[zoodoo613]

I prefer to get my exercise outside, but a couple days this week I went and worked out on the equipment in my company's little basement gym. I did the treadmill for a while. I "get" the speed and distance measurements on that. There's a belt of a certain length, moving at a certain speed. It should be reasonably comparable to doing that in the real world. I was a little less convinced that the incline option replicated going up a hill, because I'm never actually lifting myself, because my lifting foot is already at the bottom of the virtual hill by the end of the stride.

The speed and distance measurements on other equipment I just don't get. I mean when all is said and done, you haven't gone anywhere on an exercise bike, at any speed. You've exercised, certainly, but is there any actual correlation to being on a real bike? I did the elliptical for a little while last night, and it said I was doing 6 mph. I just don't buy it. I'm in pretty bad shape these days. I used to run a 10 minute mile. I could run faster too, but if I was putzing along, that that's what I'd do, and I have trouble believing that I'm doing any activity at that pace now.

I guess I think it mostly doesn't matter. Exercise. Track your progress. Chances are, you'll improve. But it bothers me that these numbers are assigned to an activity where they have no business being. What do you thing?

[SCraver]

IDK. I don't know how acurrate they are... But I don't think they are wildly off. I think there is a big difference between being on exercise equipment and being outside, though. Running outside (for me) always seems harder. Maybe it is the exposure to the weather or the inability for me to pace myself like on a TM. But hills on either seem equally hard to me.

And biking is DEFINITELY different... there is no coasting downhill on a stationery bike.

The elliptical I am not sure about... it's not like you can go outside and 'elliptal' to compare.

I read yesterday where someone said your body doesn't know how far it went, only the time it went for... which kinda made sense to me. It's not like my body goes "Phew! We just ran 4 miles - time to rest!" It goes "How many more minutes of this?"