Old Habits Are Hard To.....Bring Back

[jmfargo]

This used to be fun, even though sweat was streaming down my face by the end of it, I couldn't breath, and all I kept hearing in my head were remixed 70's and 80's songs over and over again. Sure, my legs were as strong as jelly in a blender and felt like snapped rubber bands, but I would smile, grin even, and the world would be a better place.

Then I stopped doing Dance Dance Revolution. It's kind of like every other workout routine I've ever done in my life. It just fades away into obscurity for one reason or another, and all I've really done is put off the bulge, not beaten or stopped it. A pause, not an end.

So I'm back to this. I'm not grinning and happy, but that will come when I'm better at it again. My muscle memory for the songs I enjoyed the most is gone and I have to really concentrate to hit the arrows to the beat, or hit them at all. It doesn't help that the dogs go crazy because I'm hopping around all crazy like, or that MaiTai, the littler, younger, and more curious one comes over to investigate, thus making me worry that I'm going to step on her and snap her in half. But I can't blame that, I can only blame myself.

I like Dance Dance Revolution (affectionately known as DDR), and want to start doing it again. I know it's not a good work out routine, and it won't really do much for me, but it's action, and I don't get active often. Even one hour of activity a day will at least help me keep my weight in check. Healthy eating will help with the rest, and I've got enough damn kitchen toys that I should be able to come up with something healthy to eat.

I'm tired. This stuff's not easy. It'll get fun though. Eventually.

Oh, and just so you know: This post isn't about me getting into a work out cycle. I'm done with those. The next time I write about working out will be to say "Hey, I'm down to (x) pounds because I've been doing (y)!" Instead, this post is about how I wish I'd never fallen out of step with DDR. HA! Out of step! I kill me!

Yeah. That's right. Alf. I went there.

Comments

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Where you do your warm up is as hard as I can do, and that's normally a straight failure for me. My warm up begins on, like, 2s. 3s if they're slow.

I'm getting back into it though. I've picked a few of the songs I particularly enjoy, and learn the more difficult steps on those. I figure if I can get it down for those, I'll at least be getting my legs back into the mode that they need to be in to do the harder ones.

I've thought about the StepMania thing, and it's not a bad idea. What adapter do you use? (Or did it come with the pad you have?) How much am I looking at spending if I go this route?

[(Anonymous)]

The reason I bought the pad I did was because it came with USB, so I wouldn't need an adaptor. Well, that and it's a nice thick padded mat, not one of those stinky thin ones, it makes a big difference!

http://www.stepmania.com/wiki/USB_Adapters

It lists USB Adaptors, but I think it's woefully out of date.
As for cost? Under $20! Think of that, less than $20 to get 100x the DDR you have now :)

Some of the adaptors they suggest:
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=23&products_id=93&PHPSESSID=b3ea7d8d3cfef44ec66dd601cc578781
(I like the sound of this one, because it SPECIFICALLY STATES that ALL 16 BUTTONS CAN BE USED SIMULTANEOUSLY! Sure, you only care really about 4 of them in particular, but still, they spell it right out there!)

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=161&products_id=1697&lsaid=200674

http://www.positivegaming.com/shop/index.php?viewitem=19

I would rather be able to walk into a store and buy one, so it can easily be reutnred if it doesn't work, but good luck with that, no place around here seemed to carry any adaptors (except Radio Shack, and those don't work).

-tt