Do you consider EUC riding a form of exercise?

[ian5708]

I recently made a post in some Facebook groups asking this question. 

Is EUC riding exercise? 

This is because under the current coronavirus restrictions applied in many countries, we are allowed to go outdoors for exercise. We can also go outside for essential shopping, so I take my wheel for that to my nearest supermarket. 

Although wheel riding isn't a heart rate pumping cardio workout, it does work the kinetic chain (our legs, back and core) as we balance and especially if we are doing carving turns and slow riding. 

I personally consider it to be comparable to the exercise of steady skiing. No, not comparable to blasting down black Diamond runs, but not dissimilar to a leisurely ride down a groomed green or blue run. 

We are certainly reducing our calorie intake more than being at at home, because A) standing burns more calories than sitting and B) we are away from the refrigerator!

Our Government's promote exercise because it's good for out health. Not just or physical health but also our mental health too.  Getting out on my wheel is certainly good for my mental health, as well as it helps me burn more calories by balancing, leaning and just standing. 

I've had a few people say to me it's not exercise. I've read a few old posts on this forum where riders have said that they have lost significant body weight riding without changing their diet and others who have reported benefits to their health conditions through riding such as arthritis. 

Thoughts, and do you think that your average police officer would accept our word for it being exercise? 

 

[meepmeepmayer]

Not after you have learned to ride. Not really. Maybe a little bit. Maybe technically.

But it doesn't matter. You can always say "Try to ride it and then tell me this doesn't count!" to everyone who doubts you when you say it is excercise. That will shut them up quickly.

[Darrell Wesh]

Just tell them it’s a core workout. Like @meepmeepmayer said, anyone who doubts it ask them to try and ride it and they’ll very quickly realize it works the stabilizers. 
I have no problem with people believing that as I flash my six pack abs mid convo

[.....]

yes it is exercise. Even after you are good on it, its still exercise. Just because yuo are now conditioned to the point that riding is not a 'HARD' workout, it is still a workout. Don't you recall how much a workout it was BEFORE your calves and core got used to it? How you ride, WILL depict the level of exercise it is. Go ride up a rocky mountain trail that is pushing your abilities. You wont ask if its exercise then! Of course, you fall off the euc and go to the hospital fora  broken ankle and you get to leave with a virus...

 

as for a cop.. what is the local, legal definition of exercise? If he doesnt know, he probably wont make claims that EUC isnt. Exercise can be so loose in term, that i can declare a beer and my elbow as an exercise group. DO some curls with the wheel if you get stopped, that's exercise too.

Edited April 8, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[someguy152]

how much do you carve?

how much do you try to go backwards (if you don't know how to already)

these things make it all exercise,

I also do squats sometimes at low speed

[Scubadragonsan]

Once you are done with the basics, you want to enter the realm of the dancing spirit with the wheel. Borrowing a quote of Bruce Lee: Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water! Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend! Go from the physical to the mental...and spiritual! Explore and express with your wheel, find out how you can dance with it. Discover how it can make you sweat, how it can make you crash and how it can uplift you to the higher plane....

[meepmeepmayer]

14 hours ago, Darrell Wesh said:

I have no problem with people believing that as I flash my six pack abs mid convo

"We should fuck sometime!"

(Or what exactly that quote was.)

[orbajosbrother]

20 hours ago, ian5708 said:

wheel riding isn't a heart rate pumping cardio workout

My fitbit logs beg to differ. The whole time I am riding my heart rate is in the peak/cardio zone. Maybe I'm just really out of shape. I only have about 200 miles worth of EUC experience so I'm pretty new to this. I do like to carve and tend to stay crouched so riding is a pretty active thing for me. Hopefully I never get so used to riding that my heart rate slows down since my company does have give its employees a monetary incentive to exercise; activity tracker heart rate elevated high enough for 45 minutes a day is the most lucrative thing! 

[mike_bike_kite]

22 hours ago, ian5708 said:

Thoughts, and do you think that your average police officer would accept our word for it being exercise? 

Here in the UK I'm fairly certain they wouldn't. Maybe you could sign up to do food deliveries to old folk etc and then you could be out and about all day, protected by a halo, and they couldn't object.

Edited April 8, 2020 by mike_bike_kite

[Justin Boivin]

I mean, the wheel is doing most of the work, but its more physically engaging than riding a scooter or motor bike. I certainly don't get my HR up by riding, but there's a little bit going on in the calves and thighs as I crouch, a little bit going on for the core in turns, so maybe "light exercise?"

Worst case scenario, if you have to go to court over it, I'm sure you could make that argument.

