I have the unicycle bug. Working an learning to do this, losing weight in the process. Very challenging, not giving up.
Congratulations.
Tell us about yourself and your unicycle(s) 
I was inspired to improve balance and agility by that really cool guy at www.neverleavetheplayground.com I am a beginner to this world of one wheeled riding, and I see other people older than myself taking it up and getting good at it. The Unigeezer is very inpsiring.
I have always looked up to people that maintained excellent physical abilities into advanced age and how they do it. There are plenty of young hot shots who end up being unable to do much as their age advances. I try to learn what to do from those who last long, and avoid mistakes and injuries of those that do themselves in.
So I started picking up unicycles cheap off craigslist and am determined to learn to ride them.
Problem is, I used to be into heavy weightlifting, and getting banned from all you can eat smorgassboards. This was great when I was young, but as I inch towards geezerhood, the inches around my waist went into expansion mode.
I was flattening the tires of any unicycle I that I attempted to ride. So I had to get high psi tires etc. I also quickly learned that I have zero stamina and cardio. I want to become lean and have good balance and agility.
At first it was taking too much out of me when practicing every day and my other physical disciplines were getting neglected. So I dropped it for a while. Then I met someone who told me they also found it too demanding, and reduced practice sessions to just once per week. Then after 6 months, suddenly it clicked and she could do it, and can now eventually do it pretty much daily.
I have switched to practicing once per week for now until my body gets more used to it. At the moment, my legs go to jelly quickly and it takes a few days to recoup. Doing this has helped me drop a significant amount of weight. I know I am going to get there, it will just take me a bit longer than most other folks who started leaner and younger.
I have a like new old chrome steel framed UDC with 2 wheelsets 20 and 24" high psi tires. I have recently picked up an old beat up KH 20 that I really like much better.
Before that I picked up any unicycle on craigslist that looked interesting and cheap if close by. Many of which have been returned to craigslist. Once I get the hang of riding these things, I intend to buy a brand new top of the line trials and a 24" mountain Uni. Then eventually get progressively larger ones after that.
I also intend on pursuing other forms of balance and agility training at some time in the future.
Unicycling looks like a total blast once you learn how to do it.
What you’re describing is normal. It is called “beginners’ inefficiency.” Once you improve, regular forward riding will be too easy, and you’ll have to try harder stuff to get a real workout.
Here are a couple suggestions that might work: Practice riding up slight inclines; that might diminish the extra energy it takes balancing fore and aft. Ride shorter distances, dismounting in a controlled fashion before your legs burn out. Take tiny breaks, like 30 seconds, between each short ride, but not so long that you feel yourself cooling off. Spend the beginning of your workouts practicing mounting, and only ride when you succeed in the mounts. Focus on riding a tiny bit slower. Good luck. Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing your progress.
Thanks for the tips. Being overweight with low endurance doesn’t help either.
While not really unicycles, I have also have picked up both a Lerun and a Minson skate cycle.
At the time, I thought it would help to get part of the balance to learn unicycling. Havent’ used them much, yet.
When I was a teen long ago I used to have a dream about becoming a very good moto trials rider. Keeping that fantasy going into adulthood kept me broke with all the hardware and other expenses required just to transport, store, and repair those bloody awful creatures. Now I see that everything I wanted to accomplish through that venue I could have gotten through unicycling, and more, without annoying environmentally conscious folks, damaging the environment, etc. at a fraction of the cost. If I could go back in time, I would have definitely gone that engineless one wheeled route instead. Mountain unicycling did not exist then, and no one I knew had a unicycle. I didn’t even know it was a sport, thought it was the realm of preofessional highly trained acrobats and circus performers, not average people.
Through moto trials I wanted to be able to ride that thing anywhere with balance and control that most people do not have. Instead of being out practicing as much as I wanted, I would be out working long hours to finance that enadeavour. Life got in the way, and I dropped it and circumstances made me pack on unwanted fat. Decades later, I try to take on unicycling and after having packed on way too many unwanted pounds, find this to be a most difficult challenge. The balance skills I have from moto trials do not seem to be any advantage to learning unicycling at all. Unicycling basic skills seem to me to be at an infinitely higher level.
I remember years of having the added expense of owning a big vehicle or trailer just to transport the motorcycle, which you would have to take to a designated area in the boonies to ride. I sure like that I can easily store more than one uni in the trunk of my car and no one can tell they are there. How many bicycles get stolen right off the car bike racks even when locked in securely? Can ride the uni anywhere a bike can go. Can easily store a uni at home without it feeling cluttered, will even fit in a closet.
I am looking forward to eventually becoming skilled, fit, and lean through unicycling, no matter how long it takes, It is something I intend to keep on doing forever once learned.
“I am looking forward to eventually becoming skilled, fit, and lean through unicycling, no matter how long it takes, It is something I intend to keep on doing forever once learned.”
Right on!