Spin Class Thoughts

This morning, motivated by the bathroom renovation and lack of shower facilities, I went to the gym. When I got there, I saw a montage of shiny spandex leggings and sports bras. I realize that those clothing items are not rare for a gym, but they just seemed to be in particular excess today.

I looked at the schedule and saw that spin class was scheduled for 9:30. It was 9:15...

Typically, gym classes never work out too well for me. While I generally will stay for the entire class time, most within the allotted hour or so, I utter "Fuck" several times, take mini-breaks (when everyone else is working their asses off), and generally think about anything possible OTHER than focusing on the exercise in the moment.

I have always wanted to try spin, but I've seen the "spinners" post-class. Their faces are beet-red and they are literally dripping with sweat. Those looks of complete fatigue might intrigue other exercisers, but not me. Still, I decided to give it a try.

I took the bike directly in the back of the room. Two "moms" helped me with the whole bike set up; they were also swathed in shiny spandex.

As the class began, the lights went out and purplish black lights went on. I guess you're supposed to be in the zone, but my spot in the back of the room distracted me. I was half-bathed in black lights, and half-bathed in the regular light of the gym. I spotted a hot guy on the treadmill and kept looking to my right to check him out.

The most interesting thing about spin (or any form of exercise, for that matter) is that it brings out the ADD in me. At home, I can easily be attentive to a bunch of episodes of a TV show. I can be attentive to a book for a long amount of time too. When it comes to exercise though, I have ADD. There could be music in the background and a TV monitor in front of me. I'll still move my head around the room in a circular manner, looking at people, even looking at the various ceiling fixtures.

Unsurprisingly, during the "spin zone," my mind was focused on anything but the actual exercise. The instructor said, "Feel like you're on the open road. Feel your bike hitting the pavement. Connect."  In my head, I thought, "Agh. We're cycling, IN PLACE, on wooden floor boards painted black. Connect with what?"

All I could think during spin class was that I wished I had a notebook and pen with me so that I could write down all the thoughts circling through my mind...