts
Rowing (Erg)
Lifting (more dynamic than straight isolation)
Hiking
Skateboarding
Paddle Boarding
Contemplating taking up Glass blowing






W.

[PQJ]

In addition to cycling, my weekly routine includes swimming, running and yoga (Ashtanga). (No, I'm not a triathlete; never been one; never will be one). Running and swimming have low barriers to entry, assuming you can find a pool. Both are excellent substitutes for cycling, physically and mentally. Yoga is wonderful but you need a teacher in the beginning, it isn't 'fun' and it has a slightly higher tendency to injure me.

[FlashUNC]

Second guess my life choices, mostly.

[bigbill]

I go to boot camp classes 2-3 times a week. One hour class with some stretching, lots of core work, kettlebells, medicine balls, etc. The pace makes it aerobic. I leave an exhausted sweaty mess but my core has never been better.

[Johnnysmooth]

Skiing, MTB, sea kayaking and hiking.
Also live in Boston area, Milton and Blue Hills State Park is practically in back yard great for MTB and hiking/walks with dogs

[Zian]

I workout at a gym in addition to cycling. I do mostly workouts that I've seen described as "metabolic conditioning". I don't actually know nor care about the terminology too much, but my workouts definitely combine aerobic and anaerobic systems. You will definitely work your cardio fitness, and you'll also build some muscle or at least tone up.

You can do workouts with and without weights, indoors or outdoors. I usually make my own workouts borrowing stuff I see on youtube (FunkRoberts MMA, redefining strength). I find them really fun, and that they translate well to on the bike performance.

[William]

I've been working a lot with hammers the past year or so. I started with the mace but I find the hammers more to my liking concentrating the weight on the end as opposed to the mace.





W.

[MattTuck]

Louis hasn't chimed in yet, but I'm sure he would tell you to get a Concept2 Model D rower.

Similar economics to cycling. Buy once, cry once. Then the marginal cost of each workout is essentially zero.

Yes, might be boring, but if you put on a movie or TV show, and/or audio books or music, it isn't too bad. Probably equal or better fitness value than cycling on a per minute basis, as it does a bit more for your overall body.

I'd agree with looking at yoga as another option.

If you want something outdoors, you could try roller skiing. But not sure that is going to be any safer than cycling, unless you find somewhere low traffic to do it. The benefit is, you're not going to cover as much ground as on a bike, so your loops will be smaller, and so perhaps you can find more favorable roads.

One last one that I'll throw out is a racquet sport like tennis, or squash or racqetball. All of these can be hard on your knees, tennis probably more so because of the court surface. BUT, all incredibly good workouts and cover both endurance, hand/eye and some strength.

Tennis courts can usually be found at schools or parks for free. If your goal is really to get off the road, these might be ones to consider.

[Mark McM]

I ride the road from spring to fall, but the rest of the year I either (depending on the weather):

MTB
X-country ski
Roller ski
A little bit of running.

I don't enjoy the running as much, but it has a lower cost of entry, and because it requires less preparation/maintenance/travel it is also more time effective. Road running is more boring, so when I can I do trail running.

Is roller blading still a thing? It seems that I used to see roller bladers everywhere, but I don't see many now. A lot of my roller skiing is on rail trails. There are few of us out there, but it seems I see other roller skiers more often than I see roller bladers.