In a grumpy moment a few years ago I wondered about the feasibility of opening up a human powered power station. All these people packed into gyms for exercise and lycra louts clogging up the roads on their bikes could be put to good use on exercise bikes that generate electricity. Sadly a human takes about an hour to generate enough electric to run a lightbulb for a day so the efficiency wasn't great. Even with the cost of energy now it would take a long time to pay off the equipment cost.
I'm starting to wonder about getting an exercise bike or something though. A few months without a dog and all this wet weather keeping me out of the garden and I'm starting to lose my fitness. I take the long way round when walking to and from school with the kids but it's not enough anymore. I hate doing exercise for the sake of exercise though, it always feels a bit pointless.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
@wild edges if you already have a bike you can get a frame to hold the back wheel so that you can use it as an exercise bike ... different resistance settings etc. My OH has one and is very happy with it.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@wild edges all this business with arthritic and then prosthetic knees means I haven't walked the dogs for 3 years and have limited gardening prowess. The physio after the ops has returned some fitness but is all legs so, for Mothering Sunday, I have persuaded Possum to buy me two dumb bells instead of flowers so I can do arms and legs at home too.
You're right about exercise bikes tho. My 4kms in 11 minutes burn 150 calories max and I can't see that lighting many bulbs or running a fridge.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I am seriously thinking of getting a walking pad (a treadmill without handles) because even though I do go out for my daily walk in the rain, it is pretty miserable. My reservations are the cost, need for storage space, and potential boredom.
I've had an exercise bike for year and use varies massively. When I had knee surgery it got a lot of use because I could exercise the knee without putting weight on it. Likewise after my hip replacement. For the majority of the time it sits there as an oversized coat hanger but I wouldn't want to get rid of it. When the weather is really bad I'll put 10 or 15 minutes in on it, just to keep the joint supple.
@wild edges you don't need any equipment, just pack them in a large empty room. Humans generate about 1Kwh just sitting still. You can draw off the heat energy direct. Many years ago I had a real world experience of this. I was involved in setting up a one day scientific meeting at the Barbican. While we were setting up the large auditorium was very cold, by the end of the day, with all the delegates there, it was uncomfortably warm and the air con was struggling to keep the heat down. 😉
@Allotment Boy all that goes to prove is that when scientists get together they generate a lot of hot air, but not as much as the same number of politicians.
I know we can't talk about politics but how do you convince local people to make a lot of noise about their indecision over whether to vote Tory or not in the next election? It seems like a great way to get your hands on some levelling up funds.
World Book Day today. I spent all week making my oldest boy a costume, or at least adapting a onesie to make a costume, only for him to decide last night that he doesn't like costumes The benefit of having a spare child though is that I can force him to wear it instead. He wasn't too bothered about his other costume so it worked out fine. Not many parents take the day seriously at this school luckily so there's a whole spectrum of effort made and it doesn't matter if you just hand them over wearing a vaguely book related T-shirt.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
You're right about exercise bikes tho. My 4kms in 11 minutes burn 150 calories max and I can't see that lighting many bulbs or running a fridge.
Many years ago I had a real world experience of this. I was involved in setting up a one day scientific meeting at the Barbican. While we were setting up the large auditorium was very cold, by the end of the day, with all the delegates there, it was uncomfortably warm and the air con was struggling to keep the heat down. 😉