[Rywokast]

do i think so? no.. would i use it as an excuse? yes.. of course ANYTHING is more exercise than sitting on your ass watching netflix lol.. it doesnt matter, youre outside and youre not in a group.. it shouldnt even be a question who gives a damn what anyone chooses to do outside as long as theyre not gathering in groups it makes zero difference... any cop who says anything just sounds like a nosy prick to me.. if all else fails "im going to the grocery store officer, i havent renewed my car insurance because of the lockdown there is nowhere to go"

8 hours ago, raidzero said:

My fitbit logs beg to differ. The whole time I am riding my heart rate is in the peak/cardio zone. Maybe I'm just really out of shape. I only have about 200 miles worth of EUC experience so I'm pretty new to this. I do like to carve and tend to stay crouched so riding is a pretty active thing for me. Hopefully I never get so used to riding that my heart rate slows down since my company does have give its employees a monetary incentive to exercise; activity tracker heart rate elevated high enough for 45 minutes a day is the most lucrative thing! 

i have over 40k, i can fall asleep on a wheel lol

Edited April 9, 2020 by Rywokast

[UniVehje]

My rides are usually 2-3 hours and mostly off-road. I usually have average heart rate at 120-130 bpm. So yes, it's an exercise. I could probably get the same amount with only 0,5 hours of running or 1 hour of walking. But my rides are always longer. And if I ride very technical trails I get sweaty and even out of breath. 

Naturally you get less exercise if you switch from biking to wheeling on the same journey to work. 

[mike_bike_kite]

Guys, you have to keep in mind we have a global pandemic that can be past from person to person without them even showing signs that they have the disease. Here in the UK we have everyone under lock down for a reason. It's not there to restrict your civil liberties, it's there to get as many of us through this as possible. If you're reasonably healthy then there's a decent chance it will just be a bad flu when you get it but if you pass it on to anyone older, or with any underlying health issues, then there's a moderate chance they'll die. It's not a particularly pleasant death either. Why not just stay in and catch up on netflix for a while.

[Rywokast]

2 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said:

Guys, you have to keep in mind we have a global pandemic that can be past from person to person without them even showing signs that they have the disease. Here in the UK we have everyone under lock down for a reason. It's not there to restrict your civil liberties, it's there to get as many of us through this as possible. If you're reasonably healthy then there's a decent chance it will just be a bad flu when you get it but if you pass it on to anyone older, or with any underlying health issues, then there's a moderate chance they'll die. It's not a particularly pleasant death either. Why not just stay in and catch up on netflix for a while.

dont know about where you are but our government actively promotes going outside and being active.. how do i have any more chance of contracting it or spreading it if im outside alone? I don't see it as a civil liberty like freedom of speech or the right to fair trial, but more as a basic human right

Edited April 9, 2020 by Rywokast

[mike_bike_kite]

58 minutes ago, Rywokast said:

dont know about where you are but our government actively promotes going outside and being active.. how do i have any more chance of contracting it or spreading it if im outside alone? I don't see it as a civil liberty like freedom of speech or the right to fair trial, but more as a basic human right

British Columbia is a lovely part of the world but not quite as populated as London (or Coventry where the OP is from). Here we are currently allowed out once a day for exercise with the whole point to restrict the spread of the virus. The basic rule here is that if you don't have to go out then you stay in. If you live away from other people then it's not a big issue if you go out riding. If you live in Vancouver then you're running the risk of passing the virus on to others who might be far more susceptible than yourself. They should have the basic human right not to have their lives threatened.

[Nic]

On 4/7/2020 at 11:51 PM, ian5708 said:

I recently made a post in some Facebook groups asking this question. 

Is EUC riding exercise? 

This is because under the current coronavirus restrictions applied in many countries, we are allowed to go outdoors for exercise. We can also go outside for essential shopping, so I take my wheel for that to my nearest supermarket. 

Although wheel riding isn't a heart rate pumping cardio workout, it does work the kinetic chain (our legs, back and core) as we balance and especially if we are doing carving turns and slow riding. 

I personally consider it to be comparable to the exercise of steady skiing. No, not comparable to blasting down black Diamond runs, but not dissimilar to a leisurely ride down a groomed green or blue run. 

We are certainly reducing our calorie intake more than being at at home, because A) standing burns more calories than sitting and we are away from the refrigerator!

Our Government's promote exercise because it's good for out health. Not just or physical health but also our mental health too.  Getting out on my wheel is certainly good for my mental health, as well as it helps me burn more calories by balancing, leaning and just standing. 

I've had a few people say to me it's not exercise. I've read a few old posts on this forum where riders have said that they have lost significant body weight riding without changing their diet and others who have reported benefits to their health conditions through riding such as arthritis. 

Thoughts, and do you think that your average police officer would accept our word for it being exercise? 

 

Riding EUC is illegal in UK currently, so the only exercise you will get is avoiding police.

[Espen R]

17 hours ago, raidzero said:

My fitbit logs beg to differ. The whole time I am riding my heart rate is in the peak/cardio zone. Maybe I'm just really out of shape. I only have about 200 miles worth of EUC experience so I'm pretty new to this. I do like to carve and tend to stay crouched so riding is a pretty active thing for me. Hopefully I never get so used to riding that my heart rate slows down since my company does have give its employees a monetary incentive to exercise; activity tracker heart rate elevated high enough for 45 minutes a day is the most lucrative thing! 

