exercise

[serenissima]

Types of exercise which I would like, or would not mind, and inhibiting factors

Walking
Pro: - cheap, simple
Con: - neighborhood is very moderately attractive at best
     - for a more pleasant environs, must drive
     - heat in summer, cold & dark in winter

Hiking
Pro: - pleasant environment
     - cheap, simple
Con: - difficult not to come home with TICKS
     - must drive to a suitable park
     - heat in summer, cold & dark in winter

Bicycling
Pro: - speed makes this a more pleasant activity than hoofing it
Con: - would have to purchase a bike & helmet. $200?
     - lack of sidewalks, might have to ride in street
     - if riding in a park, would have to purchase a bike rack & drive there
     - heat in summer, cold & dark in winter

Lift dumbells
Pro: - I already own a pair of small dumbells (5 lb. IIRC)
     - indoor activity insulated from extreme temperatures
Con: - rather boring
     - would have to research moves (one-time effort)
     - some moves require lying on floor, which is not clean: extra housekeeping maintenance

Dancing
Pro: - enjoyable interactive activity
     - indoor activity insulated from extreme temperatures
Con: - classes are too expensive
     - not always convenient to get to class (rainstorm, working late, etc.)
     - living room does not provide sufficient space to practice

Jump rope
See entry for walking. Also,
Con: - I would look silly.

Roller blade
Pro: - speed makes this a more pleasant activity than hoofing it
     - I already own equipment, must just have it shipped from parents' house
Con: - lack of sidewalks, might have to skate in street
     - if skating in a park, would have to drive there
     - heat in summer, cold & dark in winter

Martial art e.g. kung fu
See entry for dancing. Also,
Con: - would probably have to purchase sparring gear

Skiing
Pro: - lots of fun due to speed & scenery
Con: - only feasible in winter
     - must make a day trip of it at least, therefore only feasible on weekends
     - very expensive: lift ticket & equipment rental

The challenge with all of these, of course, is finding time in the three hours or so I have between coming home from work and going to bed.

Comments

[faeri.livejournal.com]

a couple of my friends have taken up salsa dancing for exercise/enjoyment. one of them goes to classes but one has bought a video with three levels of difficulty on it. you work your way up to doing half an hour, i think. it's really good exercise (she lost half a stone by doing it 5days a week after work) and it's fun. i dunno what you want to do the exercise for but some sort of video should be pretty easy to fit in.

i also got some free yoga DVDS (on packs of specialK :) and those are less than 1/2 hour and it's v. entertaining trying to get yrself into all the weird positions. :) ps. it also really chilled me out and i could drift right off to sleep afterwards so it's prob a v. good thing to do before bed.

anyway DVDS/vids are probably going to be a lot less expensive than classes or buying equipment.

[copperwolf.livejournal.com]

Yah... one day a while back I was looking at Pilates videos on Amazon.... The thing is, if I do anything in my living room, that means I'll have to keep the living room uncluttered and clean. ;) But it's certainly a good idea.