I’ve been using the DailyMile website for a few months now and thought I’d feature it in my blog.
After a few years of near-Zero exercise (some gardening, home DIY, and occasional Wii sports) I felt I needed to start some form of exercise. For me gym memberships don’t work; I don’t get much enjoyment out of the exercises. Although I know I’ve felt good after a gym workout the act of getting to the gym, getting changed, fitting in the workout at the right time so I can get on the right machine etc… soon becomes a good excuse to stop going; poor excuse I know but it’s a fact and I’m done with forcing myself to do something just because other people think I should.
I love swimming but again the logistics involved soon become a good excuse not to go; there are a couple of swimming pools near where I live but as with the gym you have to pick the right time and if it’s busy then you end up having to fight to keep your lane.
I like biking but I don’t accept the risk of riding on the roads near where I live; car drivers just don’t give cyclists the consideration that they should.
Safety is important as any injury = no work = no money; I am self employed.
So I needed a form of exercise that I can do when I like (flexibility to fit it in around other things in my life), is low impact (given that I’m overweight), needs no membership or special outlay (there is a recession on!) and is quite safe. The answer (for me) is Walking.
I used to enjoy walking the countryside of Yorkshire and Derbyshire when I was younger, but you don’t need the countryside; just use the pavement of the streets of your neighbourhood.
I started out by working out a few routes and measuring the distance in my car until I came across a website called DailyMile; via a tweet from @captainkirt and his website.
The DailyMile is a site where you can connect with other walkers, runners, cyclists etc… You can log your exercise, join in challenges, and participate in forum discussions. It has a Facebook feel to it like “friending” people etc… For me the best part of the site is the challenge section this is the bit that keeps me coming back and spurs me on each time I do my walk; I also like being able to keep a log of my exercise. The site, whilst fully functional, is still being developed and new features are being added regularly.
I’ve never been good at running, even as a kid I used to dread cross-country running, but when I see people running I often wish I could do that. I think by doing short runs and then building up I should be able get to the point where I can run long distances, even marathons. My weight and fitness level is stopping me from doing that at the moment but I’m doing something about that. I see walking as a stepping stone to running (crap joke, sorry).
You can view my progress and updates when you visit my blog; look at the DailyMile widget in the right-most column of your browser.
Do you use DailyMile? Do you use an alternative site? Friend me on DailyMile and take a few moments to leave me a comment.
Until the next post…
