I’ve lost my mojo with the bike at the moment, even the great weather this week hasn’t got me out.

So thinking about whether I should give something else a go for a while as I desperately need to do some form of exercise to get back in shape.

I’ve given loads of sports a go over the years (football my favourite) but at 51 feel my choices are more limited now.

Just thought some of you might be able to give me some ideas?

Always felt that it's good if one can create something at the same time as exercising. Often, my particular take on that is conservation work. Gyms for example seem a total waste of an opportunity in my mind, although I suppose you could hitch the treadmill to a generator.

Depending where you live, fell running can be great as it's the same outdoors bit, and needs minimal extra equipment compared to bike riding - pretty much a pair of shoes.

Otherwise, if you are married/cohabiting then is there something new and outdoors to do together?

First up, good on ya for reaching out. I've been there and it is hard.

Does slightly depend if you live in the city or hills?

What worked for me was two things; one vague and fluffy with the other concrete.

Fluffy was rebuilding the attitude of moving the body. The important part of this is doing something, anything, every day for 15 minutes. The most accessible and what I did was walking, but with the attitude of exploring rather than Sport Exercise, Athleticism. This could also be sawing wood, digging an allotment, active travel, press ups before you shower?

The second is find something new and highly technique driven. The reason for this is that you see positive progress faster than your body would be able to adapt, by which time you are hooked and on the right path. For me this was climbing. I'd suggest you search mountaineering club "location you live". It's kinda like bikes but not quite?

I'd second the fell running suggestion - very simple in terms of kit, just a pair of suitable shoes and for night running a decent headtorch. Due to joint problems (general life related not specific to any sport) I no longer do it but I could get home, get changed and be out of the door in ten minutes and be out for an hour's run. Does help that we live out in the country and in a hilly area! If you are competitive in any way then fell races are about as egalitarian a sport as you'll come across - men, women, teenagers, vets, national/world champions, newbies will be on the same start line.

There's also orienteering - which you could say is "technical" running. Greg May of this parish does it quite a bit so he'll know more.

Climbing used to be my main sport for thirty years - much more investment needed kit wise but does depend on which "type" of climbing you end up doing: bouldering just needs shoes, chalk bag and ideally a landing mat; as soon as you introduce ropes into the equation you need a harness, belay device, quickdraws (to connect rope to protection) and if you are doing trad climbing you need the protection devices as well. It's a bit like cycling in that you need the frame, wheels, drivetrain, etc.

If you enjoyed the football, what about coaching? One of my friends does it (57?) and it keeps him in that circle and also gets his social contact too.

Can you get one of your mates to play squash? Just have a few gentle games rather than running into walls and being competitive…

Personally, hill walking is my alternative. Great to go out with mrs-voodoo and have a long chat, see some scenery and have a coffee out. Does involve more driving though but less messing about with cleaning bikes etc at the of the day

Have tried running but it was only fell/trail running that ‘did it for me’, enjoy running where I couldn’t ride or in the winter when it’s slop!

Bike wise, last winter I bought an OS map and I colour in each square I cycle through, great for motivation as it’s making me think about riding new places to me and exploring a bit more. It also kept the short rides interesting as I would ride to places I’d maybe normally wouldn’t.

Can you theme your rides? Exploring local churches, historical sites, trig points etc etc I find sometimes I need a destination if my motivation is low rather than going out and seeing where I get to.

if you are married/cohabiting then is there something new and outdoors to do together?

I can see where this is leading

Hill walking for me - like running but less effort and chance of injuries. It's quite nice wandering across a tussocky moor without having to drag a bike along with you...

I took up running at 50 due to a lack of time - I can be out of the door in under 5 minutes, get a decent amount of exercise from my front door and still have a shower all inside my lunch hour. I still prefer cycling but I can’t get around the fact that I can run a 5k in around the same amount of time it would normally take to extract my bike from the garage, pump up the tires, fill bottles, faff around finding food and all the other things that had become a ritual in getting out on the bike.

