iPod – My Smallest Piece of Exercise Equipment December 13, 2005
I walked again this morning, and actually enjoyed it.
Finding Time
Getting up at 5:30am seems to solve my Time- and Guilt-based aversions to exercise. I’ve found the extra half-hour in my day by simply getting up earlier, and so far it doesn’t seem to require me going to bed earlier at night. And I don’t feel guilty about leaving my wife at home to get the kids ready without help, since they’re all still in bed at that time (including her!).
Dealing With Boredom
But the big killer for me in the past has been Boredom. There just isn’t enough interest in plain old walking to keep me motivated day after day, week after week. Sure, you can vary your route on different days, but it’s still pretty uninteresting.
I’ve found a solution that’s working for me, though, and it might also work for you.
Audio Books
I have a half-hour drive to work every day, which is normally pretty much dead time. There’s not a lot you can do in a car to use that time productively, so you end up just listening to mindless radio. Then a couple of years ago I discovered the audio book section in my local library, and tried listening to books on the way to work. It turns out to be a great use of that time! I was getting through a full book every week or two.
Podcasts
About a year ago I started downloading and listening to podcasts, which were even better as they were directly related to my own interests – most of the books on tape were targeted to the older residents of our town, and I’d already been through most of the ones that really interested me.
So, I’m taking my iPod out with me in the mornings and listening to podcasts that I’m really interested in. Walking is no longer boring – it’s like I’m getting up half an hour early to listen to podcasts while my body goes for a walk.
Banish Laziness Too!
As an unexpected side effect, listening to podcasts also helps me with my Laziness problem. Each episode of a podcast is usually 10 minutes to an hour long, so it’s pretty rare that I finish an episode just as I get home (whether driving or walking). Each morning, I’m keen to get up and get out walking because I’m interested to hear the rest of the episode. Today I even kept walking for about 10 minutes longer because I wanted to keep listening.
Finding Podcasts
To find podcasts, just install Apple’s iTunes (available for Windows or Mac) and click on the Podcasts tab. You can learn more about using iTunes for listening to podcasts at the Apple web site. Or if you don’t want to use iTunes, read about podcasting at Wikipedia, download an alternative podcatching client, and search for podcasts at Podcast Alley.
Other Sources of Audio
If you can’t find any podcasts you’re interested in, or you don’t have broadband and so can’t download them, try audio books. Most libraries have them tucked away somewhere, and it really isn’t hard to rip the CDs into your iPod so you can listen to them more easily. You can purchase audio books online via the iTunes Music Store or somewhere like Audible.com. You could also purchase used audio books on CD from eBay, and then sell them again after you’ve listened to them.
- Posted in : Exercise Equipment, Fitness Obstacles, Podcasts, Walking, iPod
- Author : admin
Comments»
[...] I think the single most important piece of exercise equipment I have is my iPod. Exercise has always been incredibly boring for me in the past, but listening to audio books and podcasts has been fantastic. I actually look forward to getting out and listening to the latest stuff! Being a gadget geek, my Polar heart monitor and Garmin GPS have also given me good motivation and a sense of progress as my fitness improved. [...]