Thing #7 Spin Class

Well, I took a spinning class. And boy did I feel like a jackass. But I’ll go back.

For those who don’t know, it’s a group cycling class. You’re in a room of bikes, with lots of people on those bikes, and a teacher who uses a headset microphone to tell you what to do for an hour, or however long you can stand it. You self-adjust the degree of difficulty (“tension”) on your bike as told, and self-adjust your level of effort (how fast your legs spin, or “cadence”) as told as well.

A fine concept.

Only, there are a lot of mysteries surrounding the process that take awhile to sort out:

1) The bikes don’t have their handlebars on when you walk in. Why? I really don’t know. How do you put the handlebars on? I still don’t quite know. I tried it myself before the teacher got there and couldn’t figure it out and felt dumb. So the teacher helped me, at my request, when she arrived but the skill didn’t translate very well. I did manage to take the handlebars off at the end of class and set them down in front of the bike. You untwist some peg until it’s loose, then you pull on it and lift the bars out. Why? Again, I have no idea. I just do what I’m told. Or in this case, what other people are doing.

2) Where should my seat be? This I did learn – it should hit about an inch or half inch below your hip bone. On these bikes you can adjust the seat forward and backward as well. Your arms should be able to hit the handles with your back straight but without your elbows locking.

3) Do I need special shoes? I asked the teacher. She said no, because there are cages for your feet on the pedals, but if I became a regular I might want to consider it.

4) Do I need bike shorts? I can tell you this one: technically, no. You can go in whatever shorts or leggings you have (though I was advised something not too loose is helpful). I wore running tights and was OK. But here’s what I learned, all by myself: they put padding in those bike shorts for a reason. Bike seats are hard, and the work of pedaling, uh, emphasizes that. If I do decide I like this as a form of exercise, I will certainly invest in some bike shorts. But I got through just fine.

5) Do I need a heartrate monitor? Nope. Lots of people use them, and like with any cardio efforts, if you want to maximize your training it can be useful to have one. But it is completely possible to do this class without one, even though they get talked about as a tool and a few people had them. My sense was most people didn't (though I will be bringing mine next time).

I felt like a jackass for about the first twenty minutes as I sorted out those mysteries. Perhaps the biggest jackass moment – besides the solo attempt at putting on the handlebars – was how appalled the teacher was that I had shown up without water. I guess I’m used to running without water, so I didn’t think about it too much. (I take water with me on runs over forty minutes. Usually.) She was right, though, and I was grateful for the bottle she gave me after about twenty minutes. I don’t hydrate enough in general (and by “hydrate” I mean “drink water”) and that was a really good reminder.

This was an endurance class, meaning she had us do steady increases in effort followed by periods of rest. Some classes, apparently, are about building speed – short bursts of high effort – or both speed and endurance. I’m glad this one was just base fitness building. It was manageable. I once again didn’t push it too hard, since this was my first class, but still got a good workout. I could tell that since I’m a runner my lung capacity was adequate for what we were doing, but I had legs muscles that couldn’t keep up as well.


Things I liked:

-Easy easy easy on my knees. And it’s good cross-training for running.

-I was encouraged to push harder, but it was relative to my own previous effort and not anyone else’s level. That was good about spin class in general – you can work out hard with other people at different levels, and you’re not waiting for anyone or holding anyone up.

-It got me working hard, and having other people and the teacher there meant I pushed harder than I ever would have done alone.

-the bikes are low tech -- not a lot of electronic gadgetry. You adjust the tension by twisting a knob on the front. The rest are mechanical adjustments like the handlebars and seat. That was appealing.

-When we were done the class clapped for me having finished my first spin class. Thanks, guys! Some folks came up and chatted with me about the class, and their experience, and really encouraged me. It was nice.

-The teacher got her shoe stuck in a pedal. I found that reassuring, somehow, that the fit, friendly, skilled instructor had to face a challenging moment herself. Apparently it took three people and special tools after class to get the shoe off the pedal. I know the fact that I was reassured by this does not speak well for my character, but… it’s true. Human moments like that are always welcome with me.

I look forward to going back, especially now that I know a little bit about how it all works. Yay spinning!

Thing #3 Again. Again.

Yup, I went to yoga class again. I liked the stretching and flexibility part, but the strength training part seemed like a lot considering I did an hour of strength training afterward. It feels weird, though. How many times does one go to yoga before one becomes that sort of yoga person?

