Spin – conquering the final gym fear.
In my quest to lose weight and get healthy, I have spent hours at the gym. Mind you, the consistency these days is lacking, but long story short, I know my way around cardio and weight rooms. I have stepped, kicked, stretched through group exercise classes. I have free-weighted, circuit-trained, trekked, ellipticaled, mastered the stairs, and spent more hours with physical trainers than I can count. But there is one area of the gym I have always feared.
Spin class.
No matter the city, the gym, the time of day… spin class has always scared the beejezus out of me. There is something about the way that everyone knows what they are doing with these machines that have knobs and levers. They are all so… focused. Full of intent.
Recently, I needed something new. I had rejoined a gym and needed to find something to throw my energy into. I needed accountability. But most of all, I needed a class that worked with my schedule.
So a friend and I both committed to a spin class.
Walking in the very first morning was incredibly scary. I wanted to back out. But I had made a commitment with a friend (and it would only be after the class that I would find out she also wanted to back out).
With the help of an overly perky instructor, I adjusted the bike. I then mounted the bike. And 45 minutes later, I was more than ready to get off that bike.
However, I had discovered something about myself. I had discovered that spin was no scarier than any other part of the gym. That when I faced my fear, I could conquer something new. And, I never thought I would say this, enjoy it.
Spin class offers something that no other part of the gym offers. It allows you to work at your own resistance, your own pace, without anyone knowing what level you are working on. For those of you who self-compare, like I tend to do, you can’t! All you can do it focus on yourself. And that forced focus is what I needed to ensure I was keeping proper form, and not just competing against my peers. The competitor within now could only focus on myself.
I have been going to spin classes on a regular basis now for several months. I am still not a spin guru. I don’t have the magical clip spin shoes. I don’t go on bike rides in the mountains on weekend. But I can spin. The fear has been conquered.
The Healthy Academic 