In article ,
Jorg Lueke writes:
On Dec 5, 8:46*pm, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article ,
* * * * Jorg Lueke writes:



On Nov 30, 11:47*am, Peter Cole wrote:
Jorg Lueke wrote:
On Nov 29, 11:04 am, Peter Cole wrote:
I never understood the need for a trainer to be "realistic". I like mags
because they're cheap and reliable.

I think it's more fun when the resistance changes. *Like when you do
the hill course on the excercise club bikes. * Even with an mp3 player
standing still can get boring. *How hard are the mags in the lowest
gear?

Mine (Blackburn) is hard enough. I use it in a medium resistance setting
with a medium gear. You can always change the resistance on the fly by
changing gears. I usually watch a movie or some other TV when on the
trainer, so I only look for exercise, not entertainment.
Getting bored is a problem. *It's one of the big pluses for outdoor
cycling for me, it's one of the few activities I can stand to do for
more than 10 hours per week.

Outdoor[ish] activities that don't require bicycles
are quite possible during the bleak months.

I confess to enjoying ice skating. *Not Olympics,
hockey or (especially) figure skating stuff, just
plain old casual ice skating. *It doesn't combine real
transportation with physical exuberance in the same
manner as cycling, but neither does stationary cycling.

But at least you're really moving, and really going
somewhere. Even if it's around in ellipses, on an
indoor rink. *It's a little better than some sort of
hamster wheel.

Ice skates are basically heavy boots with cutlasses
bolted onto their soles. *Kicking those lead-weighted
things along seems to work sets of leg muscles that
bicycling overlooks.

And snowshoeing is increasingly becoming popular,
and people are realizing it isn't a simple matter
of striding along with tennis raquets tied to
your shoes.

You could euphemistically call it: "cross training."

cheers,
* * * * Tom

--
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I think cross country skiing might work for me too. I could start
getting my oldest onto skiis too. Of course knowing him he'll start
wanting to gop fast down big hills.

I could possibly get into skiing, too. I tried it a little,
a long time ago, before today's technological improvements
in equipment and clothing. I ended up cold, wet & miserable.
Of course I'd have to first suffer the ignonamy of the bunny hill
before I become somewhat enured. But I'm willing to take another
kick at the can.

I guess we all need bikes, rollers, trainers, skis-&-gear,
whitewater canoes & kayaks, fla****er canoes & kayaks,
ice skates, various raquets, a couple of really good
hackeysack bead bags, and somewhere to store it all.

At least a couple of hackeysack bead bags fit in
a dresser drawer. Unlike, say, golf or bowling
equipment, for which I have no need anyway.

A good round of 4-square hackeysack keeps one limber,
and keeps leg cramps, back spasms and sciatica at bay.
At least, it does for me, since so much of my work
involves physical labour. The worst thing for me to do
during a lunch break is to sit down and be suddenly
become idle. Gotta keep moving. Just change the movements.
A change is as good as a rest (if not better.)

Hackeysack among competitors with heavy steel-toed boots on
becomes an interesting and highly sporting enterprise.

If you take your oldest XC skiing with you, and he wants
to bomb down the steep hills, I guess he'll quickly realize
what hoofing it up the next slope entails in terms of effort.

And if you're combining XC with winter camping, and he's
packing some of the gear, you might have to relieve him of
some of his burden so he can gaspingly follow you up the hill
and realize that although you're older, you're certainly
no weakling, and you've still got more jam than he does.
That's a preciously Classic father/son moment. That's when
fatherhood clicks into place.

What were we talking about?

Oh, yeah -- mag vs fluid trainers.

I don't think it really matters, when we're talking
about things that resemble hamster wheels. If you
can get some stuff that allows you to get of the house,
you'll enjoy a little freedom. Whomever you leave in
the house gets to enjoy a little freedom, too. Win-win.
Except for the offsprings who get enlisted by Mom to help
clean house. They have to learn.


cheers,
Tom

--
"BLAAAGGHHH!!!!!!!!" -- I just felt like being expressive,
and saying what's on everybody's mind.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca