Bored by Fitness :(

[a3ulez]

I also can't afford to get a membership anywhere with a rock wall... or anywhere in general really... to do any of the activities I find less loathsome, so what kind of adventuring can you do on some pennies and a piece of lent??

 

I'm a teacher, a writer, an artist--mostly sedentary 24/7--but I love exploring and spent a year wandering around in Russia while teaching English. (By the way, teaching has got to be the worst job for your health. I work 12 or more hours a day between planning, teaching, and grading. Parents are always on my case, and the kids are all years behind. And on good days, people bring mountains of doughnuts into the lounge!)

 

I've never worried about my health because I'm scrawny, but my heart has been dodgy from the stress and total lack of physical activity. I have an exercise bike, but I hate using it. I am much more likely to do the laundry or brush up on me pre-cal than touch it even for half an hour! Working out the traditional way just bores me to tears!

[KrystalK]

Are you a public school teacher? If so you can use their gym and equipment even at a different campus (usually anyway). Most high schools have a weight room, tennis courts,

basketball hoops, tracks. You should have loads of options plus you can just hike too depending upon where you live. Hills are great for building strength in your legs and endurance. I hate the stationary bike too.  Check out the resources in your district. Just keep trying different things until you find something that sings to you.  

[Elastigirl]

I really enjoy geocaching.https://www.geocaching.com/play/search

You might also enjoy rucking. Grab a couple of bags and stuff them with sand or rice for weights, stick them in your backpack, and you have a weighted hike.

[Igaduma]

podcasts!

sounds silly but listening to podcasts help me a lot.  It keeps your mind busy.  More importantly, it keeps your mind away from reflecting on how boring working out can be.

[LikeWater]

I totally understand your feelings on boring workouts! I felt the same way about working out for a really long time. That is, until I discovered Parkour. And when I say parkour I'm not talking about the YouTube glorified double back flip stuff. I'm talking about using your environment as your gym, where the world is your playground, or in this case your gym, and you get to use your imagination and body to effeciently, effectively, and safely conquer any obstacles in your path. Not many workouts do you get to train the mind and the body at the same time.

 

It can be a really good workout that anyone can start doing, just everyone has a different Level 1, ya know? The key is structuring your training, for safety and optimum results; I have helped others create their own training regiments for getting fit though parkour. Knowing your limits and then breaking through them can be so gratifying. 

[dismantlerepair]

2 hours ago, LikeWater said:

I totally understand your feelings on boring workouts! I felt the same way about working out for a really long time. That is, until I discovered Parkour. And when I say parkour I'm not talking about the YouTube glorified double back flip stuff. I'm talking about using your environment as your gym, where the world is your playground, or in this case your gym, and you get to use your imagination and body to effeciently, effectively, and safely conquer any obstacles in your path. Not many workouts do you get to train the mind and the body at the same time.

 

It can be a really good workout that anyone can start doing, just everyone has a different Level 1, ya know? The key is structuring your training, for safety and optimum results; I have helped others create their own training regiments for getting fit though parkour. Knowing your limits and then breaking through them can be so gratifying. 

 

Your comment really sparked my interest. What do you mean by "using your environment as your gym" to work out? What is parkour to you, as opposed to the YouTube glorified stuff we're familiar with? Examples of what you've had others do? I'm super curious to see if I can apply this as a less boring workout for me, haha.

[LikeWater]

I'm happy to answer any questions! I'll address them one at a time for simplicity sake, sometimes I get a bit wordy.

 

 

48 minutes ago, dismantlerepair said:

What do you mean by "using your environment as your gym" to work out?

 

This is a truth in my philosophy of training parkour movements. The statement, "the environment is your gym", means that you will be doing any training outside and in a variety of places, not inside a gymnasium(!). Use your eyes and your imagination for different possibilities of where to train and what techniques and workouts you can do in those locations. That previous statement is a bit vague, I know, so I'll go into more depth. For instance, I used to train on the grounds of a University, where the architecture was diverse and there were plenty of benches, rails, etc. I would find spots where I could work on different key parkour techniques that would work different parts of the body, and sometimes finding locations where I could string these techniques together instead of training a single movement. As such I was able to develop entire workout regiments, such as, "Technique Days", "Leg days", "High intensity interval training", and other body weight exercises based on my surroundings. Because I was always changing where I was training, the training never was boring because it was always felt new, and my mind was being engaged looking for new challenges that these surroundings could provide. Basically, you learn to view your surroundings in a completely different way.

