Bouncy Gym: Workouts for the Motivationally Challenged

Ever since my knee threw up a white flag at mile 1 of the Marine Corp Marathon, things just aren't quite working the way they used to. I thought that certainly after I allowed myself plenty of time to recover, things would fall back into working order - but unfortunately, my running legs still aren't functional and my knees are still begging for mercy.

As a result, I've been looking for alternate forms of exercise - which can be a little challenging because I'm not currently a member of a gym. My office building has a workout room with a few cardio machines, but I usually get claustrophobic down there and extremely scatterbrained (read: I find myself more focused on watching 30 Rock instead of actually pedaling forward).

So last week, I decided to test out the bouncy gym workout (via Run to the Finish). It's basically a way to get yourself moving when you're feeling less than motivated. Whenever I hop on an elliptical without really wanting to be there, I go entirely too easy on myself and hardly break a sweat. The bouncy gym concept is basically a way of limiting your time on each machine, changing up your cardio more consistently and mixing in a few weights when you're feeling saucy.

I tried this concept a few times when I was first starting to run and attempting to increase my weekly mileage. When it was bitterly cold outside, the thought of trotting on a treadmill for more than a couple of miles was entirely too depressing for me, so I'd run a few miles, head to the elliptical for a few, and then back to the treadmill to finish my run. It kept me focused on my workout and decreased the likelihood that I'd plop down on the rower with an Us Weekly. 

Now that running is temporarily off the table, I'm going back and forth between the elliptical and the bike, and then a quick round through the weight machines. This workout definitely works for me - especially at the end of a long day when I'm not feeling particularly inspired by the four walls of my office's basement prison cell workout room.

Check out Run to Finish for more info.