Serendipity
Sometimes the fates simply smile on us, huh?
I've written about the Nordic Track before--it has done yeoman's service in the 14+ years that I've owned it, and it is still going strong. Right now I'm using it about 3 times a week at around 40-50 minutes a pop.
It originally had a little "computer" thingy that plugged into the bar on which the ropes and the rope wheel are secured. The "computer" keeps track of mileage (well, kilometerage) of the present workout as well as for all workouts cumulatively, of time, and of speed. I used to keep track of such stuff--monitor how fast I was going and how far, etc. Then about three years ago, it just died. It has a liquid crystal display that simply faded into nothingness. I went on eBay to try to find a replacement, Nordic Track having discontinued the part a decade ago or more, but no luck. I found one once, but I was too chintzy to pay the "Buy It Now" price and ended up being outbid at the last millisecond. Meanwhile, the old one is simply stuck to the bar, and I've just left it there.
So I've been letting the iPod dictate the workout--I used to do 12 songs, which, with my shuffled playlist of mostly oldies, worked out to between 30 and 40 minutes. But, with the medical command to drop some poundage came a revved up workout, so now I do 16 songs. That usually nets me 40 to 50 minutes at a nice clip. Well... I thought it was a nice clip...
This evening after work I was setting up the machine, readying myself for my workout, when lo and behold! I knocked the faceplate off the thingy. I didn't even know you could get into it--I just figured it had some built-in battery and when it was spent, it was spent. I was wrong. There, nestled in the guts of the thing, was a battery. A single AA battery. Crappy and corroded, yes. After all, it had been sitting in there for 14+ years (and it worked for more than 11--go figure). I pulled it out and disposed of it, cleaned up the connection points, and slipped in a fresh battery. I didn't think it would work, but it did!
So now I have my computer thingy back... and it spurred me on to quite a vigorous workout. Without it to look at and monitor speed, for example, I'd been slacking off considerably. About three songs in, I realized just how different working out with the thingy and without it is. It's much harder with it. And I didn't think it would make a difference.
It made such a difference that I'll bet I'll be sore tomorrow. AND that wasn't helped along by the fact that the iPod served up a 54-minute workout today.
Well, maybe with this little added taskmaster of a tracker, I'll really start shaping up. Fingers crossed!
I've written about the Nordic Track before--it has done yeoman's service in the 14+ years that I've owned it, and it is still going strong. Right now I'm using it about 3 times a week at around 40-50 minutes a pop.
It originally had a little "computer" thingy that plugged into the bar on which the ropes and the rope wheel are secured. The "computer" keeps track of mileage (well, kilometerage) of the present workout as well as for all workouts cumulatively, of time, and of speed. I used to keep track of such stuff--monitor how fast I was going and how far, etc. Then about three years ago, it just died. It has a liquid crystal display that simply faded into nothingness. I went on eBay to try to find a replacement, Nordic Track having discontinued the part a decade ago or more, but no luck. I found one once, but I was too chintzy to pay the "Buy It Now" price and ended up being outbid at the last millisecond. Meanwhile, the old one is simply stuck to the bar, and I've just left it there.
So I've been letting the iPod dictate the workout--I used to do 12 songs, which, with my shuffled playlist of mostly oldies, worked out to between 30 and 40 minutes. But, with the medical command to drop some poundage came a revved up workout, so now I do 16 songs. That usually nets me 40 to 50 minutes at a nice clip. Well... I thought it was a nice clip...
This evening after work I was setting up the machine, readying myself for my workout, when lo and behold! I knocked the faceplate off the thingy. I didn't even know you could get into it--I just figured it had some built-in battery and when it was spent, it was spent. I was wrong. There, nestled in the guts of the thing, was a battery. A single AA battery. Crappy and corroded, yes. After all, it had been sitting in there for 14+ years (and it worked for more than 11--go figure). I pulled it out and disposed of it, cleaned up the connection points, and slipped in a fresh battery. I didn't think it would work, but it did!
So now I have my computer thingy back... and it spurred me on to quite a vigorous workout. Without it to look at and monitor speed, for example, I'd been slacking off considerably. About three songs in, I realized just how different working out with the thingy and without it is. It's much harder with it. And I didn't think it would make a difference.
It made such a difference that I'll bet I'll be sore tomorrow. AND that wasn't helped along by the fact that the iPod served up a 54-minute workout today.
Well, maybe with this little added taskmaster of a tracker, I'll really start shaping up. Fingers crossed!
Labels: computer thingy, Nordic Track, workouts
posted by Cathy VanPatten at 8:00 PM
2 Comments:
Does the machine serve you...or do you serve the machine?
My current problem is all the ancient electronic devices I have lying around the apartment that will work only with now-banned mercury batteries--my favorite camera is naught but a paperweight.
Guess by failing to replace my stuff at regular intervals I'm not being a very good consumer.
Who serves whom? Ah, too profound for me to answer! Heh.
Hey, did I just anthropomorphize my fitness equipment??
And planned obsolescence is a bitch, isn't it? That's one thing I very much like about the Nordic Track--no electronic parts except for the little computer thingy. And that doesn't keep the machine from working... it just, well, kicks my ass more.
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