Thing #6 The Stairmaster

OK, yeah. I admit it. I’ve used the Stairmaster before, many years ago in a life far, far away. When I was in college I got PE credit for going to the gym, and I went faithfully for about six or seven years in college and grad school. I had occasion to use the stairmaster. But I haven’t considered it much of an option in the last fifteen years, frankly, and I put it on the list this time to see if it should be one again. It was strange to hop back on, and have a little shot of nostalgia added to my morning.

Cons: At both of my gyms, the stairclimbers are relegated to remote and boring parts of the gym. The capacity to cheat is high – leaning forward on the arms, leaning back, not doing a long stride. And cheating means injury if done too much.

Pros: It wasn’t hard to figure out. It surprisingly didn’t hurt my knee. It was a good workout. It will help me prep for the Cystic Fibrosis IDS Stairclimb in February. The remoteness means fewer opportunities for people to watch the indignity of a new endeavor. I can do it at my own pace, whenever I can make it to the gym. It’s indoors for the winter.

Regardless, I’m glad I worked out this morning. I didn’t do much of anything over the weekend, and my mood and my brain function can tell. I’m happier, more productive, and feel better on the days I have exercised.

I’ll try this one again.

Thing #4 In House Elliptical Redux

I tried the In House Elliptical again. It was fun and handy again, but officially tweaks my knee out. I tested walking up the stairs beforehand and after. It didn’t hurt before and it did hurt after. We’ll stay tuned about whether I can figure out a way to use it without knee pain – different stride? Make sure my heels don’t leave the pedals? – but for now it’s probably best if I try other things.

Thing #5 Fitness Pilates Class

I went to a whole other class! (An aside – “nother” is not a word. As in “a whole nother”.) This one I felt more comfortable going to because I’d already been to one and it dawned on me that any time a club has a class, they’ve got to handle people at all experience levels. This time the teacher was a sub, and even though I introduced myself as a complete Pilates novice at the beginning she was friendly but didn’t offer much by way of helpful initial instruction. She gave lots of it as the class moved along, though, and I could see that she was checking on me as it went, so I felt OK about the whole experience.

Pilates is really about strengthening “the core”, or the group of muscles down near the base of the belly and the back. Fine. I’ve done some of that with The Trainer. It was interesting to see what was hard – anything involving holding my neck up or my neck up and my legs in the air, hello.

As with yoga, I was glad not to be competitive. Frankly, on some of the moves (especially the ab work later in the class) I might’ve worked harder. But I didn’t want to push it too hard the first time. I am big, big believer is setting myself up for success, and starting slowly is part of that. Plus, I can be lazy. It’s why I hired a trainer in the first place.

I expected to be really sore the next day, and it wasn’t too bad. It was an ok class, and I’ll try it again, but since I do a lot of strength work with The Trainer, I’d rather focus on cardio and flexibility in these other workouts.

Thing # 3 Again - Yoga

Yes. I took yoga again. *on purpose*. What’s happening to me? I didn’t mention last time how the regular references to doing things with my “heart center” really drove me crazy. “Remember to breather from your heart center.” “Sit up like there’s a string from the ceiling pulling you from you heart center.” Ack. Really? Can’t you just say “chest”? And it was a class at a gym, so it was more fitness-focused, which was great, but with the occasional prayer or what have you at the beginning or the end. Namaste? Really? At the fitness club? OK. I suppose. It made me itchy, but wasn’t so blatant or overwhelming that is prevented me from returning. Honestly, I think my body has been craving the stretching and lengthening of it.

But not the “namaste”-ing.

I’ll go back. Even though I’m worried that it, too, is bugging my knee. The Trainer and I are working on the knees again, so that’s good.

Thing # 2 Again – Stationary Bike at the Gym

Uh oh. Doing the easy ones again for the second time already. By easy, I man the ones that are familiar and on my own schedule. I suppose that’s a good sign, though – once I’ve tried something, once I’ve gotten over the initial feelings of idiocy and ignorance, I am more willing to do the workout. That’s really the point here, given how much I tend to slack in the winter. So yay for me. I did a half hour, even though I showed up later than I had planned, and I sweat hard and had a good workout. And dance like a crazy fool again. Good for me.

Thing #4 - In House Elliptical

This one was a good experiment. A good friend who lives nearby has an elliptical, and I used it. It’s a different activity because… I want it to be. And it’s outside the gym, and that’s important. And because the view is even more unchanging and boring that at the gym. And because I can’t watch people work out or flirt. And I used a program this time, instead of just manual.

It was good, but my knee got bugged again. And the arm thing got annoying, so I would just hang on for awhile. My upper body was sore again the next day anyway. Ah, well. It felt nice to not have to go out in the cold to work out.

