DDR

Caroline & Carmel's wedding is going to be in November. I need to lose weight because she asked me to be a bridesmaid and I don't want to be embarrassed standing up there in front of Lawrence's entire family. O_o

Part of my exercising regimen will be playing DDR. I work up a really good sweat and get super tired playing for 1 hr. It's perfect as cardio because each song is roughly 2-3 minutes long, and you get a short break in between to catch your breath (or you can play nonstop mode and play through 3-8 songs with NO break in between). If you get better at the songs, you can increase your intensity by playing harder songs, or playing the songs on "Heavy" instead of "Standard". If even heavy gets too easy for you, Stepmania lets you choose a setting that will automatically insert additional steps to make it SUPER hard for you.

Playing DDR also involves a lot of different skills. You need to concentrate, for one thing. Every time my mind wanders, I know instantly because I start missing steps. On the hard songs, it is essential that you read ahead so you know what's coming up, even while your feet are pressing arrows for the current steps. You need to be able to strategize and plan which foot to use so that further down your feet will be in the proper position to press a different series of arrows. Some songs require you to focus on a complicated beat. Some songs have a lot of back and forth footwork that really tires your calves. Some songs have a lot of jumping for the double-arrow-presses, and that can really tire your thighs.

I love the dance and trance/techno songs. In fact, looking up some of the artists led me to find more songs to put in my mp3 collection. Here are the trance songs I play as a nonstop course (Trancendence from DDR Max 2 for PS2):

i feel... [Akira Yamaoka]
Tomorrow Perfume [DJ Taka]
The Shining Polaris [L.E.D. feat. Sana]
Drifting Away [Lange feat. Skye]
Will I [Ian Van Dahl]
Heaven [DJ Sammy]
Ghosts (Vincent de Moor Original Mix) [Tenth Planet]
Take Me Away (Into the Night) [4 Strings]
So Deep (Perfect Sphere Remix) [Silvertear]
Lovin' You (Rob Searle Club Mix) [Vinyl Baby]