I’ve found I like doing most activities either alone or with my spouse, the Saint.* Being around people tends to drain my batteries quickly, with some exceptions. I’ve found many people like to peck at introverts and want to draw them out of their “shells” like some over eager mother robin. They ask intruding questions and wish to know everything about you within ten minutes of meeting. (This is why dungeons were created: to throw people like this into them.) Then they flit onto the next person, never to see you again until next year’s holiday function to re-live the level of Hell all over again. Hooray.
We introverts needs to take care of ourselves against the legions of rude, energy vampires that flit along us. I’ve found an exercise I really enjoy and wanted to share it with fellow birds of the flock. So get your groove together and let’s crack on!
About a month ago, I purchased a stationary bike for myself and put it in my writing room. I got it at Costco here for half off (in teal) and it came with a free six month iFit subscription. My friend, indoor bicycling is a wonderful thing. No people, no cars trying to kill you by veering off the road and, ultimately, no distractions. It’s me, focusing on pedaling, with the Labrador snoring behind me on the rug. My cadence matches the Lab’s snores, some days.
The bike folds up and comes with a set of matching dumbbells covered in a type of odd plastic. I haven’t used them yet but they look pretty and sit behind me while I crank along.
Now the iFit app so far is great and there’s a screenshot above of a friendly trainer you can bike with as well. I can pick different parts of the world where I want to journey or do a class with other bicyclists–but not have to talk with any of them! Brilliant.
Today, to try the app out, I cycled and nearly died in Norway. It was breathtaking scenery, literally, as I struggled to keep pace on an “easy” level, with fjords and mountains galore. My trainer joked about seeing trolls as we passed over bridges and pointed out scenery that looked like it was still shots taken from the Lord of the Rings. The trainer talked quite a bit, but let me have a few quiet moments. I wonder if in the future iFit will take user preference, speed and other characteristics into mind to create a more VR experience (minus the creepy, illegal information mining, of course). We can dream.
iFit is pretty pricey, but has a ton of features I’ve just begun exploring. So far I like it. However, I’ve also found free spinning classes on YouTube. Do a quick search and several will pop up, some with music. I enjoy watching fellow cyclists nearly pass out alongside me as we spin like the elegant antelope we are. Sure. Go with it.
I recommend giving iFit and indoor cycling a spin. Maybe soon you’ll be seeing a fellow writer parking her bike under a bridge, bringing an old troll friend a PB&J and her latest manuscript to share. If you lean carefully over the bridge railing, you may hear them reminiscing over different ways to scare people. Such treasured memories, indeed.
This is a horror author, over and out. Cycle on.🚵♀️
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*God and the Labrador are constants, of course: one is omnipresent and the other likes to remind me of her meal schedule regularly. Quite regularly. 🐶
A.R. Clayton 
😀 All the convenience of a social exercise program without that annoying social part.
You’ve got it on the nose. Give the girl her prize haha. 😉😁
Woohoo!