On my daily on/off-road fun ride, which lasts for 45min to 1 hour, my heart beat average is about 125bpm, with peaks up to 160bpm, so after something around the 5000 km mark on an EUC, I still consider riding actively as a light workout. I also think it is closest in comparison to light alpine skiing, I use skiing or downhill as the setting on my google fit, but when I really push hard off-road, it is almost as hard as a fast run in the black slopes.  

As for Covid-19 restrictions, we don’t have a lockdown here in Sweden, we don’t need to, our normal everyday culture is what the rest of the world call social distancing:)

Edited April 9, 2020 by Espen R

[Gasmantle]

I ride mine alone in the UK as a form of exercise - I would regard it as exercise but I'm sure the local plod will say it isn't.

[Rywokast]

7 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said:

British Columbia is a lovely part of the world but not quite as populated as London (or Coventry where the OP is from). Here we are currently allowed out once a day for exercise with the whole point to restrict the spread of the virus. The basic rule here is that if you don't have to go out then you stay in. If you live away from other people then it's not a big issue if you go out riding. If you live in Vancouver then you're running the risk of passing the virus on to others who might be far more susceptible than yourself. They should have the basic human right not to have their lives threatened.

I'm on Vancouver Island, but BC has already flattened our curve and is doing relatively very well in curbing the spread, but in a typical day out riding I see 200+ people out near the trail exercising, biking, walking their dog or just getting some sun.. those more at risk are free to never leave their homes if they want.. for example my grandad, he gets his food delivered and hasn't left his house, no guests only phone.. we have been offered no questions asked ei and a lump sum payment and no one has to go to work if they don't want to you are not allowed to be fired or reprimanded for it.. you can also get three months free utilities and a rent deferral, loans have been extended interest free etc so I think they've done a very good job, though I know there are a lot of places in the US and parts of Europe that have been hit very hard by it which is terrible

[mike_bike_kite]

It actually sounds like you guys have things in hand though obviously, if you have a lot of people out, then the infections will spread quicker than having people at home. In my 20's I had a great time in your part of the world. I seem to remember my motorbike dying while camping in the rain forest on the island. It probably wasn't a brilliant idea camping in a rain forest anyway. I think I'd just come from Port Angeles across the water where there was the best book shop I ever found in America. In a bizarre incident just outside Port Angeles I even managed to get into a little trouble with a bunch of guys and managed to get shot at. Fun times

[someguy152]

On 4/8/2020 at 3:40 PM, raidzero said:

My fitbit logs beg to differ. The whole time I am riding my heart rate is in the peak/cardio zone. Maybe I'm just really out of shape. I only have about 200 miles worth of EUC experience so I'm pretty new to this. I do like to carve and tend to stay crouched so riding is a pretty active thing for me. Hopefully I never get so used to riding that my heart rate slows down since my company does have give its employees a monetary incentive to exercise; activity tracker heart rate elevated high enough for 45 minutes a day is the most lucrative thing! 

try to learn backwards, ur back muscles and core will ache fast!

[AlanR]

My pennies worth: I have fallen off my EUC occasionally 3 times in past 6 years [I'm 75] and don't want to need a hospital under the current COVID overcrowding!

[Meulebeest]

On 4/8/2020 at 12:51 AM, ian5708 said:

I recently made a post in some Facebook groups asking this question. 

Is EUC riding exercise? 

This is because under the current coronavirus restrictions applied in many countries, we are allowed to go outdoors for exercise. We can also go outside for essential shopping, so I take my wheel for that to my nearest supermarket. 

 

I had a rant on Twitter/Facebook about this, during lockdown the rules state that a form of recreational / sport activity is allowed.

However, motorized displacement vehicles (legal name) were not allowed - by not mentioning them as ok.
So I wrote the following:

"To the officials stating that EUC Driving is prohibited: please drive an EUC on some Belgian local roads or bicycle paths, you 'll be swinging for fun :-)"

So certainly exercise !
And they need some follow-up on bicycle lanes :-p

PS for the unfamiliar ones: coblestones are sometimes still around in local little towns, and bicycle paths are not all smooth paved roads
(they try to improve by putting bicycle highways now)

example of bicycle path: https://www.google.com/maps/@50.9397154,4.3259921,3a,75y,230.64h,82.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soq6Ko0CYxj3zfyXzb0iLkQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
or road: https://www.google.com/maps/@50.9331379,4.3537772,3a,75y,79.2h,81.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sodkcZu1Lx-MqPQ35fFJa_w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Google earth makes it look flat - but it ain't ...

[DannyK]

yes it is a hell of an exercise that makes your muscles soar all over at the beginning of your euc learning, but once u master it, it just will be another electric scooter that requires just a tiny bit more energy to run with..

In fact since eucs are compact and very portable, ppl take it out more than any other rides rather than taking a walk so..prob even worse in terms of exercise.

[Rywokast]

6 hours ago, DannyK said:

yes it is a hell of an exercise that makes your muscles soar all over at the beginning of your euc learning, but once u master it, it just will be another electric scooter that requires just a tiny bit more energy to run with..

In fact since eucs are compact and very portable, ppl take it out more than any other rides rather than taking a walk so..prob even worse in terms of exercise.

i hate to admit it but yes i havent walked more than a few blocks in years lmao