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I mentioned exercise in a previous post. Part of my
intention in getting a car was to also get a bicycle, but by the time I
bought mine it was too cold for me to be happy riding outdoors. I'd
encountered an industrial strength exercise bike about six months ago
during a visit to my sister, so my next idea was to get one one of
those. But the home versions I found in stores didn't please me, and
spending over a thousand bucks for a mail-order exercise bike that
might be better wasn't very appealing either.
Finally I decided to get a real bicycle, one I could ride outdoors in
warmer weather, and a trainer, a little gizmo with a roller that the
rear wheel rests on, which lets it spin but also provides friction. A
heart rate monitor/cycle computer gives me feedback about how well I'm
keeping my heart in the target zone, and will stay on the bike when I
ride outside.
The final piece of the puzzle is a complete set of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer DVDs. Most weekdays I visit Marsha after work, go home, set
up my notebook computer on my desk, get on the bike, and watch one
45-minute episode. That's a good solid exercise session, long enough to
accomplish something, short enough to be doable.
My heart rate monitor claims I burn up 400 to 500 calories, and I'm
usually less hungry afterward than I otherwise would be, so I ought to
be losing weight. The scale says maybe half a pound a week, but
it's really too early to tell. And it's too soon to be confident that
I'll keep this up long-term, but I'm hoping to, with one or two break
days a week. (Eeek! What am I going to do the week of Witchcamp and
other out-of-town trips?) If I do, I'll run out of Buffy and the
related Angel series in six to eight months. Presumably I'll
watch less and ride outdoors more in the warmer months, but even so...
Let's see: When Marsha and I watched TV together, we sometimes watched
Babylon Five, and I've always wondered what it would be like to
see it all the way through in sequence. And some of the other shows we
used to watch are probably available and relatively cheap. And I hear
good things about Veronica Mars and Battlestar Galactica.
And there are always, er, reruns. |
