Cycling Class

Note: I wrote this post back on the 14th, when it was accurate to weather, time, and adventures. I'm posting it now, but have two others drafted that focus on my inaugural cycling trip to the Delaware Canal State Park; as well as my first completely on-road expedition. Hopefully it won't take me so long to post those.

I woke up to rain yesterday, as expected, and as I was lying in bed wishing it was sunny and 60, it occurred to me: there’s a spinning class at 9.30!! I can follow through on my fleeting thought of returning to the spinning room at the gym and see how it goes!

Generally, I like to be up and done with the gym well before 10.30, when the class is scheduled to end; I just never actually get up in time to make that a reality. There are random days when I’m there at 7.30, but usually it’s 8.30 or so. I warm-up, lift, and run and am done in an hour and a half. Getting up at 6.00am never bothered me when I worked at the horse rescue; I loved it. On principle, I vastly prefer getting up early and getting the most out of my day. It’s just that, at the moment, my “job” isn’t inspiring enough to get me up and raring to go; plus I work from home, so it’s not as though I’m due at an office by 9am. I work the best under deadlines, but my project manager made the mistake of telling me to “take my time because she was behind.” While I am disciplined in some regards, making myself do work I find boring and monotonous is not a skill I’ve grown to possess (hence the complete fear of commitment to any sort of Mon-Fri, 9-5-ish job). So, due to disinterest and a lax schedule, I don’t often get to the gym when I’d like. This is actually a vicious cycle because by the time I get back, clean up, check my email, and mess around on Facebook, I’ve wasted another hour and then have only two-ish before I head to the barn, where I’d much rather be. My lack of focus really only perpetuates having a job I dislike.

So, sidebar aside, a class starting at 9.30am makes me feel quite like a housewife-in-training, minus the husband and children. But I head to the gym anyway, and walk straight back to the spinning room. I’ve often heard the music blasting out when I’ve been lifting with free weights, but I’ve yet to venture inside since the classes were moved into this small back room. It’s actually perfect, except for the lack of ventilation. Four rows of bikes greet me, as do a dozen moms, a few retirees and a handful of girls my own age. I guess they’re in college or, like me, work odd jobs at odd hours. I pick my bike, stretch, and start pedaling. It’s very clear that a group of women know each other, maybe through PTA, soccer, spinning, or some other community-encouraging activity. I’m still not sure how I find those for my own age group.

That said, there is a large range of body types and, judging solely on appearance and age, physical ability in the room, and I am reminded why I enjoy cycling so much. Not only is it an outstanding work-out, but it’s really and truly anonymous and personal. The lights are off, and the music is loud: no one can see you struggling, watch the sweat roll off you, or hear you getting winded. It’s also far more personalized than a typical aerobics class since you control the speed of your pedaling and the tension of your own bike; if you’re pedaling slower than your neighbor, it could be because your intensity is three turns higher or because you’re out of shape. You challenge yourself with suggestions and guidance from the routine hollered out by the instructor.

The instructor for my class is not the shrieking women from before, nor does she play her music at record-breaking decibels. Our class spent a lot of time doing hill work, and I was actually really proud of myself: given my poor performance the day before, I wasn’t sure I’d make it through a full hour of a formal class. I had to pedal through some of the last intervals when the rest of the group was enjoying posting every four and then two beats; and my intensity may not have been as high as it could have gone, but overall I made it through the class and felt great. I’ve never sweated so much in my life, and I understand why a woman in my row had her own bike fan. The hour passed quickly with each interval broken down into minutes or seconds; and I find that music is always helpful. The playlist our instructor had was great; a good mix of songs with a variety of tempos. I left with a drenched shirt, a red face, tired legs, and a sense of satisfaction that I had just gotten my butt kicked in the best way possible. I think that’s why I’m tending to choose exercises that have a place in the gym, but even more have a use in the real world. I can jog outside; I can bike outside; riding outside, versus in an indoor, is my preference; and if I wanted to, I’m sure I could box outside. I don’t, but the option is there. I enjoy exercising when my mind is engaged or emptied; all of these things do that.

It doesn’t hurt that an hour of spinning burns anywhere from 700 to 1,000 calories. It feels like you’re working, for sure; but that’s a lot of calories to lose doing something so fun. A decent article regarding the physical benefits of spinning can be found here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/928615/ten_benefits_of_spinning_exercises_pg2.html?cat=5