 

1 hour ago, dismantlerepair said:

What is parkour to you, as opposed to the YouTube glorified stuff we're familiar with

 

Ah, this is a question I'm all too familiar with and one that isn't the easiest to answer, but I'll do my best as always. Now, my definition of parkour and "training" parkour are slightly different, but capture the same essence. To me, Parkour is the act of using the mind and the body in harmony to move from point A to B as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible; overcoming any obstacle that lies in ones path. Its an art of movement that is NOT based off of flair, doing flips, or crazy spins( those may look "cool" but its unnecessary risk, and highly inefficient, and not really an effective workout ) but rather based on a quest to master the body and mind through diligent proper training so they may act in unison allowing the practitioner to obtain a true mastery of self and their environment, no matter where they reside. Its a journey to self improvement (mentally and physically), not a spectator sport. (Traceurs such as David Belle share a similar view and he is considered the founder of Parkour)

 

That is my philosophy on what parkour is.

1 hour ago, dismantlerepair said:

Examples of what you've had others do?

 

Well, starting tomorrow I'm about to take a page out of my own book here, because after a bit of a hiatus I will be dedicating myself to training again. I used to teach others how to get started in parkour and out of all the people I have mentored I learned two facts.

 

1. Anyone can learn to be a Traceur, but everyone's path is different.

2. It takes a strong intrinsic desire to get there ( like most things in self improvement)

 

As for an example, I'll describe the route the most recent individual who trained with me underwent. Everybody's starting point is different but this is what, lets call him Joe, started out with. Now, we were training at a large university so keep that in mind. I had a route, that looped through the campus hitting various location where different exercises could be performed that focused on speed, balance, strength, technique/flexibility. Typically we didnt work on all of those in one day because that could be dangerous. So a general rule was, work on strength and speed together and then balance and technique/flexibility together, on different days. Strength could consisted of stair bear crawls/ crab walks, static hand safety vaults ( a core strength exercise), and some others.

 

Instead of explaining them all, many of the exercises I'd show Joe can be found on https://www.youtube.com/user/TappBrothers/ youtube channel, I would organize those exercises into the parts of the body that they affected. In their play list section, Parkour Training / Fitness, they show some good examples of what types of architecture you can use for each exercise which will allow you to think about places where you could do said exercises. The Tapp Brothers, even though they tend to prefer flips and tricks, do have some great resources on starting out, especially since they were self taught. Most importantly, its supposed to be fun too. It was never the same though, everyone has different strengths and weakness, some people need more strength training than others and some people need to work with cardio. But no matter what aspect needs work, even if its everything, it is possible to devise a training program that integrates parkour.

 

Sorry if that wasn't specific enough, if you want more specific like an example of a training program that I helped another Traceur with, I can outline that as well. I wasn't sure how specific to go especially since everyone has a different path, plus this was getting sort of long.

 

Training in parkour can be rewarding, safe, effective, and fun... Also, slightly adrenaline pumping once you grasp the fundamentals and start applying them elsewhere. I used to be a runner, and hated how boring it was, so I switched to parkour and didn't regret it. The first step is discovering your path.

[dismantlerepair]

LikeWater, thank you so much for the detailed response! I'm definitely going to check out that YouTube channel. I find just the thought of running to be super boring, and I tried it for the first time yesterday just for kicks, but I've always felt like exercise drags on if there is no clear "point" to it, or purpose beyond moving-around-to-get-fit. Adding a bit of this philosophy into it, however slight, could definitely help me give running a better chance (before I decide whether or not it's really for me).

 

I think the phrase "master the body and mind through diligent proper training so they may act in unison allowing the practitioner to obtain a true mastery of self and their environment, no matter where they reside" really speaks to me, too, because I've always had a habit of maneuvering around/through obstacles - perhaps stemming from being a relatively small child and challenging myself to see what spaces I could slide through super quickly. Thank you again and I'll definitely have to message you later if I get into this!

[a3ulez]

Wow, thanks everyone for your help! I've started slow by reading while I use an indoor bike. I have a to-read list a mile long anyway! I didn't think it would work, but I found myself still biking even when I was tired and sore so that I could finish the chapter.

 

I also got a free month of camp gladiator from a fellow teacher, so I got up at 4 this morning and worked out, almost barfed but passed my fort save like a boss and got back out there. I'm also headed to a cabin with a friend this weekend to celebrate her birthday, and we are going to do some hiking.

 

I've always loved the idea of skateboarding or doing parkour, but I am pretty sure I will kill myself. I will wait to look into that more until my insurance deductible thing renews

[Maxxthedog]

Hi there, 

I'm new hear and am just starting also.  I have found the books-on-tape (not that there is really a tape anymore) or podcasts can make time pass quickly.  I have to do a lot of driving and this helped tremendously.

If you are the outdoors type, I also agree that Geocaching is a great way to go out and just start hiking.  Consider it hiking with a purpose. 

Good luck!