still waiting on delivery but meanwhile just some general blah blah.
i’ve got spinal stenosis, not too bad but riding a bike is not fun. mainly due to the leaning forward on the handlebars. anything where i have to put my hands out in front for a long time such as driving or typing cause pain and numbness in my right arm. some days it’s worse than others but generally manageable.
i’m really hoping that unicycling won’t be an issue, aside from the falling off.
anyway there must be some health benefits right?..fresh air, exercise etc.
i read that it’s good for core strength, what is that? abdominal muscles, lower back, shoulders? is it good for cardio? obviously balance, coordination, confidence. what will i get out of unicycling apart from it being a whole lot of fun? is muni hard on the back and spine?
i’m probably inclined to start with a flatland attitude of just simple control and balance. hopefully some basic balancing tricks, step overs, wheel walking, nothing too radical. i’m still at the pre-beginner stage after all.
Hi milkjam
Congratulations on ordering your first unicycle. 
Don’t forget to post pics.
I’m probby not the best person to comment as I still can’t ride my unicycles properly after nearly 4 years, but hey ho !
I picked up on this…[COLOR=“Lime”]i’ve got spinal stenosis, not too bad but riding a bike is not fun. mainly due to the leaning forward on the handlebars. anything where i have to put my hands out in front for a long time such as driving or typing cause pain and numbness in my right arm. some days it’s worse than others but generally manageable.
i’m really hoping that unicycling won’t be an issue, aside from the falling off.
[/COLOR]
I’ve got arthritis in my wrists so I don’t lean on my handlebars for too long and I can’t ride no handed 
From what I’ve seen, most unicyclists sit upright on their seats (when doing distance riding anyway ) So hopefully that won’t be a problem for your arms.
When I’m struggling to sit upright I imagine being pulled up by my hair. This makes me sit upright for a while anyway, but then I soon forget 
I sweat most when I’m trying to freemount my uni. I don’t ride big distances (yet ) but there’ll be loads of energy used up then.
There are heaps of health benefits. Unicycling is good for you, you’ll smile more and get fitter while doing so.
Hope that’s answered a bit of your question,
Maybe some proper unicyclists will chime in 
How far forward can you have your arms before it becomes an issue? It seems plenty of unicyclists (including myself) just grab the front of the saddle (so a few inches in front of you, with arms still pointed down). You can lean forward on a unicycle and get into a bike-style ‘aero’ position if you have handlebars, but it’s not a necessity, and I tend to take a more upright position even with both hands on the saddle grab.
Health benefits! Yes unicycling is great for ‘core’ (which, if I understand right, is general chest area/abs) And cardio. The exercise is light but plentiful (think of lifting a small weight 1000 times as opposed to lifting a car up once). Apparently this is a good thing but I’m not a doctor so can’t say 
I suppose it depends what type of riding you do to be worrying about your back/spine. Just take it easy and start small, and work your way up I think!
I’ve had back problems for decades, and unicycle riding does not exacerbate the condition for me. I don’t know if it helps it exactly, but it doesn’t hurt. I usually keep a pretty upright riding posture, except when going uphill. Then it helps to lean forward somewhat.
Unicycling is definitely an aerobic workout. Especially in the early days, when you’re learning. You will probably be surprised at how hard you will be breathing in a very short time. I have a friend at work who took up unicycling after watching me practice in the parking lot. This guy routinely rides centuries on his road bike and thinks nothing of it. But after 10 minutes on the unicycle, he is breathing hard and sweating all over. (However, the better you get, the more efficient your riding gets, and the more relaxed you are when you ride. It’s still a good workout, though!)
Good luck, and post pictures!