I remember when I first got hired by Aquila, the corporate wellness company that helped mold my corporate fitness career. Danna, the Program Coordinator for Exercise Operations at the CDC was interviewing me and was asking me about what classes I taught. I told her that I had taught almost every class out there except for spin. She told me that if I was going to get hired then I was going to have to learn spin. I told her I could possibly learn to teach it. 

   Before I had to teach it for my job, I hated spin. I tried it a couple of times as a personal trainer and could not handle the consistent pain that I had to endure just to get a good sweat session. You can’t run from the pain when you are cycling in a spin class. You have to accept it and keep pushing through or reject it by easing off the resistance or standing up. The quality of your workout using a bike is directly proportional to the amount of consistent effort you put in it.

Consistency and effort. That is something that I had always had trouble with growing up. If something got hard or difficult, I would always look for a loophole or give up altogether. I figured that life was difficult enough to go around looking to stay in discomfort… I mean, is the pain worth it? 

If you have failed at tasks that were difficult or uncomfortable in the past then you may have a hard time staying consistent at a particular task such as a new wellness plan.  If that’s the case, then maybe trying a spin class will help you learn to handle the difficult task of staying uncomfortable until your goal is complete. I know it may be daunting but how else can you strengthen your mindset to be able to endure tough times such as undergoing surgery, preparing for a heavier workload with a raise or job promotion? Exercise is one of the best ways to strengthen yourself mentally and physically. You relieve stress during your workout and supply your brain with fresh oxygen while also protecting your heart from future damage or weakness. 

If you find yourself about to embark on a new and challenging life journey and you aren’t sure if you have the power to be consistent with your effort, then maybe a 30-45 minute cycling session would be beneficial. Pain aside, cycling is a good low impact workout that doesn’t cause problems on the knees. They have recumbent bike options for individuals who need back support and they also have different variations of bikes available depending on what type of challenge you need. If you are having trouble seeing results in your wellness journey or life and you need help getting on track, let me know. I would love to help. 

In Good Health,

Amber Stewart