Spin, Span, Spun.... and does the gyno have an ER service?

HELLO BLOGGERS! It's MONDAY morning & we're off to a new week! As you may know, I have been wanting to shake up my exercise routine to keep things exciting while also working on the shape of my body. In the last week, in addition to my regular cardio workout, I've tried three new things: a personal trainer, Yoga, and Spin Class. I've written about my personal trainer, Nikki, on my blog before (she's wonderful) so I'll now share my thoughts on the other experiences.

YOGA~ Meet my instructor, Nicole.I've known Nicole for a long time- I first met her when I bought a used couch from her 4 years ago. I've gotten to know her much better since joining the gym. Nicole nagged at me to come to her Yoga class for a couple of months. Total harassment. So I finally caved... and I'm glad I did! I had an idea of what Yoga is from watching TV but this was the first time I had ever attended a class.

Things to be prepared for before attending your first Yoga class: wear a shirt that is longer in the torso as you will be stretching your arms to the ceiling & bending in different positions so you may not want your belly cascading out from the bottom of your shirt. You will also be taking your shoes and socks off for this class. You will need a Yoga mat- your gym may have one available for you but remember: there are germs, bacteria, and fungus you may not want to have your bare feet exposed to so you might want to consider buying your own mat.There are a series of poses you are instructed to do and hold for a short amount of time. Some of the poses were easy to get into (see my "standing tree" pose, above) then we reached some poses through a series of steps that got us correctly positioned. Nicole gave a lot of verbal instruction which was very helpful & she gave us (I'm sure she was directing her comments at ME) some tips to modify more difficult positions for the beginners. Did I get a workout? You BET I did. While I was holding some of the poses, I had sweat rolling down my forehead. I enjoyed the challenge & even though I was in a small group, it felt like a very personal workout. The struggle was between me & my body and I was surprised at what I could do!

Tip from Nicole - try Yoga three times before you decide whether or not you like it. You're on, Nicole!

and now we'll discuss SPIN CLASS. I have seen the people coming out of spin class. They are hot. They are sweaty. They hold towels in their hand that were used to collect their sweat. I know I need to work on my quads (look at me being all technical!!) and I was told by Nikki that Spinning would help me gain some strength in that area. This morning as I was checking Corbin in to the child care area, I noticed the gal who signed in before me wrote that she was going to be in the Spin class. I stopped her & asked when it was starting - fifteen minutes! This was my chance to give Spin a try & I was going to take it.

THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH SPIN THAT NO ONE WILL WARN YOU ABOUT:

But I'll get to that demon in a minute. I came in to the spin room & my good friend Nikki was teaching the class. For whatever reason, they keep this room rather dark- the walls are painted black & there's "foam" tacked on the walls to absorb (the screams?) sound. Nikki came over & helped me adjust the bike & showed me how to change the resistance. She suggested that since it was my first time I should not do the "jumps" (when you quickly go from a sitting to standing position while rapidly peddling) and that I could even choose to not stand up while biking. Once the music started & we were all peddling, I really got into it! When the other class members were doing their jumps, I stayed in the standing position and kept up a fast pace. I had sweat RUNNING off of my face which is the kind of workout I have not had in a while. I loved it. What did I not love about Spinning...?

The seat. Here's my tip for those of you who have not yet tried a Spin class... bring your own cushioned seat. Nikki came over to see how I was holding up while the class was going & I told her the minute I left the class I was going to my gynocologist. Those seats are HARD. And they are NARROW. Not conducive for those of us with wider rumps. Nikki gave me a gel seat cover for my bike. I would have preferred one of the nice, wide, Schwinn bike seats with the springs on the bottom.

This is more my speed.

HOWEVER... I will be back to Spin class. I could see myself doing Spin a couple of times a week, regularly. I really liked it!

Here's the biggest lesson I learned this week:

I can do it.

With both of the classes I attended, I walked in thinking "I'll see how this goes & I can walk out after 20-30 minutes if I don't like it." Instead, I walked out thinking I COMPLETED THAT CLASS AND DID MY BEST.

... and I'll be even better, next time. (and there will be a next time)

So here's my challenge for my Bloggers, out there - - what have YOU done, lately, that was outside of YOUR comfort zone? I challenge you to challenge yourself. You'll be surprised at what you can do.