Virtual Exercise

Since I’ve begun my winter exercise regimen I have found that the innumerable “treadmill videos” on YouTube to be a great aid.

I have a thirty-five-year-old NordicTrack ski machine that I have dusted off from time to time but always found it difficult to maintain my interest. Fortunately I had the book-reading attachment, which was actually kind of awkward to read a book with (hard to turn pages when you are working the ski pole simulating device) but it is perfect for cradling a laptop computer set to full-screen hiking videos:

Three of the best series of videos are Simply Hiking,  Virtual Running, and 4K Relaxation channel,  featuring interesting treks through nature areas around the world, with a special emphasis on New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Pacific Coast. I set the YouTube playback speed so as to match the pace of the person recording the video. Unlike VR, which can be disorienting, the physical simulation of treading and poling enhance the experience. For a real thrill try watching these running vids at 2x speed!

I’ve also done city walks, this one from Reykjavík was especially charming:



And Helsinki in a snowstorm at night is sublime:



One caveat: Be wary of videos by “influencers” and other egomaniacs, their constant interruptions and commentary breaks the visual flow and destroys the immersive experience. Also note that some of the city videos are a bit haphazard—lots of parking lots and empty streets—while the best ones are made with a sense of destination; getting directly from point A to point B via lesser-traveled paths is usually better.

The new Apple Vision Pro headset would seem to be a perfect fit for this application if YouTube could be enabled, and your neck muscles would get a workout as well: