Exercise

I few months ago my girlfriend got all health-motivated and picked up an exercise bike off of eBay from a family in Staten Island. Actually, she got two; the first one was a horrible contraption that my parents brought down from NH for us. It was kind of like a rowing machine, except the handlebar was connected to the seat in a very strange way so that when you pulled it toward you, the seat raised about a foot and a half a tilted forward so you're almost standing. Basically, think of a self-powered merry-go-round. Anyway, it ended up giving you about the same workout as chin ups... not something that I'd do for any length of time.

So, since that didn't seem to work, she picked up a recumbent exercise bike from the Staten Island family. Recumbent basically means that your center of gravity is behind your feet; you end up leaning back as you pedal. As I'm generally a lethargic guy in between shows, I thought it would be good to start using the thing. Surprisingly, I've been able to keep at it, biking 5-10 miles a day in the comfort of my living room. I just make sure I do it first thing when I get home from work, before I get settled down for the evening. And I tie it to something I like: Good television dramas.

I have a soft spot for a really well written tv drama. I’m talking about Six Feet Under, West Wing, Oz and (to a certain) extent Sopranos. So I just throw in a DVD, and bike away for an episode. There’s something very surreal about working up a sweat while watching the sweaty inmates of Oz work each other over, but hey, it’s probably the most sustained exercise I’ve gotten in years.

‘Course now when I shower afterwards, I’m very careful with the soap.