I ♥ Jazzercise

There's nothing like jumping in the deep end. I bypassed regular Spinning classes and dove headfirst into a "super spin" class this morning.

Three observations:

1. It was as hard as I thought it would be.
   
2. Don't have a big breakfast too soon beforehand.
   
3. Never underestimate the power of Jazzercise.
   

There was no messing around with this class. It was long, it was hard, I sweated buckets, but I survived. I had eaten a big breakfast about half an hour before class which was a big mistake. I just about tossed it up over my handlebars. Next time, I need to get up earlier to eat. Heh.

Just when I thought I couldn't last any longer, and the instructor was about to mete out more punishment, a Jazzercise class showed up uncommonly early due to a scheduling mixup. Consequently, our class was cut short, and I felt such an outpouring of love for all Jazzercise aficionados the world over. I still love spinning, but I think I love Jazzercise a tich more.

Duration: 01:11, Calories: 538, HR Average: 75%

If you can hold on...hold on

Yesterday was the last day of my beginner's spinning class. I'm already missing it! Which is a strange thing to say considering we did a full hour of spinning which was really tough at times. But the tunes were good and I dug in and found it within myself to keep going during the 80% tension portions, hehe.

Speaking of tunes, the song I've posted above was one that our instructor played. Aside from a very good biking song, I really like the lyrics. Especially the part that says "If you can hold on...hold on." Now I know this song is about something entirely different, but I like the meaning of that phrase. It applies to many things in my life. Weight loss for certain, and my battle with depression, too.

Holding on is hard. But you know what? The very act of holding on is sometimes the only thing preventing us from letting go.

But I get up again

Today was my second spinning class and I had a blast. It was even more fun than last week. The instructor put on a CD that was called (no word of a lie), Absolute Very Best of the World's Best Ever Beer Songs. Ha!

The first song that we did was Chumbawumba's Tubthumping. Every time "Up" was said in the song, we had to get up and pedal. And every time "down" was said, we were allowed to sit. Ehehe, there was a lot of ups and downs!

Another song that we pedaled to was Blur's Song 2 (the "whoohoo" song). When the song kicked into gear during the "whoohoo" part, we had to pedal our asses off. And during Steve Earle's Copperhead Road, the instructor led us visually through climbing a hill in the country. Complete with rednecks, pickup trucks and gun racks. At about the 2:37 mark in the song, we'd reached the top of the "hill" and were allowed to take the tension off completely and pedal like crazy down the other side.

So. Much. Fun!!!

My first spinning class

I did it! I completed my first spinning class* and am here now to dish all the details to those who've never spun or are thinking of it.

After having received excellent tips from the ladies on the WeightWatchers.ca board, I arrived early and as prepared as I was ever going to be. I had my water, my towel, and I left my ego at home. I didn't go so far as to buy padded bike shorts or a gel seat because I wasn't sure if I would like spinning. And besides, I would've felt self-conscious bringing my own seat to the first class.

As a few others had also shown up early, the instructor started showing everyone how to set up their bikes. The seat adjusts up and down as well as front to back. That's a picture of the bike we were on by the way. It's a Lemond bike.

When everyone was set up and strapped into the bikes (the pedals have straps so your feet don't come out of them), the first thing the instructor said was, "I'm sure many of you noticed how uncomfortable the seat is." He then went on to suggest that if we found the seats too hard that we could buy gel seat covers for about $15 from Walmart that slip over the seat and cinch up. Oooooh. Gel seat covers. Not the whole seat. I really would have looked like an idiot if I had shown up with an entire seat!

Then the actual pedaling began. And it was really like aerobics except with bikes. The instructor was at the front of the room on his bike facing us, and we were in rows facing him. He'd have us pedal at a normal pace and then at intervals he'd tell us to either increase the pace, adjust the tension up, or stand up off our seats and pedal. We'd go like this for an interval then he'd return us to a regular pace before beginning again. He even got us to do some upper body work by doing a sort of push-up off the handlebars.

And that's basically how it works! He guides you through intervals of more intense pedaling and you just follow along with what he says. If you don't feel like you can stand up, you don't have to (or can do a modified version of standing). He also said you could "pretend" to dial up your tension if you wanted to impress your neighbour, haha!

After about half an hour of this, the instructor ended the class with stretching on our bikes (upper body) and then had us get off our bikes to stretch out our legs. I didn't feel wiped at all, but then again it wasn't a full class and he was being kind to us as newbies. The hardest part for me was the standing. My legs just aren't used to that sort of exercise! But I know it'll get better with practice. Fortunately, my bum didn't hurt much, but that's only because I'm used to sitting on my exercise bike for long periods of time.

Finally, a side-note about some of the participants in the class. There were three in particular who arrived late. Early twenties, skinny, and dressed in the latest fashionable workout wear. When I first saw them my thought was, "Oh great, just what I needed - a bunch of fitness junkies showing off right beside me!" But funny thing was - about halfway through the class I looked over and saw them struggling. One had given up completely and the others were half-heartedly trying to keep up. Meanwhile, all the other ladies in the class (same age as me or older and not very "fit" looking) were kicking serious ass. I know these girls were struggling but...okay...I have to admit that I felt just a little proud that I had no problems keeping up compared to them. It also felt good to know that just because you're skinny doesn't mean you're fit!

All in all, I had a blast and I can't wait to go back next week! For anyone interested in trying out spinning, I highly recommend finding a beginner's class. You'll get an orientation on the proper way to adjust your bike (and how you'll know if it isn't adjusted properly) as well as a relatively easy introduction to how spinning works. If you don't like it, at least you didn't pay for a full course!


* Hands up...who else thought spinning had to do with wool and princesses with clumsy fingers when they first heard of it? Okay, looks like I'm the only one who thought that. Fortunately, I found out before asking people what kind of yarn they made and why were they so sweaty?