Thing #3 Yoga Class

Oh, Lord, yoga. I have resisted yoga forever. I once got into a little… altercation with a yoga instructor on one of my ultimate Frisbee teams. She, of course, thought that yoga was wonderful. I thought… that yoga would make me too flexible to run right, and too antsy. I don’t want to sit still to meet God, people. I find Him better when I am moving rhythmically. Plus it’s so… New Agey. Something. She kept insisting that I was wrong and needed to take yoga, and since I can be stubborn I kept gently agreeing that I was sure it was wonderful and equally sure that it was not for me. I honestly don’t think she spoke to me for the rest of the season. Anyway, I have a total attitude about it and I’m not sure what possessed me to go so early in this experiment.

Maybe it was the constant stretching I’ve had to do with my trainer to keep my knee from becoming a brick of pain. Maybe it’s reading about it in the five (yes, five) fitness magazines to which I subscribe and read faithfully every morning over breakfast. Maybe I’m finally facing the personal symbolism of having worked hard in my physical and mental life toward strength, endurance, and balance but *not* yet flexibility.

Whatever. I went.

And it was actually OK.

Here’s the other thing – not only had I never taken a yoga class, I had never taken *any* kind of class at the gym. I had no clue what I was doing. I asked Sally about it, and I went early and just confessed to the instructor that I was 100% brand-spanking new and clueless. She helpfully told me not to hide at the back of the class, but sit up front so I could see her. She also told me a little of what to expect – a quicker series of movements at the beginning that I may or may not be able to follow, and then a set of slower movements. She also showed me where the mats were.

An aside – I have a yoga mat on which I used to half-heartedly attempt to do strength exercises at home. It was filthy. I had showered with it the night before, but it the next day it was filthy *and* wet, so I went to the class secretly hoping they’d have a mat I could use. They did.

The upshot of the class was that I held my own. My hamstrings are still tight as… something really, really tight. But I could follow along OK, and I was surprisingly uncompetitive with myself or my classmates. Not that yoga is competitive. I am, though, so I was sort of surprised when the instructor would offer ways to make it harder and I just wouldn’t. And when it got too hard or what have you, I just said to myself “I did not come here to work this hard. I came here to get flexible.” And I’d ramp it back a little. (Also, I knew I was meeting with my trainer afterward and that made it easier to pursue flexibility and not strength.) And I spent almost no time comparing myself to the elastic people who dotted the room, or the stiff people, either. I admire those elastic people. (OK, I *kind of* admire them. Amazed and bewildered is a better word. Who can twist around like that? And why? But God bless ‘em.) I sympathize with the stiff people. But I didn’t really compare, and that made the class way more fun.

Thing #2 Stationary Bike at the Gym

I figured I’d continue the trend of starting off easy. I already go to the gym, and I have ridden a bike before. What made this an option for the list was two-fold: I did one of those programs that adjusts the effort for you, and I did it for a full 40 minutes rather than the 5 minute warm-ups I sometimes do before sessions with my trainer.

It was a good workout – not as good yet as running, but pretty darn good. My lung capacity from running is better than the leg strength I need for biking, so my legs felt the burn long before my heart-rate got up where I like it to be. But the pay-off was knowing that biking is a *great* complement for running, and should help to stabilize my knee. It needs help this winter – a summer of training for a race left it a little sore and achy.

Moment of truth – it took me awhile to figure out how to use the programmed workouts on the bike. I started by using one that adjusts based on heart-rate and it about killed me. So I did a manual workout and it was better. No, of course I did not ask staff for help. Are you kidding? It didn’t even occur to me, sadly.

Another moment of truth – I liked the bike because I could sit up and dance a little if the song was good and I was between max efforts on the bike. Looked like a fool, but felt great. Some kind of musical distraction is a necessity for me with indoor cardio efforts.

Thing #1 Elliptical at the gym

I’d been curious about the elliptical for awhile, so I figured if I had an interest I might as well do it. It also meant starting off this adventure pretty easily – using a machine at the gym does not feel very foreign to me. For the record, they are those machines that look a little like the old Nordic-skiing machines – you’re standing, and your kind of running, and your arms move. The advantage they have is that your feet don’t lift, so there’s no impact on the ankles, knees, or hips.

The big question for me that day was which one to use.

My gym has fancy new ellipticals upstairs that my trainer had had me warm-up on one day. I Hated it, please note the capital H, because it kept making me run (ellipt?) backwards without my permission. It’s very sensitive to our movements, and supposedly more closely mimics running.

Too bad. Hated it.


