Exercise
So one of my goals now that I no longer work for a living is to become more physically fit, hopefully losing a good bit of poundage in the process. In the interest of trying to find exercise I might actually do on a regular basis, I discovered something called a Fitdesk. It's essentially a small stationary bike, but set up with a desk on it so you can put a laptop on it and exercise while you are on the computer. Given that I am capable of spending hours a day on the computer, I read reviews (mostly very favorable) and told the spousal unit I was going to order one.
(Side note, they aren't exactly cheap although compared with a lot of home exercise equipment they aren't too bad. I was able to locate an on-line discount coupon that acquired the thing for $270, free shipping.)
To my surprise, the man actually thought this was a good idea. So I ordered it. It arrived during the pre-Pennsic preparation fury, so I dragged it into the dining room where it would not be in the way of our staging area, and didn't bother opening it until this past week. The spousal unit put it together Friday night and yesterday--it isn't simple, and beyond my technologically-declined skill, though he said it really wasn't difficult. First obstacle--there's a little plastic drawer that goes under the desk surface, and one of its tracks was broken. Okay, the reviews had said the company had great customer service, so I emailed them yesterday. I got a personal reply within two hours--on a Saturday, no less--promising to send out not one, but two replacement drawers first thing Monday morning! Why two, I'm not sure, but whatever...
Anyway, on the experience of two days' use, this just might work well for me. I waste a lot of time on the computer, surfing the net and playing solitaire, and I've spent the last two days doing a fairly extended session on it. I can work up a sweat and an elevated heart rate, and according to its calorie counter I burned 200 calories yesterday and 257 today. This is time I would have burned maybe 10 calories normally, so this is all to the good. It's quiet and while there is a strap to secure the laptop, it doesn't jiggle at all as far as I can see. The only problem so far is the seat is not at all comfortable. This may be partly a matter of acclimatization, but I'm not convinced that's all of it. I tossed a sheepskin on top of it and that helped a little, but I bet I can acquire some kind of bicycle pad. Good point: once I'm on it, even when I'm tired, my tendency is to keep pedaling because it feels natural to do so!
It seems to be a good idea so far. I'm not reliably walking in the park or using the Wii Fit (and when I do Wii Fit I tend to really like some of the balance games, which aren't nearly as calorie-burning as some of the other activities, so this might help. And since I'm burning time on the stupid laptop anyway, this will utilize that time for something not completely unproductive.
(Side note, they aren't exactly cheap although compared with a lot of home exercise equipment they aren't too bad. I was able to locate an on-line discount coupon that acquired the thing for $270, free shipping.)
To my surprise, the man actually thought this was a good idea. So I ordered it. It arrived during the pre-Pennsic preparation fury, so I dragged it into the dining room where it would not be in the way of our staging area, and didn't bother opening it until this past week. The spousal unit put it together Friday night and yesterday--it isn't simple, and beyond my technologically-declined skill, though he said it really wasn't difficult. First obstacle--there's a little plastic drawer that goes under the desk surface, and one of its tracks was broken. Okay, the reviews had said the company had great customer service, so I emailed them yesterday. I got a personal reply within two hours--on a Saturday, no less--promising to send out not one, but two replacement drawers first thing Monday morning! Why two, I'm not sure, but whatever...
Anyway, on the experience of two days' use, this just might work well for me. I waste a lot of time on the computer, surfing the net and playing solitaire, and I've spent the last two days doing a fairly extended session on it. I can work up a sweat and an elevated heart rate, and according to its calorie counter I burned 200 calories yesterday and 257 today. This is time I would have burned maybe 10 calories normally, so this is all to the good. It's quiet and while there is a strap to secure the laptop, it doesn't jiggle at all as far as I can see. The only problem so far is the seat is not at all comfortable. This may be partly a matter of acclimatization, but I'm not convinced that's all of it. I tossed a sheepskin on top of it and that helped a little, but I bet I can acquire some kind of bicycle pad. Good point: once I'm on it, even when I'm tired, my tendency is to keep pedaling because it feels natural to do so!
It seems to be a good idea so far. I'm not reliably walking in the park or using the Wii Fit (and when I do Wii Fit I tend to really like some of the balance games, which aren't nearly as calorie-burning as some of the other activities, so this might help. And since I'm burning time on the stupid laptop anyway, this will utilize that time for something not completely unproductive.