Distract me from the exercise

[forgotten_aria]

I'm liking the elliptical so far, but I have the problem I have with all exercise which is, even with the TV on, all I can think is "is it over yet? am I done? this is so BORING!" This is why DDR was such a win. I was having so much fun I didn't notice the exercise. I feel like my body is missing something that makes exercise more fun for other people, like I don't get ANY endorphins or something. The elliptical is also much more of a workout than it at first feels when you get on. But then I get off all sweaty and tired, which is good.

Anyway, bottom line is I'm working out, which is progress. I hope I can keep with it and improve my fitness, because it is really driving home that fact that while I have good upper body strength, my cardio and lower body is out of shape.

Of course I hope desperately to loose some of the 70+ pounds I'm overweight too, but I'm trying to focus on the fitness, since focusing on the weight will just make me sad when it doesn't actually come off.

I've also been enjoying fitocracy.com which is an RPG for fitness, though their numbers seem a bit weird (very heavily slanted towards weight lifting over cardio) and I can't find the names for some of the exercises I've enjoyed doing.

But hey, at least some progress.

Comments

[dcltdw]

Wow, I hear you on boring. "Can I hear a giant NO KIDDING from the audience, please?" Yeah, gotcha covered on that one. :)

In the Unsolicited Advice department: have you considered a spreadsheet? I find that geeking out on my running spreadsheet is very rewarding. "But... but... I need to run X miles today, because then the thingamabobber in column C will be past the magic value Q!!!eleventyone!!" Stupid, but there it is. :)

I wonder if Run Zombie Run or whatever the app game is suitable for ellipticals. Maybe? You start the app and start running, and it narrates how you're running away from zombies. But that may be a GPS game -- i.e., it tracks how far/fast you've gone, and thus narrates accordingly. Hrm.

[shaggy-man.livejournal.com]

I've been using "Zombies, Run!" which does require GPS for some features, at least on Android devices. I understand they're planning accelerometer support so you can, for example, run on a treadmill, which may or may not help on other exercise machines. And I infer from context that this may already be supported on other platforms.

[jadia.livejournal.com]

I totally want the run zombie run game but I do not have the right phone. Oh well. :-)

I also have the same feelings you have about the elliptical type exercise. Meh! I was able to consistently do that for a few years but now I fail at doing it. I think it's just because running or elliptical-ing is just not fun. There are other things that I actually find fun - I don't get endorphins from running but I do get them from biking, oddly enough. (Not indoor biking, but outdoor is very fun for me.) I think this is why I'm so into rock climbing and horseback riding now - it's exercise that is actually *fun*! It's a weird concept.

[shaggy-man.livejournal.com]

What is keeping you from using DDR now? Joint impact, at a guess, since you're doing ellipticals?

Anyway, given that, focusing on finding exercise you enjoy (or ways to inject entertainment into your workouts) seems like a smart approach.

[forgotten-aria.livejournal.com]

I got to a plateau and lost interest. Now I can't really get back into it because my brain can process faster than my body can do, and so I get worn out or bored and quite frustrated, so I've never gotten back in the habit. A lot of the motivation for me was the progression and feeling of accomplishment. I'm the type of personality to not be able to feel accomplished relearning something.