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June 12, 2005
zen and the art of ellipticaling
This post was started last week, but was lost in the shuffle at the end of finals week. Then my brain exploded and I had to put it back together over the weekend so that I could go back to class Monday morning. That and my little sister graduated from high school. I say my "little" sister as if I have more than one, which I don't. The thing is, she's the youngest in the family, so to have her graduate from high school really doesn't leave many major events between now and the time that she doesn't have to pay the "minors fee" for rental cars that so irked me a few weeks back.
Anyways, I was on the elliptical machine the other day in need of something else to do. Spending 30 minutes on that machine has become a regular part of my routine over the past few months. I do it three days each week, which is significantly more than the no-times-a-week rate that I maintained with diligence for a while. So I was on the elliptical machine become increasingly bored with the 'workout' playlist on my iPod. I decided to start playing games with my brain to pass the time. What I did was I started closing my eyes while I was running on the machine. It was quite a bizarre feeling at first. I felt a little light-headed and dizzy, which I think was due to the fact that I lost the frame of reference my brain had been using to keep me from falling off the thing. This was an interesting development. How necessary is vision for balance? Blind folks don't generally up-and fall over for no reason. So I figure balance can be learned. And once balance is learned without vision, would that make the workout easier?
I tried keeping my eyes closed for 10-15 seconds at a time. That's about the longest I could keep them closed without becoming convinced that I was gonna fall. Right after I opened my eyes, I felt like I was in perfect balance and the workout actually felt a bit more natural. I've been increasing the length of time that I keep them closed each time that I'm on the machine. My ultimate goal is to be able to close my eyes while on the machine and not feel like I'm either going to faint or fall off. I'm thinking this might internalize my overall balance. It's all very zen. Like drawing a bow and arrow without actually pulling on it back. Maybe I can run (or elliptical) without concentrating on it or thinking about it. Interesting...
Posted by ben at June 12, 2005 9:09 PM
Comments
Every time I close my eyes on the elliptical, or even just cover them like when I'm wiping my face or something, I feel the exact same way -- like I'm split-seconds away from falling over. The feeling has been intense enough a couple times that I instinctively reach out to clutch the handlebars.
Posted by: Sarah at June 16, 2005 9:43 AM
Closing your eyes without holding onto the handlebars is quite a risky endeavor. Eventually, I'll ease myself off that clutch...
Posted by: ben at June 16, 2005 9:57 AM