SPINNING

Kicked. My. Butt.

Goodness gracious, it's not easy!

For starters, whoever (whomever?) invented the thing must've had some screws loose. It's a bike. You sit on it and pedal. And yet, the seat is as comfy as say... concrete. Or granite. It's HARD. My friend told me after her first spinning class she actually had a blood blister. That's how hard the seats are.


I'm thinking about buying some of those biking shorts with built-in padding.


You know it's gotta be bad if I'm considering spending money on something that looks like that. But anything is better than the burning fire that is created between my crotch and that hard seat.

Then there are the "Pops". And I'm not talking about Jiffy Pop, either. "Popping" means you stand up and cycle. As in, all your weight on your legs, with the resistance turned up. Not leaning on your handlebars to support some of your weight.

I ended up popping probably 5 times out of the 35 the rest of the class did. I wouldn't have been able to finish the class, so I humbled myself and kept my tush on the hard-as-rock seat and pedaled away.

Another phrase I came to dislike today... "Oh Boy". Why? Well, because when the instructor said it, we all had to turn up the resistance on our bikes. When I was already fighting the beginnings of a heart attack, not popping, and now she wanted me to turn it up MORE!!??

So, once again I did my own thing. The rest of the seasoned class was cranking their bikes WAY up and WAY down. I pretty much stayed even-keeled, with a slight increase in resistance when I thought I could manage it without stroking out.

Basically, I did my own workout in a roomful of people who were hardcore and popping and oh boying. But it was fun, and I'll definitely go back. I know it'll take some work, but my stamina will increase. The music alone was interesting; everything from Bob Marley to Def Leppard to Reba McEntire.

Partway through I looked at my friend and said, "Basically spinning requires cardio and strength. Neither of which I have, currently." And it's true. It's a total workout. Cardio and strength training, using gravity and your own body weight.

My plan is to take the hour long class 3 times a week. As I get more fit and in shape, I'll try to add some weights to my workout after class. For now, I'm a wet noodle when I get done. In fact, I turned into a wet noodle 10 minutes into the class. I have no idea how I finished it, besides the fact that I quit popping and oh boying as much as the other peeps.

Moving on....

I went out and bought some of my foundation Clean Eating foods yesterday. Holy Moly that stuff is NOT cheap!

Care to wager a guess how much this set me back? Not including the paper towels, toaster or the jar with the white powder in it.

$66.00! :-O For 13 items! And I didn't even cross off 1/4 of the things I need to stock my pantry with.


I did, however, find Sucanat.

I haven't tried it yet because I'm still lacking some ingredients for my biscotti. =( Hopefully I can make it to TJ's soon; it's at least a half hour away and my days seriously fly by. But I want to make time to finish stocking my Clean Eating supplies so I can start making meals and healthy desserts.

In other news, I will also be purchasing some new workout wear. My kids asked me today why I was going to the gym in my pajamas. :-D I do wear my yoga pants around the house a lot, so I'll be getting some new pants and shirts. Yay!

And one last observation. I bear an uncanny resemblance to Bob the Tomato when I work out.