Last weekend we had an awesome women's conference that our women's group attended. I have to confess, with everything going on right now with my dad's health and the busy-ness of life, I just did not want to go. But I'm so very glad I did! It was just what I needed. Funny how God sets up little things just to encourage you and keep you going. ;-)
So, as you know, I've been going to lunchtime express classes at our local Y on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually Spinning at lunch. It took a lot for me to walk into my first Spinning class. (And a lot to actually walk afterwards, but that's a different post...) Now, I really miss it when I'm not able to go.
I really didn't know what to expect when I went to the first Spinning class. I knew I'd be on a bike. And sweating. And I figured there'd be lots of skinny moms in there. Or skinny college girls. Or skinny anybodies.
Of course, when I got there, I realized I had assumed some things that were not particularly true. Like thinking that everyone would be staring at me wondering who I thought I was kidding, trying to spin at the size I am...
Turns out, they were all very welcoming. A lot of the group from the Lunchtime Express classes come to the lunchtime spin classes, so besides my coworkers, I still saw some familiar (and friendly) faces, so that helped.
So setting up the bike was slightly unnerving. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong and I'd wind up falling off the bike. Thankfully that didn't happen.
Here's the bikes (please excuse the pic quality - I'm not a great photog when I'm in motion. LOL)
So the most important thing I have learned is to make sure the seat is high enough so that you don't hurt your knees. For the first few weeks, my seat was lower than it should have been. I'm 5'6" and I had my seat lower than my instructor's seat -- and she's 5'3" I think. So once she noticed that and I moved it up, I was in a much better position to really enjoy the class.
I also had to figure out how to get my feet into the straps on those pedals. I wind up securing my left foot while my right is still on the ground, then I boost myself up to the seat and have to bend over from the seat to hold the straps far enough so that I can get my right foot in that pedal. I feel like I'm about to fall on my face every time I do that - I mean I'm teetering on this teeny tiny seat! But I've not fallen yet, and last time I was able just to slip my foot in without bending down to hold the straps.
The way our spin classes are, once the music starts, the lights go down and all you have are blacklights up top and rope lights around the floor. We can still see to move around and such if we need, but it's a really cool effect they offer to kind of keep you focused.
We'll start with a warm up, which usually includes sprints (pedaling REALLY fast) and standing, and stretching your arms/shoulders, and hovering. Hovering, for some reason, is still really hard for me to do. That's when you see the cyclist off the seat, but bent over and resting their upper bodies on their upper arms, which are on the handlebars.
The instructor will make sure we have some pumping playlist and she calls out when she wants us to turn the resistance knob (to increase the resistance), when she wants us up, or down, or hovering, or ...(wait for it) ... doing jumps.
I think jumps just might be a form of torture. That's where you keep your pace pedaling, pedaling, pedaling and alternate standing and sitting - about every 2-4 pedals. It's fast. I can't do it yet. My jumps are more like speed bumps. Or just REALLY, REALLY slow jumps. Like I can get up and get down ONE Time in the time it takes someone else to do 3-4 jumps. But that's better than when I started. When I started I didn't even attempt the jumps.
So usually by about 1/2-way through, I'm glancing at the clock, trying to count down the minutes until the end of the class. And I've learned I had to really keep my heart rate in check. In that class it's so easy to go, go, go and just keep going. It is fun, even though sometimes I feel like I'm going to die. (Kidding!!) But if I let my heart rate get too high and stay too high, I wind up having a killer migraine by the time I get home. So I have to back off a bit on the last half of the class.
By the time we leave, I get off that bike -- carefully, because my legs are like jelly and I REALLY don't want to face plant in front of the skinnies. I can barely walk to the disposable wipes to wipe down my bike. There's sweat literally rolling down my back, dripping off my hair onto my neck. My breathing is quick but deep. And the pride that I feel for finishing another kicking fitness class is bubbling up through all that - making the muscle fatigue and the sticky work out clothes worth it. I'm telling you, there is nothing like pushing yourself to the point that you think you won't make it, and then keeping on going a little further. There's nothing like knowing I absolutely did my best. It may not have been faster or longer than my neighbor's pace, but it was my best so far. I just feel so accomplished. So gloriously exhausted and accomplished.
So if you're thinking about trying something new - do it! Don't let your preconceived notions about other people keep you from doing what YOU want to do. Think about it - I spent most of my time before this class (and most any other time going to work out) judging the people who were going to be there because I thought they were going to judge me. I started judging them first! LOL
Well, thank God some co-workers talked me into going that first time. It was well worth it.
Now, for an update. I've lost 10 pounds! That seems such a small amount to me still (my weight loss journey began 1/12/15, so 10 lbs in 2 months doesn't seem like much for a woman like me), BUT I know I've lost inches. Check out the difference in my face (stepping WAAAAAY outside my comfort zone now!). The first pic is in mid-December with my beautiful prayer daughter K. The second pic is last weekend with my other precious prayer daughter H. You can just barely see a difference in my face - not as swollen, I guess. And clothes are fitting better. As much fun as it is to embrace this new fit life and enjoy working out as much as I do, I still struggle to keep my focus and not get discouraged when I see those numbers. So I keep looking for things like this to kind of prove to myself that I am doing something right, I guess.
Here's to small steps -- it may take me a while, but I'll get there!
