How Spin Class Saved My Life
How I found my local spin class
About six months ago I was on my way to attend an event in a local recreational park and noticed across the street a studio with colored lights and a group of women in the middle of an exercise class. My curiosity was immediately piqued and I made a mental note to return when the event was over to get more information. However, by the time I went back, the door was closed and the lights were off. I poked around a bit and ended up finding a neighbor of the location who I was able to ask for information. They told me that the space hosts women’s spin classes and that the teacher commutes in from the next town.
Soon after, I was able to acquire the teacher’s contact information and she gave me the details on where and when the classes take place. Within the week, I was on my way to attend my first spin class. I had no idea how much I was about to gain.
Why I needed Spin and didn’t know it
Maybe you have heard: sitting is the new smoking? As a full-time grad student with a full-time job, in the months leading up to my introduction to spinning, I was clocking 8-14 hours a day sitting at my desk in my office.
In the week before I finally made it to my first spin class, I had constant aches and visceral pain in my legs from sitting so long.
This felt so unaligned from the me I like to be, moving all day in nature taking care of our animals and farm, where I usually am before grad school began taking over most of my time the last two years. I knew I had to do something, fast.
These aches and pains were information from my body asking me to get moving. Yes, I go on many walks and maintain my daily yoga practice, but these habits were not proving to be enough for what I needed.
After a few spin classes, these aches in my legs subsided and have yet to come back. But this was not the only benefit I noticed from spin class. I also noticed improvements in my mood, energy, mindset, and how I felt physically in my body. Needless to say, after a couple weeks of classes, I was hooked.
Differences I have noticed in my body since moving more:
Increased energy
Less fatigue and brain fog
Decreased stress
No more leg or muscle cramps
Feeling stronger and more toned
Benefits of early morning vs. late evening exercise
Something I love about my spin salon is they offer both early morning and evening classes. Starting my day with this exercise activity in a community of other women seeking to improve their health and mobility has been a source of great motivation. Seeing the same friendly faces every morning working hard towards their fitness goals makes it easier for me to feel up to doing the same.
Personally, I have never been much into team sports so getting to practice spin with other people at the same time, while maintaining the independence of the indiviudal practice has been perfect for me. It feels like being on a team, but to advance the way you want to, you are only reliant on yourself and pushing past your own limits.
While staring the day with spin class is extremely energizing, I have also enjoyed going to the evening classes and the opportunity to enter a space that helps me shift my mood and forget the stress of the day. When I walk into the studio, I feel an immediate change in my energy, and beginning right away with the workout routine helps me get into my body and out of my head.
Showing up to a class right after work has proven the quickest way to get my head out of the bog of immigration law & policy and just be in my body. The teacher of the spin classes has a way of creating an extremely positive environment where I know I will feel good, safe, and encouraged, despite whatever may be going on in my life outside of spin.
When I leave evening classes, I feel better equipped to handle the challenges of life and my mind and body have also had the opportunity to let things go that may have been causing a lot of stress before the class, but after class feel like faint annoyances, on their way out of my mental landscape.
Do something different every day
Another huge advantage of spin class, specifically the way my teacher structures her classes, is that every day we do something different. This has helped me cultivate a more aware mind & body, and keeps things from feeling too reptitive or routine. There have been many moments during spin where the combination of movements we are asked to do on the bike require so much attention that I suddenly realize I am not thinking about anything else at all besides doing the exercise correctly. For me, this has been a huge learning experience on embodiment and the power that movement has to liberate our minds.
Doing unfamiliar and different movement activities every class helps cultivate a position of reception & learning. The daily change-ups keep us on our toes, keep our attention engaged, diversify what we are working on in the body. Over time, this has helped me better navigate the inevitable ups and downs of every day life, as I have grown used to accepting the invitation from spin class to try something different and see what happens.
Doing something different in every class, while maintaining the overall pattern of completing the workout routine + stationary bike portions of the spin classes, has primed my mind to be flexible, relaxed in the face of the unexpected, and have a increased sense of embodiment.
Why you should find a movement activity that works for you
All signs point to the fact that movement increases longevity and has radical powers to improve our overall health and wellness. I was pulled to start spin class because of some leg cramps, but I had no idea about everything else there was to gain in finding a new movement activity that brings me to life.
If you feel stuck in any aspect of your life, whether it is in health, work, relationships, or something else, I strongly encourage you to get out into your community and find a movement activity of exercise class that is happening regularly where you live.
Finding an energizing physical activity that you enjoy can help you balance the productivity and responsibilities of your every day life. Before I started spin, I felt like I was so busy I couldn’t possibly add something else into my regular routine. But after realizing how much I got out of it, the situation flipped. Having a new activity that got me moving and into my body actually gave me more energy and contact with my personal power to feel better and achieve more in other areas of my life.
How Spin Class saved my life
Spin class “saved” my life because it brought me a way to:
make exercise and joyful movement a bigger part of my daily routine
connect with a community of women who shares goals of improving their health and wellbeing
balance all the hours I spend sitting down with an uplifting & energizing practice
get out of my head and into a present, embodied state
It must said that a lot of the positive experience I have had with spin class has been because of my spin teacher, Afrodita, who is magic in the way she is able to create a space where you can leave you day at the door and be immersed in a power-house group of women all working hard to improve their lives. At moments, and some days more than others, the classes and exercises can be difficult, but when she points at me and says “ESO!” (or “THAT’S IT!”), I feel her encouragement and belief in us ripple through my body and into other areas of my life where I can tell myself the same.
Thank you, Afrodita, for sharing your knowledge and energy with us and pushing us beyond the limits we create for ourselves! And thank you, reader, for taking the time to consider how finding a new movement activity can change your life.
XOXO Lexie
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