Blog: Exercise

Exercising and I don't generally get along. The main problem is that I like mental stimulation - I read a lot, multitask on the computer while I watch TV, etc. - and exercise is booooring. Running on a treadmill and watching TV, I just can't stop thinking about how tired I feel and how annoying the running is and I'm thirsty and how many minutes are left? And if there's no TV, that's ten times worse. Biking at least makes the scenery go by faster, but it doesn't make enough of a difference.

Dance Dance Revolution has solved this problem. If I play it for an hour, at the end I'm not thinking about how tired I am, I'm thinking about whether I can fit in a few more songs before I have to go meet people for dinner. I'm working up a sweat without really noticing.

I've thought this could be the answer to my exercise blues for a while, but I lived in a brownstone with wood floors and I knew that it would drive my downstairs neighbor crazy. We got some pads at work, but there isn't really time to work out at work, plus I'd have to remember to carry a change of clothes to and from work. Now I live in a building with concrete floors, and the guy in the rental office specifically said I could jump up and down and it wouldn't disturb anyone. I hope so. In the meantime, I'll keep working on my triple eighth-note combos.