Spinning off Sweat

If you've curiously spied on a spinning class from a far corner of the gym as you were comfortably seated in your stationary bike, reading an outdated crinkled gossip magazine, you might think that it's basically a bunch of people on fancier stationary bikes, pedaling to loud music and being yelled at by a very fit-looking instructor in fashionable neon running shoes. Kinda but not entirely. Spying is one thing, doing it, is quite another.

There was only 6 of us, one other "first day" lady and a self-proclaimed hung-over man. I was secretly happy that I wasn't using the bike next to him, fearing alcohol infused sweat fumes, chucked my stuff in a corner and got settled. The instructor, a woman in her mid-thirties, adjusted my bike seat and handle bars and welcomed me. I was instantly put at ease by her cheerfulness and thankful that she, like pretty much everyone else in the class, had some extra weight to lose.

Two minutes into the class, I realized I was in for a major sweat fest. Of course you can go at your own pace and adjust the resistance, but the interval exercises pretty much give you a serious workout even with minimum resistance. Plus, the music sort of dictates how fast you're going, unless you're one of those people who doesn't mind being the wonky looking one in the pack. Trying to stop or slow down too fast doesn't work either, the momentum of the bike keeps going while your legs do weird knee jerks for several rotations.  Not very cool looking.

Did I mention this was an hour long class? About half way, hung-over man started making moaning sounds, but kept up the pace. Sweat was collecting on my handle bars and when I grabbed my towel to wipe it up, I noticed a sticker warning patrons to stop using this equipment if they feel dizzy. Dizzy? What about feeling nauseous? That's what 600 calories burned an hour feels like. Twenty minutes more of interval pedaling, sprinting and climbing and voila! Done! My first spinning class.

Am I hooked? No. I enjoyed the intensity of it, it's different than any other exercise I've done, so I'll probably incorporate it in my workouts, but I'll bring a bigger towel next time.