sit & spin

I have a friend who is my exercise hero, if only I could live through him and receive all the health benefits as a result of his effort. If only. But I can't. It isn't that I haven't ever exercised before. I just don't like it. It makes me hot and I hate to sweat. In any other situation if I started to sweat, have an increase in my heart rate and became overheated I would be taken to the hospital, but I digress. So a couple of weeks ago I started going to spin class after work with my exercise hero/friend. As far as exercise goes, spinning is the closest that I will ever come to liking anything intensely active.

The women that attend the classes have really great bodies and vary greatly in age. They are slender but don't have that gaunt, hungry antelope look that yoga girls have. They are toned but aren't bulky or overly "cut". The classes are around an hour long and although challenging I can usually distract myself from most of the discomfort, power through the class and feel good afterward.

The place that we go to is "The Burn" in Burbank. They have about 18 bikes at each class (reservations can be made online), the bikes are set on 3 different levels (think amphitheater), they keep the room dark (which somehow makes it seem cooler) and have very entertaining and motivated instructors. The other thing that I like about "The Burn" is if I sit on a bike in the back row (right in front of the black curtains) and wear an all black outfit I can't see myself in the mirror at the front of the class. I am just a floating head. Awesome. If I couldn't be the "Nearly Invisible Woman" I would compare myself to all the spinning sprites on the other bikes for the whole class. I have also discovered that a spin class cannot be complete without a music selection from Justin Timberlake or Madonna. (I think this is a rule for all group cardio classes everywhere.) The only thing that I wasn't expecting and that was different from my previous spin experience is that from time to time they turn on red lights while we spin, which makes me feel like a rotisserie chicken at Costco. But, all in all a great time. (I missed all last week but it is my goal to go twice a week. It is even a never-ending, recurring event on my computer calendar program. If only life wouldn't get in the way.)

A few spinning benefits:

Burn 500 + calories per class
Tones Muscles
Body Shaping
Lose Inches
Decrease Body Fat
Stress Relief
Year Round Activity
Increase Energy
Improve Overall Strength
Increase Cardio Endurance

1. cycling shirt
2. cycloskort (helps to cover the "cookies", in every sense of the word)
3. cycling shoe