Spinning me right 'round

I've been an athlete my whole life and catch on quickly to new activities, but, I hate being told what to do and how to do it. That's probably because I ate, slept, breathed (held my breath is more like it), sweated and iced over used muscles for years under someone else's every command. So it's no wonder that when I go to the gym now, I only answer to myself. Just like Vivian in Pretty Woman, "I say who, I say what, I say where. I say whooo."

My inner control freak coupled with my overuse knee an hip pains are the reasons I had never tried a spin class until almost two weeks ago. ( Ok, I have been on a spin bike before, but that was way back in my chub club days in 2001 where swimming 8 miles a day was not enough cardio, that we had to bike 45 minutes a day while lifting too).

So I did it. And I LOVED IT!! I cannot get enough. The first 15 minutes were the hardest and then the muscle memory and endorphins kicked in. The feeling of pushing yourself, making your body go to depths of it's tolerance for all things physical. I am addicted to this feeling, this feeling is why I loved swimming. To challenge yourself. To do what you think you cannot and then excel at it, makes me want to do it even more the next day. Spinning is the first workout I have had outside of swimming that got my heart rate sky high without compromising my joints. I encourage everyone, do it. Even if you think you can't, you can. The music makes it feel like a party and the pride you feel after makes it worth it.