Having managed to get myself out of bed for a 9.15 spinning
class on Easter Sunday…(pause for congratulatory applause)…I aim to harness the
post-fitness class energy by engaging in my more usual activity, plonked on my
arse in front of a computer.
For anyone who hasn’t done a spinning class, I would say it’s
a lot like aquarobics, only instead of exercising in a swimming pool you burn
calories in a pool of your own sweat. The first time I tried it I was horrified
to find that other members of the group were chatting amongst themselves,
catching up on the week’s gossip, whilst I was sucking in air and wondering if
my life assurance was up to date.
You’ll be relieved to know that Paddy is kept at a safe
distance while this is going on. At first he would whine a bit to be close to
me. Then, I think when he saw the state I was in, he realised that his
knowledge of CPR is not what it could be and he was happy to keep his distance.
Either that or he found the whole thing very embarrassing and now tries to
pretend he’s not with me.
Fortunately I have found it does get a little easier with
practice, and of course, one does develop a few rules to help maintain some
semblance of dignity. For example, you make sure the resistance is totally off
before you start – if it feels way too easy then that is good, because it’s
about to get a whole lot tougher. Then if, because of the loud music playing,
you don’t quite hear the instructor when she yells ‘Up one turn’, always
interpret it as ‘Down one turn’ or at worst ‘Up a quarter turn’. Believe me,
accuracy in following instructions is the last thing you want. Finally, when
your eyeballs are sweating and your spinning class actually does start to spin,
be prepared to use sleight of hand – the instructor won’t know that you’re just
moving your hand and not the resistance wheel.
It’s amazing how much difference the music makes. Without it
I think I’d probably last about 5 minutes before just sitting and crying. It
does somehow connect some motivational neurons together in a way which makes
the whole thing almost pleasant. OK, I exaggerate a little.
