It Turns Out We were All Afraid of the Spin Bike

 

The Spin Classroom at my YMCA



While I like to try new things, I am far from the most daring person you will ever meet.  Rarely will I try anything for the first time by myself.  I ran my first 5k with my brother-in-law.  My best friend Amy and I went to our first Zumba class together.  Zip-lining was tackled with my sister's firm promise that she would be flinging herself down the mountain right behind me. 

One thing that I have been wanting to try for years is a Spin Class.  I would walk past the Spin Classroom at the YMCA and hear the pounding music and see the class full of people with wet hair and sweat pouring off their faces and my heart would start to pound.  There are a few Spin Bikes in the gym scattered among the treadmills and elliptical machines, but I would just give them a fearful glance as I finished a run. 

How could something as simple as a bike be so scary?  The seat is small.  No way my big bottom will fit on that little seat.  There are straps on the pedals.  What if I can't get them off and then I am stuck there - how embarrassing!  Various knobs are all over the place and what in the world are all of those numbers on that little screen?  Plus, I always see people peddling and standing.  How in the world am I going to stand and pedal?  I'll last like ten seconds.  No way.

One evening I ran into my co-worker Elaine at the Y.  She told me that she had just come out of a Spin Class and asked if I had ever tried one.  When I told her no, she invited me to join her sometime.  I shared with her that I had always wanted to try a Spin Class and that I would love to join her some evening. 

I managed to avoid actually going to Spin Class for about a year.  There was always a valid reason why I could not meet her for a class.

Then, Elaine called my bluff. 

I was sharing with my co-workers at our Morning Meeting about March Fourth.  Encouraging them to set a goal, try something new, do something for their health.  Elaine piped up - "This year Lisa is marching forth by trying a Spin Class with me on Wednesday."  WHAT?!?!  Everyone was looking at me.  How could I say no when I was encouraging them to take action?  "I'll see you on Wednesday, Elaine!" came out of my mouth.

Wednesday night I met Elaine at the Y at 6PM - fifteen minutes before class started (It is important to arrive early because bikes fill-up quick and once they are filled you are out of luck!).  I was literally shaking.  Elaine introduced me to the instructor who got me set up on the bike.  She moved the seat up and down and backwards and forward until she felt it was just right.  Then she adjusted the handle bars.  GULP - Next she strapped my feet into the peddles and had me start peddling.  My heart was pounding and I suddenly got really hot.  She instructed me on what the numbers on the screen meant.  Finally, she reviewed the Spinning lingo that I would need to understand in order to follow along - seated climb, standing flat, resistance, jumps  (Check out http://blog.mioglobal.com/spinning-glossary/ for a description of Spinning lingo.).  At that point, she deemed me ready to roll and walked away leaving me strapped to the bike gripping the handlebars for dear life and trying my best to maintain my balance.

Next thing I knew the lights went out and the music turned up.  For 45 minutes I sat.  I stood.  I pedaled fast.  I cranked up the resistance and slowly pushed those pedals forward.  Sweat was pouring down my face.  And then . . . it was over. 


Elaine and I after my first Spin Class

I LOVED it!  The 45 minutes flew by.  I pedaled while sitting and standing, going up hills and rolling along the flats.  I had no problem keeping up with the instructor.  Best of all - I never fell off the bike!  It was fantastic!  My mind was blown.  My fear was conquered.  I survived my first Spin Class.  Wow!  I was so thankful that Elaine had invited me and then pushed me to follow through with my yes.

The next day I felt great.  My legs and bottom were a little sore - just enough to remind myself that I had worked hard the night before rising victorious over my fear.  I told a few of my friends about how much I enjoyed the Spin Class and what a fantastic workout it was.  Several of their responses shocked me.  It turns out that I wasn't the only one afraid of the Spin Bike!  They told me that they had always wanted to try a Spin Class, but didn't want to go by themselves or were too nervous.  Really???  I honestly thought that I was the only one who had a fear of the bike.

So I invited them to join me in class with Elaine the following Wednesday, and two of my friends showed up!  By the end of class Spinning had two more admirers - both Nicole and Amy conquered their fear of the bike.


Nicole and Amy joining in on the fun!

Lessons learned:

* Never be afraid to voice fear about something because you're most likely not the only one.

* Conquering a fear is much easier and more fun with friends.

* Spinning is fun!



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Re-Visiting my Snack Attack Prevention Plan

My stress levels are rising.  Home life and work life are busier than ever.  My stress eating habit is wanting to rear it's ugly head!  Before things get out of hand, I thought it would be helpful for me to re-visit the Snack Attack Prevention Plan I set up for myself:

I admit it . . . I'm a stress eater.  When my stress levels go up, my willpower goes down.  The past month at work has been high stress.  It took me a few weeks to recognize it, but my willpower was plummeting.  The new habits that I had developed over the past several years seemed to just disappear.  Looking at my desk one day, I counted four food wrappers.  FOUR!  Wow!  That was the moment that I realized I needed to get my act together.  I was in a fierce battle with the Snack Attack Monster and I needed a plan. 
   
Re-Commit to Living Healthy
On my drive home that night, I turned the radio off and spent some time thinking.  I needed to admit to myself that I was slipping into some old habits.  I love snacking.  I love pretzels and chips and gummy candies.  So when someone leaves a box filled with small bags of Doritos in our Employee Lounge, of course I am going to grab one.   When I step into my co-workers office and she offers me a handful of gummy worms, of course I'm going to say yes.  When I'm sitting at my desk at the end of the day and my stomach is gurgling, of course I'm going to go the vending machine.  Really?  No!  I'm going to walk past the breakroom, graciously decline the offer and come to work prepared with healthy snacks.  Why?  Because I want to feel good, have energy, live long and not put back on the weight I've lost.  

