Exercise without tears

Weather permitting, I like to ride a bike when I have time. Otherwise, it's a 20min walk to and from the train on my daily commute, but that's really not enough.
 
I move around a lot: living in a downtown area so that you walk more and do your shopping on foot; weekend walking expeditions with or without a camera. My number one exercise is swimming: in SE Asia and in Western Europe you'll always find a nearby swimming pool.
 
So the huskies take you for a walk?

I understand they are an active breed and you must give them something to do or they will find something and you probably will not like it.

Wonderful dogs IMHO.

Neighbor rescued one and she was too old to walk her, so I purchased a 50 foot training lead and walked her. We had fun at the park. Problem was she kept escaping from the house and found sitting under a sprinkler at a shopping center 2 miles down the road. She said she was surprised the dog could go 2 miles. I explained how they pull a sled 70 miles! There is no fix for stupid.
 
I'm 90% with you, Roger. One of the best decisions I've ever made was the decision to make photography what I do when I'm not doing something else. That means I carry a camera with me most everywhere I go, and I'm looking for ways to use that camera when I'm not focusing on something else in particular. That has come to mean commuting by foot, giving me about 70km of photography opportunities each week. Exercise is merely a consequence, which makes it far easier to adhere to than the guilt/shame that most people use to motivate themselves to move more. Cycling to retrieve quality bread is an even better motive to move.

One 5% difference is that I do actually like the transcendentalist notion of walking through nature as being an inherent good; still, liking the idea rarely translates into my going outside. The other 5% difference is that, in my experience, intellectual limitations never dissuade people from intellectual pursuits (and intellectual strengths never ensure that a given individual will engages of pursuits that exercise them). I find the company of those who aren't very smart but who are very interested to be far preferable to those who are extremely bright yet only care about, e.g., money, sports, or handbags. But I digress.

I do rather appreciate seeing an article on exercise that says, "nothing works for everyone, but here's what works for me." I wish more writers took that approach.

Cheers,
Jon
 
One of the big reasons I do belong to the gym is the social aspect. Meet a lot of folks there for a pleasant interchange. Plenty to talk about since the election---and Roger--I really enjoy your writings. Thank you!
Paul
 
Paulbe said:
One of the big reasons I do belong to the gym is the social aspect. Meet a lot of folks there for a pleasant interchange. Plenty to talk about since the election---and Roger--I really enjoy your writings. Thank you!
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Dear Paul,

as a misanthropist, I'd say, it's rather a place where dubious morals are at home, and «social aspect» and «pleasant interchange» can be euphemisms for, e.g., adultery. ;)
 
Ronald M said:
So the huskies take you for a walk?

I understand they are an active breed and you must give them something to do or they will find something and you probably will not like it.

Wonderful dogs IMHO.

Neighbor rescued one and she was too old to walk her, so I purchased a 50 foot training lead and walked her. We had fun at the park. Problem was she kept escaping from the house and found sitting under a sprinkler at a shopping center 2 miles down the road. She said she was surprised the dog could go 2 miles. I explained how they pull a sled 70 miles! There is no fix for stupid.
Click to expand...

Exactly Ronald,

I've had huskies since I was 9, great breed!
Mine had never done any damage other than dig a few holes in the lawns and pull out a shrub or two, that interfered with their view into the kitchen window... lol

They are escape artists and do need a good fence!

cheers/k.
 
To start at the nadir, I can imagine few things more awful than paying large sums of money to take mindless exercise in a gymnasium, pedalling a stationary bicycle, rowing a stationary boat, or raising and lowering weights for the sake of raising and lowering weights.

But what I would never do, even if I could afford it, is join a gym.
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Exactly the point. I don't know how I've been surrounded by gym guys, I've always resisted against joining. A part of me says I should, so I'd have developed my upper body musculature a lot. I do ride bicycle though.

Excluding social gathering, perhaps less productive, but doing the mechanical excercises and chatting with a companion does make the gym rather entretaining. The first, only, and last time I went to the local gym was with a friend under an invitation and we spent (rather pleasant!) 4h or so. Treadmill, Weight lifting, pool and Jacuzzi bath. The latter part was nice!
I really should do strength training but it is so boring, I have to pay to be locked indoors instead of enjoying outdoors.

I bicycle, particularly to enjoy the outdoors and it's a nice way of moving, faster than on foot. Another note is that I dislike driving because of the concentration and tension it requires.
 
When I retired from full time work I did something I had been toying with for years. I took up iaido. Iaido is the art of Japanese sword handling (or the art of "drawing the sword" as the Japanese call it). It is all very Zen and reminds me somewhat of Tai Chi - but with 30 inches of razor sharp steel. (OK we use a blunt sword for most training to avoid losing too many arms and heads).

Does it work as an exercise? Well the guy who teaches us is 84 years old and probably more fit than I am and I am 20+ years younger than he is. He is certainly more fit than 99.9% of other 84 year olds. I took it up because I have long had a love affair with Japanese history and culture not so much because I wanted exercise - but of course I did it for this too. But if I just wanted exercise I might have been tempted to join a gym (again).

Here is my point, Roger has exactly the right idea in this regard - if you want to exercise do something that interests and engages you and use this as your opportunity to exercise. Do something you love. Exercise is painful and often boring. That is why 80% of gym memberships are not used after the first 3 months (well, mine probably wasn't used after 1 month). But if you are doing something that you really enjoy it stops being "exercise" and becomes "living".
 
^"fad gadget" , Would these possibly be yours ? Peter
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BLESS YOU, Roger! I saved the article to my downloads and I can assure you, I will read it and re-read it, often. At last, I find somebody who thinks about exercise the way I do. And my favorite way of getting exercise is walking around with a camera. That's how I get my exercise. And yes, I have belonged to a gym (not my style, I'm too indolent) and I didn't think much of team sports when I was in school, although I did like running track because I went out for events like running the mile, which isn't about teamwork.

Anyway, wonderful article, and a fun read. Thank you once again!

With best regards,

Pfreddee(Stephen)
 
Lovely article, Roger.

For past two years my wife and I have been going to the gym five times week. We go early morning around 8 – 9 o’clock for about an hour and a half. It sets us up for the day.

Sounds a lot, but it’s nothing strenuous; a bit of cardio, weights and floor exercises. As a result, we’re fitter and leaner, and my hypertension has come down dramatically.

Also, we walk, usually about 3 - 5 miles a day. When in London for the day wandering about we can walk twelve miles.

Each to their own.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with exercise for its own sake is not enjoyable.

When I was young I absolutely hated running. It was something I avoided doing at all costs. But then I was camping with a friend, and there was a lookout that was 5km on a narrow trail from the campsite and it would be wonderful at sunset and we could make it if we ran. He said we wouldn't have to run fast, just a little faster than a brisk walk. I hated it for the first 4km or so and then all of a sudden it was so relaxing and peaceful, almost meditative. We ran back the campsite in the dark with head torches. Even better.

Now I run as often as I can, but the first few k's is always a battle until my body and mind settles into it. It is relaxing and meditative, and if I don't go, my wife tells me I have to because I get unbearable. If you told me when I was 20 that running was relaxing and meditative I'd have laughed at you, but here I am.

I bore anyone who'll listen with how excellent running is and I've introduced a few people into the LSD running regime (Long, Slow, Distance). I've also worked out why I, and so many other people) hated running. The first reason is we think we have to go really fast, and the second is that because we try to go too fast, it hurts and we stop before we get into the zone. I was taught the way to start running was Easy (don't try too hard - you should be able to talk), Light (you shouldn't be able to hear your footfalls), Smooth (you shouldn't be bouncing up and down), and then Fast (once you've successfully mastered easy, light, and smooth, then you're already going fast).

The big problem I have with running is that is strips you of muscle mass. I grew up windsurfing and used to have biceps, now I have noodle arms. So I make sure I do as much incidental exercise as I can that involves some sort of strength aspect. I've been known to drop an do so push ups once in a while when I get bored...

I also walk to work (5km each way) a few times a week and try not to drive if I can avoid it.
 
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