Selfseeds 3 Positions on the Stationary Bicycle www.Selfseeds.com

Photo credit: Heather Marsh

Starting to get the line-up of new Selfseeds fitness excerpts organized.  Having a really fun time making up exercises, putting together small variations, and discovering how to have interactive fun while playing at the adult playground/gym.  I have been a professional athlete for a long time and involved with the discipline of keeping fit, balanced, and flexible.  During the past 5 months, I wanted to see if I could “workout,” but really have fun with it all.  Maybe I am not typical, but part of having fun is doing something that requires focus, awareness, presence, and integrative challenges.  When I can get bored,  I start losing focus on the quality of what I am doing.  Years of training have required that to be the discipline point–you keep going, push harder, or focus on technique.  While looking at ways to find the fun in that discipline point, I discovered changing things up in small increments or challenging my stability has helped me keep present and focused.  For example, working with the three positions on the bike, I created two different workouts that made me think and work.

A. 1 hour (the time can easily be adjusted) of cardio on the stationary bicycle: 5 minutes sitting, 5 minutes standing, and 5 minutes hovering.  Using this 15 minute rotation four times for a total of an hour.

B. 1 hour (the time can easily be adjusted) of cardio on the stationary bicycle: 1 minute sitting, 2 minutes standing, and 2 minutes hovering. Using this 5 minute sequence 12 times for a total of an hour.

I found that I cycled harder and farther when I did workout “B.”  The mental boredom and physical fatigue were less likely to become a factor, so I found myself cycling harder and faster.  I liked using Plan “A” when I felt like cruising, getting a good cardio workout, and grooving with my tunes.  Overall, both plans created mileage differences of only a few miles, but my mental outlook was different and I went with how I felt approaching the hour or so of cycling.  Unfortunately, staying fit or creating fitness requires work, but by having flexibility/options has infused the fitness game with fun.