The webcycle – Good idea for forcing people to work out
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Even though I rarely use the internet for surfing, I know for a fact that it is very easy to waste time on internet and television. As mentioned in some of my earlier posts I find motivation to be the number one key to getting fit. So why not join the activities that are time wasters and you find fun with activities that are not that motivational like exercise bikes fitness or jogging on a treadmill?
A simple way to spice up your exercise is to put the television in front of your exercise bike and watch your favourite sports or series while working out. Two makers, Matt Gray and Tom Scott, have brought the idea of bringing fun and dull together by conneting a computer to a microcontroller that monitors your workout. If you are pedaling slowly, the internet will also run slowly, so you better keep up the pace.
Even though the “webcycle” prototype is pretty basic, it is a good idea. You could see the webcycle in action on Matt’s homepage.
Please post me a comment if you find similar crazy suggestions for spicing up your exercise.
Is today a good day to work out?
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I came across this nice article on eliteFTS describing a simple test that anyone can use to determine whether a day is good for working out or not. Basically you are testing your central nervous systems (CNS) responsiveness by tapping as fast as possible and recording the number of taps within a given time.
A google search suggests that 10 seconds is a good starting point. By recording the number of taps over time and checking wheter your tap rate is slower or faster than the average you should be able to find out wheter you have a fresh and ready CNS for training. The test is supposed to be a good starting point to plan your training. I will definitely check it out.
Please leave a comment if you have experiences with the finger tap test. I’m interested in learning about user experiences.