Working Out Indoors

Due to the risk of COVID-19, Laura and I thought that this would be the year where we bought a treadmill and cancel our gym memberships.

In Minnesota, working out indoors is almost inevitable. It's dark fairly late into the morning and gets dark late in the afternoon, which, for many, means no daylight hours to work out outside. And when there is time to exercise outdoors in daylight, there is snow and cold to contend with.

Working out indoors seems an easy solution to dealing with Minnesota winters, but there's one problem: it's boring. Some indoor equipment is worse than others, but whether it's a rowing machine or an elliptical, I find working out indoors significantly less stimulating than going for a run outside.

That said, there are some things one can do to make indoor exercise less boring.

Sure, some may have incredible mental fortitude and can run on a treadmill or spin an elliptical for hours without need of distraction. I, however, cannot. Instead, I rely on distraction to make the time go by.

One go to method for many is to watch some sort of video while they exercise. I've done this before on my phone while using the elliptical. It works OK, but I have to watch something that I don't have to look at the whole time because I'm tall enough that I have to look down somewhat which can make it uncomfortable for my neck. Home indoor equipment could face a TV or a tablet mount could be used to make watching video more comfortable. 

More often, I listen to books or podcasts when I'm working out indoors. It's great when I find something I'm really into because I can get lost in that book or podcasts and the time just flies by. 

One other strategy that seems somewhat helpful is covering the display on workout equipment either through using a setting that hides it or throwing a towel over it. It seems more mentally challenging to see a time or distance remaining that looks too long. Hiding that information makes it more bearable.

Our new treadmill has a program called iFit that is surprisingly enjoyable for an indoor workout. It involves following a trainer as she or he runs a route is some scenic place. The elevation and speed (though I override the speed) are adjusted automatically along with the terrain of the workout.

Do you have an indoor tip to share? What gets you through workouts indoors?