Weightlifting
Just walking around

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 5:46 pm

if you are married/cohabiting then is there something new and outdoors to do together?

I can see where this is leading

sigh!

RIP wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 1:28 pm Often, my particular take on that is conservation work.

And as luck would have it, it was so hot today that just now I felt it was incumbent upon me to go and water my little babies down at the river in the park at the end of our road. Not water-babies, no, water babies. Over many years I've reared saplings from acorns, hazelnuts, and conkers, and guerilla-planted them on waste ground across the river.

There's probably about 30 oaks, 10 hazels, and 5 chestnuts, along with around 50 hawthorns. I also managed to get hold of a few very rare black poplars and bung those in too. The poplars are now about 20 feet high, and the biggest oak maybe 12 feet.

Anyroadup, the reason I mention it here is watering the blasted things takes a lot of effort and exercise, generally every two weeks and once a week for this year's newbies. I refuse to lose any, so far only a handful have failed.

I take two 10L watering cans with me. This time, for a bit of fun, I counted how many I required. Sixty six! Took me nearly two hours. Now, since this is the exercise thread, I reckon that's 660 litres, or two thirds of a tonne. The bank I have to lug them up is about ten feet high and I've cut steps into it (apologies for mixed units here). So, that's the equivalent of lifting one litre of water well over a mile high.

Considering I'm not normally remotely interested in counting any biking miles, km, heartrates, blah, I surprised myself carrying out that little calculation.

Perhaps some really keen student of fitness could tell me then how many calories I burned lifting that one litre (*) up six thousand six hundred and sixty feet....

So, conservation work. Good, and useful, exercise. Yes this probably should be in with all the other ridiculousness over on Cheery Friday, ah well.

(*) plus my lithe carcase too of course - 63kg

One of me babbies, "Geraldine":

Extra energy used is the same as the work done against gravity, so m.g.h, which would be about 22,000J or 22kJ or 6kCal...

Obviously, the body isn't totally efficient, and you also need the muscular energy to grip them and move, but sadly it's not a lot!

sorry for the nerdiness...

Now, if you include your own weight we are looking more like 400kCal which is about 2 large or 3 330ml cans of beer

Well I'm having a 330ml can right now, so that's a third of my calories replaced.....

Urban running and trail running along with CrossFit, rowing, skierg. I also used to do a lot of water sports, windsurfing and kites. But now it’s more sea kayaking and surfing. The other half has started getting into running with me and now owns road and trail shoes. She has also started suing ha gym and now thinks it’s time for pair of gym shoes. Luckily she is into cold water swimming so won’t need any more water toys!

Anything you can do outdoors in nature is good for you mental health as well is fitness. The joy of birds and animal interactions while out trail running is amazing.

Frequently - squash and TKD - at least once a week for each.

Alternatively - packrafting, walking (dogs, hills, whatever), indoor rowing (great when I do it but struggle to establish a habit), kettlebells, climbing (in and out but oh so very rarely), yoga.

As an exercise-induced asthmatic I always struggled to run. When I bust a hand in my late forties the only exercise release was to try a C25K. It was revelatory and whilst I'd never be fast or go far it was great. All the points people make about ease, simplicity etc etc. But I fecked myself (ankle rolled, plantar fasciitis etc) and subsequent covid-pounds make it something I'm hesitant to restart. Just be careful when you start, is all I guess I'm saying.

Believe it or not…

I run

Well lardy shuffle rather than run, i also treat sweapstakes as a competitive sport.

Used to swim three times a week, and go to the gym. These days I do a spot of ice skating.

My son got me into Airsoft just before covid struck, now I go more than him.

If just riding the bike isn't doing it how a about giving it some purpose? Could you combine it with something else? Birdwatching, photography, visiting every grid square in your area, making up rood words on Strava with your routes?