So this time I used the older machine downstairs. It was a good workout. My shoulders felt tired after awhile, and my upper body was kind of sore the next day. The problem? I think it bugged my knee. I have a sore knee – runner’s knee is the casual name for “patellofemoral pain syndrome” – and while the elliptical is supposed to be a great option for people with knee problems, it wasn’t for me.

A note to anyone new to various cardio work, especially weight-bearing cardio work – for heaven’s sake start slowly. I’m not kidding. When I started being more active thirteen years ago, stepping it up after my initial weight loss – I went from zero to sixty waaaaaay too fast and got knee problems for my haste. Most injuries are preventable if you start slowly. For example, if your doctor okays it, run half a block, walk two blocks, and go from there. Or thirty seconds running, two minutes walking on the treadmill. Seriously slow beginnings. I took a much more cautious approach when I actually started running, and it has been helpful. I promise you, I went from running a half block at a time to setting a PR for a ten-mile race by taking it sanely and slowly.

Anyway, the elliptical experiment was an OK one. I’ll try again, but will watch for the knee issues.

One down, eleven to go. At least eleven.

The Point of This Blog

The goal is simple: In order to meet my 2007-2008 winter goals of staying active and maintaining fitness, I choose to try at least twelve activities I have never done before, each of them at least twice. I will record the results of those efforts here.

The background is a *little* more complicated. Twenty years ago I was coming to the end of my teenage years: obese, out of shape, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and drinking a lot. I had weighed more or less during my childhood, but for long stretches was one of the fat kids. The end of high school and beginning of college were the worst of it, and one day I realized was at a fork in the road. I could go one direction for the rest of my life, still fat, still smoking, still drinking, still consistently low-grade miserable. Or I could go another direction and face a short period of the high-grade misery of quitting smoking, quitting drinking, and losing weight followed by the potential of years of low- to high-grade contentment or happiness.

Naïve young person that I was, I decided to go for it. I decided to make change. I started by quitting smoking. I set a goal date to quit, I gathered resources, and I took every suggestion in the American Cancer Society pamphlet that I had. I decided I wasn’t getting rid of a habit, I was getting a new habit of not smoking. It helped me make it through the tough moment – I just had to practice not smoking one day at a time. It was hard hard hard, but so very worth it. I haven’t had a cigarette since February 14th, 1989 (with an added bonus that no matter what my romantic status, I always have something to celebrate on Valentine’s Day).

Then I quit drinking – a challenge in its own way, but the physical withdrawal was negligible compared to smoking.

Then I hit the biggie, the challenge I had always thought insurmountable: Exercise. Food. My weight. The problem with which I had struggled since I could remember. Literally. But I took a breath and a leap of faith and decided to tackle the issue head on.

That summer I joined the Y, and the first time I stepped on a treadmill I could do five minutes at three miles an hour and no incline before my calves hurt too much to continue. But I decided to start from where I was, not from where I wished I were, and I kept going back.

That summer I also decided not to eat all the time, and not to binge, and when I did eat, to make the portions a decent size and of relatively healthy foods. My definitions of all those things have changed over time, and there have been many challenging times with less success that I would have liked. But I have pretty consistently headed myself toward them for the last twenty years with an overall trajectory of success. It took and takes lots and lots of support, though – friends, family, support groups, books, TV, radio. I could never have done it alone. I still check in with people, have folks I talk to, and keep track of information.

The result was that I lost forty pounds that summer. Over the last twenty years about another twenty pounds have come off. I am seventy-five pounds lighter than my top weight of 200 pounds, and 100% healthier overall. Mostly what I’ve gotten is the dual gifts of fitness, and mental space that I used to use to worry about my weight. I now use that mental and emotional space to have fun, to care about the world, to care about people, and to think about stuff that’s way, way more interesting than my weight (including nutrition, and health, and the wellness of my community).

But I still have the urge to hibernate in the winter. I run a lot during the summer, but a few years ago relieved myself of the myth and burden of thinking I should run outside in the winter. Even if I should’ve, I didn’t. So almost two years ago I started working out with a personal trainer (Sally Carey, a gem) to help keep me active in the winter, and to meet other goals (like doing three pull-ups – which I did last year! And running a ten mile race in 100 or fewer minutes – which I did in November!).

But fitness requires more than strength training – it includes cardio and (regrettably, given my feelings about stretching in general and yoga in particular) flexibility. Hence this challenge I’ve given myself. Trying twelve new things will keep me active this winter, and I might just find stuff I will enjoy for winters to come. Wish me luck – the embarrassment factor of constantly trying new stuff will be high.