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I fell into spinning by accident.

The first day of Pilates class, I went to drop my younger son (YS) off at childwatch after dropping my older son off at preschool. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the first to finish the trip. Hordes of preschool parents had also been counting down the days for school to start and so that they would also be able to take advantage of the classes at the gym. The childwatch was full even though it was a good 30 minutes before the class started. By the time a space opened, the pilates class had already started. Disappointed, I went to use the elliptical machines.

An instructor came in and announced that she was about to run a spinning class for beginners. I had always been intrigued by the idea of spinning… intrigued, but scared… particularly because a friend told me she almost threw up while spinning. I made a mental note of all the nearby garbage cans just in case and went into the spinning room.

The class was great. The instructor showed us how to adjust our bikes (there are three places) and taught us how a spinning class worked. She also explained that importance of wearing biking shorts for the um, shall I say, delicate parts of our bodies. I think without it, I might not have ever gone to spinning or if I had, I’m not sure if I would have gone back. I left feeling really good, and I ended up going back a second time, and then a third, and now I go 2-3 times a week. I’ll admit, particularly at the beginning, I was a little intimidated. Some people were totally decked out in biking gear. I’m talking about gloves too. Despite the fact that the bikes are stationary, I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised to see people wearing their bike helmets.

I really enjoy spinning for two reasons. First of all, it burns an insane amount of calories in a short period of time. It’s like getting the most bang for your kids-free workout time. Trust me, if you wear a heart rate monitor, you’ll be amazed. Why wear a heart rate monitor? If you go to spinning for more than a couple of months, you’ll give in to the pressure and get one. Then gloves might not be too far away followed by a personal bike horn and helmet. Alright, I’m kidding about the last two.

The second reason I like spinning is because the music is upbeat and… well… not kids music. I also enjoy meeting a group of women and men who don’t always talk about their kids. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom. It’s nice though to have someone know me as me first and not as my kids’ mom first.

by Alex Elliot

Photo graciously provided by velo_city, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved