Here, at To Love, Honor and Vacuum, we're celebrating Complaint Free Week! For one week we're trying not to complain, but to react to things with gratitude, instead. It's been a challenge, because I'm naturally a complainer.
And one thing I've always complained about is exercise. I just don't like doing it, but I feel great after I have. So what can you do to make exercise more fun?
First, let me tell you my jogging saga. I started jogging about two years ago, and then I could barely do two minutes straight without getting out of breath. So I would run for 2 minutes, and walk for 2 minutes. Gradually it became run for 5 minutes, walk for 2 minutes. And then I got to the point where I could run for 20 minutes straight.
But I hit a brick wall. And it's because I have no attention span. After running for 20 minutes, I get REALLY REALLY bored.
I had the same problem on the treadmill that I used to have. We got rid of it because it just wasn't fun. How was I supposed to keep going when I was bored out of my skull?
I have now found the solution. I bought a Zune, which is like an iPod, it's just made by Microsoft. My daughter had one, and I thought I'd try it, too. I have some music on it, but not a lot. My big thing is podcasts.
I love podcasts. They're audio files that you can listen to. I myself produce a podcast every week (it's right here, and this week's is about How to Stop Complaining!). They're not long, but they're fun. Here's a comment from this week's that a listener left:
I LOVE your podcasts! I subscribed through iTunes and I listen to them while my oldest is in his Taekwondo class. Thanks for doing those. :)
But that's just me! There are so many other ones out there. And when I'm listening to something, I can keep going. It's just like when you're in the car, and you're listening to a fun radio program, and then you reach your house. Do you stop listening? Many times I've sat in the driveway listening for the end--because it's engaging! So if we're listening to podcasts, we may just be able to keep running.
How do you find them? Ask around on Twitter or blogs what podcasts other people listen to. I love Ravi Zacharias, and I listen to some Focus on the Family. I also search for audio sermons that are free online by some of my favourite speakers. You can just download them, and then sync them with your iPod or Zune.
I don't actually subscribe with iTunes to podcasts, because when you do they download every single episode, and if I haven't synced my Zune and iTunes in a while, you get way too much material. Instead, I subscribe with the RSS feed, that funny orange square icon. Then you can read the descriptions of all the episodes in your feed reader (located at the top left hand side of Internet Explorer. Just click the yellow star), and save the .mp3 files that you want onto your hard drive. You can then transfer them easily to your Zune.
It really does work, and it helps you exercise for longer! Plus you learn a ton! There are homeschooling podcasts, knitting podcasts, comedy podcasts, fashion podcasts, investing podcasts, even the Bible on podcast. There's everything. So have fun!
What if you want to exercise but it's hard to find that twenty minutes or half an hour because of kids? My Works for me Wednesday post a few weeks ago dealt with exactly that. Check it out!
And remember, you can subscribe to my podcast easily right here!
Great idea! I'll need to tap into the brain of my 14-year-old son to figure out how to get the podcast to my iPod instead of sitting here on my behind listening to it on the computer... :O
I do the same thing!! I listen to podcasts while walking on the treadmill and it works so much better for me than listening to music. I have several sermon podcasts that I subscribe too along with Focus on the Family.
You might try librivox.org. You can down load books that are in the public domain. I use this to get my studying done at the same time as I exercise. It's made a huge difference. Best of luck!
I actually look forward to exercising because it's my guilt-free time to read a novel. I usually read a "hard copy" while I'm on the elliptical and use my mp3 player when I'm rowing. But some of my friends can't read while they're using an elliptical or treadmill, so I always suggest that they use an mp3 player!
I go with a mixture of podcasts (podbean.com is also a good source) and audiobooks (I pay for one download a month at audible.com). Librivox.com has a ton of free audiobooks in the public domain, including many, many classics. The library is also a fantastic source for audiobooks - just check out some books on cd and load them to your computer, then you can transfer them to your mp3 player!
One last tip: if you don't have an mp3 player, you should check your cell phone to see if it has one built-in! Most newer phones do, and you can usually buy some memory expansion very reasonably if you need more space. Amazon.com has cheap headphones for most cell phones, too.
I use my mp3 player for audiobooks when I work out. I can download them from my library's website for free, then the files just deactivate after a certain amount of time.
I wish I enjoyed any sort of exercise. I have come to accept after all these years that I just don't like it and it can stay that way. lol (for now) I'm glad you found something you enjoy!
my dh listens to podcast all the time on his ipod but I have not got one yet. After reading this and the post I think that i need to check in to getting one!
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
Stumble It!
Great idea! I'll need to tap into the brain of my 14-year-old son to figure out how to get the podcast to my iPod instead of sitting here on my behind listening to it on the computer...
:O