That evening I got out two index cards and wrote down the scripture and quote that started me on my journey of healthy living:

Let us not grow weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest

if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9  

 

No one can go back and start a new beginning,

but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

Maria Robinson

The next day I posted them by my computer as a visual reminder of my commitment to live healthy.

   
Re-Charge Breakfast
The time between when my alarm goes off and when I need to be pulling out of the driveway always goes so fast!  I found that I was often grabbing a granola bar or the dreaded Pop Tart as I ran out the door to satisfy my morning hunger.  Neither are very filling.  So by 9AM my stomach is rumbling and I'm wanting something to eat. 

I had always wanted to try making smoothies for breakfast.  My hesitation came from seeing recipes that call for protein powder and not knowing exactly what that involves.  Talking with my friend Dana - a dietitian - eased my fear of the unknown.  She said that for my purposes there were plenty of ways to naturally add protein to the smoothies through bananas, yogurt, peanut butter and even pureed pumpkin!  (Note from my friend Dana after reading this blog entry - "Neither bananas nor pumpkin are high in protein but they def add bulk, fiber and other nutrients that will keep you satisfied until you need a mid-morning snack."  I want to make sure I'm sharing correct information.)

Well-educated and very enthusiastic, I dug our blender out of the basement, bought a variety of ingredients and been have been whipping up healthy, tasty and filling breakfast smoothies all week,  YUMMY!  I have to admit that I have been surprised that they truly are filling.  My stomach did not rumble in the morning all week! 

The only possible downside to the smoothies is that they do take a little longer to prepare than simply grabbing a granola bar.  However, I'm a great multi-tasker (I did almost put the chopped garlic in the blender instead of the crockpot yesterday, but I caught myself just in time!) and my husband hasn't minded cleaning up my mess - especially since I've been leaving him his very own smoothie!

Re-New My Relationship with Water
Over the past couple of weeks I realized that I have gotten away from drinking water at work.  The cup that I had always carried around the Center with me sat dry and empty on the corner of my desk.  This week I made a conscious effort to fill it up every morning on my way to our daily meeting and then carry it with me throughout the day.  One of my favorite features of the Adult Day Center where I work is the door ice and water dispensers on the fridge.  I do like ice cold water - it fills me up and wakes me up!

My battle plan is in place.  It was that simple.  I'm RE-COMMITTED, RE-CHARGED and RE-NEWED!  Workday Snack Attacks don't stand a chance against this girl. 

Marching Forth: Know the Journey will not be Perfect

My plan had been to share a tip everyday this week leading up to March Fourth.  Here we are on Thursday night at 10:40PM and I am tired.  I've been up since 5AM, worked all day and just got home from a meeting.  I want nothing more than to crawl into bed.  But this blog post is looming over my head.  I seriously thought about telling myself to forget it,  No one would miss it.

But then I realized what a perfect topic to share!  We often plan out our lives having everything pictured in our mind of exactly how it will go.  Then when we miss something or mess up or life simply gets in the way we are very quick to throw our hands up and give up.

Those are the times that we need to dig deep and not give up.  We need to keep our focus on the goal and keep going.  So what we missed a couple days of exercise - let's head back to the gym.  So what I went to bed before hitting the 10,000 step mark on my FitBit - I'll try again tomorrow.  So what I mindlessly ate three cookies during our staff meeting - I'll make wiser choices starting right now.

It's important that we forgive ourselves, pick ourselves up and continue Marching Forth towards a healthier life.

Now I'm off to bed!

Marching Forth: Put it on Your Calendar

A few weeks ago our Pastor preached about finding balance in your life.  He must have been talking directly to me as finding balance is my lifelong battle.  How in the world does one fit everything in that needs to be done and remain sane?

He gave us four practical tips.  One of them stuck out to me.  It's one that I have been practicing, but hearing it again was a good reminder.

BE PURPOSEFUL WITH YOUR CALENDAR.

Pastor was speaking mainly about purposefully setting dates on your calendar with your spouse and time with your family, but I believe that the same applies to taking care of ourselves.  I can talk all I want about going to the gym or registering for this race or trying a new recipe.  I'm much more likely to do it if I put it on my calendar.  

I have a weekly calendar that I post on one of our kitchen cabinets.  I list all of our activities for the week and our meals.  When I put my workouts or plans to run, my family expects me to go.  I don't have to worry about what they're doing - they know that is my time.  Having it on the calendar prevents me from scheduling something else at that same time.  I also find myself saying to myself, "I'm too tire to run today, but it's on the calendar."  It's as if I don't want to let the calendar down!  That's the people pleaser coming out in me, but it works!  I get up and go!  

Being purposeful about your calendar doesn't have to have anything to do with exercise.  If you want to paint or write more - schedule yourself blocks of time to do that. If you want to de-clutter your house, schedule yourself for 20 minutes a day, one drawer a day, two hours a week - whatever will work for you.  If you want to call your best friend more often, set a weekly date to talk on the phone.  

As my dad always says, plan you work and work your plan!  Putting your goals on your calendar helps you to achieve them!

March Fourth is a great day to march towards a life of living with purpose, a life lived with intention!