I just bought an exercise bike

[Mihx]

Well, actually I already got two a couple of weeks ago, but that cheap ($400), Chinese plastic crap had factory defects so I had to send them back.

I've just assembled the third one today - a different brand, slightly less cheap and a bit more advanced, but in many areas looking distinctly like it came from the same Chinese factory .

It's working though - and hopefully it will continue to do so for more than a couple of months, or days - so now I'm looking forward to hopefully being able to convince myself to get some regular exercise for the first time in almost five years.
I've tried running - but I would really rather jump out head first from a tall building.
I've tried walking - and I do move around outside on average a couple of kilometers a day, but actually getting up to a pace and distance where it's decent exercise hasn't been easy for a spineless wimp like me .
I've been trying to convince myself going to a gym again (worked out 5+ days a week when I was a teenager, and somewhat more sporadically through the first half of my twenties) - but I'm too lazy. You know, packing a bag, getting on the bus. Straining stuff like that.

With an exercise bike plugged in and ready to go in the bedroom, I hope can finally convince myself to get into shape again - it's sure as hell been a long time since I didn't loose my breath going up a few flights of stairs .
And I've got those excess 25 pounds to get rid off as well.
Hopefully all that should be managable this year with that bike, and a bit of muscular exercise with some hand weights, pushups etc.
And I don't even need to go out, or pack a bag, or get on a bus .

Anyone else who's been getting increasingly more lazy - and in much worse shape - as they've gotten older?
I guess many people will naturally slow down, but at only 31 I really don't have any other excuses than sheer laziness and too many hours in front of my computer and TV.

[GerardX]

I will turn 31 in August and I have to admit that I'm a lazy guy too. TV, PC, poker online...

Maybe I'll buy the exercise bike myself.

[ScreaM]

Wow, I feel like the fittest guy on this board.

[slaxxx]

I should probably do that too, Mihx. But I'd probably spend more time reading reviews of other exercise bikes instead of actually using it..

Have you used this one yet? Or did assembling it count as today's exercise?

[Eva PSC]

i have always wanted to put a tread mill in my living room in front of tv and make a rule that if i ever want to watch tv i am only allowed to do so if i keep moving on the thread mill in the meanwhile

but i don't have enough space

[amj-marvin]

good idea.. i will be doing that soon too. well, actually being always in front of a computer makes you lazy!!

[born2blog]

Originally Posted by Mihx

Anyone else who's been getting increasingly more lazy - and in much worse shape - as they've gotten older?

I recently turned 30 and haven't exercised in ages. I think I'm gonna buy a mountain bike soon though for the spring and summer coming up!

[SykkBoy]

exercise bikes make awesome clothing racks ;-)

[Mihx]

Originally Posted by slaxxx

I should probably do that too, Mihx. But I'd probably spend more time reading reviews of other exercise bikes instead of actually using it..

Have you used this one yet? Or did assembling it count as today's exercise?

I took a short 15 minute spin - a bit unexpectedly I ended up with a sore ass before I ran out of breath .
Though considering I haven't sat on a bike for probably seven or eight years now, I guess that shouldn't have come as much of a surprise.

I expect to start out with 20-25 minutes a day this first week (wouldn't want any vital organs to give up due to unusual stress ), and then slowly ramp it up.

Despite the cheapish materials and somewhat shoddy construction, it actually seems like a decent enough bike. Heart rate monitor built into the handlebars (didn't take much pedalling for me to get to 130+ ), a bunch of varied exercise programs handled by the computer rather than through manual and mechanical adjustment of the resistance, BMI/BMR/fat percentage calculation (scary numbers), pulse recovery rate etc.

I think my next purchase is going to be a 23" LCD TV to hang on the wall in front of the bike - might keep me on it for a bit longer at a time , and I wouldn't mind a small TV in the bedroom anyway.

[fresh]

I have real bicycle, nothing beats riding outside. And denmark is one of those countries where bikes are extremely popular

[Mihx]

Originally Posted by fresh

I have real bicycle, nothing beats riding outside. And denmark is one of those countries where bikes are extremely popular

That's because is so damn flat .

In any case, actually taking a bike outside would be right up there with running as a plausible way of exercising for me.
Wind, weather, traffic, bike maintanance. I just wouldn't have the willpower to get started and stick with it long enough to reach that point where you start getting into shape again and enjoying it, rather than hating it because it feels too much like hard work.
Life is so much easier on a stationary bike. Well, unless you're actually planning on going somewhere of course .

I just did another 15 minutes. Fortunately my ass went numb after the first five this time .

[blogman]

Originally Posted by fresh

I have real bicycle, nothing beats riding outside. And denmark is one of those countries where bikes are extremely popular

Me too, in Poland it's best way to move in City.

[Strickie]

I've been thinking about getting one...thanks for reminding me.

[Auf Mauf]

Its always good to exercise. I work out 30 min in the morning before i start with work.

[Kamilla]

I too don't get to the gym as often as I like, now that I live in Sweden and don't have a gym around the corner or in the actual building where I live! lol But I love jogging and have been doing that. But with the climate here, it's not always possible. So I got a exercise bike last year and it's in my livingroom. I get on it a few times per week, after work and before shower and dinner. I can always squeeze in an hour on the bike and watch a Gray's Anatomy rerun that I've missed lol
So good luck Mihx, hope it works for you too

[Sarah_MaxCash]

I do 40 minutes on my exercise bike most mornings. I have set it up so it faces a tv/computer monitor with a dvd player and I have been working my way through tv shows I missed the first time around. Usually one episode of a drama is a session. I made my way through the entire Sopranos that way. I have to hit it right after getting out of bed or I know I won't come back and do it.

[ScreaM]

Originally Posted by fresh

I have real bicycle, nothing beats riding outside. And denmark is one of those countries where bikes are extremely popular

Agreed. Running/cycling outside is way better than any tread-mill/exercise bike.

[seven]

I have a real bike and I plan to use it
just the weather sucks ... it supposed to be spring for almost 2 weeks ago but it's still raining almost every day

[karl]

I lost 2 stone in a few months by walking 5 miles a day and eating healthy

[Mihx]

Just finished 20 minutes on the bike - again my ass gave up before I got anywhere near real exhausted . Gotta take a few days of getting used to.

Aside from a sore ass, it seems like I've actually picked a somewhat pleasant form of exercise. I had expecting to be gasping for breath and sweating like mad, but even at a fairly steady pace of 25-30 km/h and varied resistance (still the lower levels though ) it actually feels great. My heart rate is up to 120-140 and I can certainly feel my leg muscles working in ways they haven't for a long time, but I don't at all feel like I'm about to get a minor heart attack, as I very quickly did last Summer when I tried to do a combination of brisk walking and short runs.