Spin Class: Chapters 1-4

Once upon a time, I made a New Years Goal to take a spin class.  My idea was that I would take one every week from January 1 until the wedding, and look like a svelte, hot model on my wedding day.

What I failed to account for was that I was chicken.  I woke up in time every Wednesday morning, but I scared myself  and would go for a run instead.  Then one Tuesday in March, I had a dress fitting, and while the dress zipped, I couldn’t sit down (that’s a whole other story for another time!).  The next morning, I woke my ass out of bed and went to spin class. 

{Chapter 1}

I told the teacher (her name was Sarah) that it was my first time spinning.  She explained how to set up the bike so that I wouldn’t bounce around and injure myself.  And then it was time.  I was so nervous but I tried to treat the class like yoga class.  If the class was in a “run” but I couldn’t stay standing that long, I’d just sit down and get up when I felt ready.  By mid-class, I felt more awake than if I had had a giant iced coffee.   What a rush!  I was hooked.

{Chapter 2}

The following week, I took another class with the same teacher.  I was loving the music selection (all fun pop music like the new Jlo and Britney songs!) and I was getting stronger.  By the end of the class, the other women in the class recognized me from last week and told me how strong I looked, and gave me tips for “running” that would make it easier (like turning up the resistance so you’re not bouncing around all over the place!).  I started chatting with one girl about running and the Broad Street Run.  I never believed that people made friends in the gym, but maybe they do.

{Chapter 3}

The week before the wedding, I took off from work.  I refused to make it to my regular 615am spin class, so I took a 630pm spin class.  The teacher was good, but he was older and not nearly as energetic as Sarah was.  He played songs like the Beatles, and the class kinda dragged.  But it was still great to sweat.it.out. and melt off some stress.  Oh – I should mention, that at this point I could sit down in my wedding gown.  Maybe it was the spin class, maybe it was the salads I was eating at lunch… but I think it was spin class.

{Chapter 4}

After my last spin class, I was hesitant to go back.  I felt like maybe since the last class was kind of boring, I wasn’t going to like it anymore.  (read: I tried to talk myself out of it again.)  But I didn’t feel like running and I needed to sweat, so I went.  And for the first time, I was able to get through the entire class without having to sit when the class was standing.  I think part of it was the teacher (unfortunately not Sarah!) is training for a triathalon so she had us focused on endurance and speed, which I prefer to the hills.  But also I can feel myself getting stronger, and it’s so fulfilling. 

I’ve been having a hard time getting motivated for running lately, but spin class makes me smile.  And as an added bonus, every time I hear the new Jlo song (On the floor) or the new Britney song (Til the world ends) it makes me excited to get back to class and rock out.  Who doesn’t like to spend 45 minutes jamming out? 

Anyway, sorry for the wordy post with no pictures!  Have you ever taken a class that freaked you out?  Did you end up liking it?

Chicken

These are my confessions.

- A few months ago (ok ok, a long while ago), I purchased 15 hot yoga classes through Groupon. I have yet to use any of the classes. I find excuses to not go every week, but really I’m scared that I will sweat myself into a puddle and not be able to move.

- I have been telling myself (and Robert) that I was going to go to one spin class a week from New Years til the wedding.  It’s the end of February, and I haven’t gone.  Just like yoga, I completely chicken out every week.

- I love food.  I love butter, and olive oil, and soft cheese, and italian meats.  I love pasta and cookies and proscuitto and ice cream.  And I just can’t bring myself to pack a turkey sandwich for lunch every day, regardless of what my wallet and my waistline tell me.

- It’s 64 days til our wedding and I’m feeling a little mushy around the mid-section.  See above.

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Send help, please?

You look thinner…

So we had a fire drill yesterday, and on the way back to our desks a coworker said to me “you look thinner, have you been trying?”

I was in shock.  What was I supposed to say to that?  I didn’t know that was something anyone would say to me around so many people.  I mumbled something about how I was trying a little bit, but didn’t think it was noticeable yet.  In reality though, I’m not really trying to lose weight.  I just want to get fit, strong, and be able to run the Broad Street run in May.  If I lose weight in the process, so be it – but that’s not my ultimate goal.

It’s funny to note too that Robert and I had a conversation about this just yesterday morning as we were getting ready for work.  I admit – I had gotten on the scale that morning, and the number was lower than it was before.  I mentioned this to him as we were getting ready for work. 

R:  Oh, that’s good.  How many more are you looking to lose?

(Side note:  we are really open with each other regarding weight.  I feel absolutely comfortable with him, no matter how I’m feeling with myself.  He is my biggest supporter.)

C:  I don’t know how much I want to lose.  I’m not really putting a number on it.  When I stop losing weight, that’s where I’m supposed to be.  I’d rather not lose any weight, so long as I’m toned and healthy.

What I guess I’m trying to say is that I’m trying to get a grip on my life.  I don’t need to lose weight.  I am enough just as I am.  If I can improve my life by eating healthier, excercising more, and setting fitness goals for myself, then things will just fall into place after that.  By setting up my healthy habits now, I hope that I will be able to pass them along to my children, and live a long happy life.  Health shouldn’t be a race to lose the most amount of pounds in the shortest amount of time. 

While I’m glad that obesity and health are in the spotlight now more than ever, I think that we are having conversations about the wrong things.  While I do bring my dinner to work, and I do wake up early to make sure I have time to work out, this isn’t a crash diet.  As a society, we are bullied into focusing more on losing the pounds as opposed to overall health.  Between 100-calorie packs, The Biggest Loser, and co-workers who notice that you are losing weight, it is almost taboo to mention overall health and fitness without sounding like a preacher.  My hope is that one day this will no longer be true.  I am grateful for this healthy blogging community for truly inspiring me to be my best self, and until the rest of the world catches on, check out Operation Beautiful for a fantastic example of a blogger and a community that gets it.

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Is weight loss a big topic where you work?