Spin, Spin, Spin

I made it to the gym today with enough time to walk 12 minutes on the treadmill before spinning began. I realize that ranks me a top spot in the underachievers hall of fame but at least I didn't show up in my pajamas. According to leading authorities, (okay, it was Dr. Oz) you're supposed to walk 2 blocks for every 10 pounds of weight you're carrying, that is on your body, not whatever weights you're literally carrying. Not a back pack, heavy purse, toolbelt, boxes of velveeta or the weight of the world, you know what I mean. It takes 16-17 blocks to make a mile so you can figure it out for yourself, but let's just say I didn't get very far. I need to get up even earlier. We'll see how the rooster feels about it when I wake him up tomorrow.

When I say spinning I don't mean, straw into hay, a carousel,  yarn, or round and round. Technically, that's twirling and the two should never be confused. I'm referring to sitting on a stationary bike and riding slow, fast, standing or sitting with various levels of resistance. On the heavier side if you're not cheating. It takes a few days to get into it and if you have stairs in your home you may want to center your activities on the main level for awhile because your backside is going to be sore. I'm not kidding but you'll feel better...eventually. This tightens up your backside and legs so nicely that in a few months you'll discover that you've literally kissed your ass goodbye. The hardest adjustment may be the bike seat. You can invest in a cheap pair of bike pants with a cushiony bottom for about $20. You won't regret it. If you opt not to, rest assured that in a few months you'll toughen up, not to the point of callouses but you'll adjust. It's probably no worse than riding a horse all day.

There are lots of things to remember. If you follow the teachings of the Dalai Lama you'll learn to live in the moment. The past is gone, the future is ahead and you're just there, taking a ride, letting everything fall away. You'll be prompted to relax your shoulders, keep your elbows down and tucked in, your heels down and your hands relaxed. I use the time to collect my thoughts and sort things out.

The intensity varies and you'll get in a zone and start enjoying it. There's a lot of heavy breathing, sweating and once in awhile you shudder, I'm still talking about spinning. When you get tired you can concentrate on the music or if you're a scifi nerd like me you can recite the Moctar chant of strength. " norak toroth, norak toroth". That's 'torOTH not Torah. Reciting the Torah is much harder but I can do it, and while standing on one foot. I can teach you to do it as well, but another day. For now I need both feet on the peddles.

The camaraderie with other spinners is outstanding, there's a bond. We are a group of people who prefer beating up our bodies to the din of loud music in a dimly lit room well before dawn.  It's all good. You can thank me later, when you're able to buy jeans off of ebay without even trying them on.

I wanted to mention one other thing. There's a website that I frequent called livestrong.com. I keep my food diary there. You can track what you eat and develop meals every day. You can also figure out what your caloric needs are and set goals for yourself. If you want to lose 20 pounds the site will calculate how many calories you should eat to lose 2 pounds a week. The 'Daily Plate' gives you an opportunity to list your foods and tells how you're doing by calculating your calories, grams of fat, sugar, protein etc. You can also calculate in your excercises and it will spit out what you burned. It's easy too, 'point and click'.

I love it but a word of caution. If you're somewhat OCD just relax a little. Don't get so into the numbers that you start freaking out about the sugar content of tomatos. Don't deny yourself for the sake of the numbers. If you're a few grams over, you'll live and you don't have to go public with your information. You have to make it work for your lifestyle. My goal right now is 120 grams of carbs and 15 grams of sugar, but that's just for a little while because that's not realistic long term. It's all about choosing a plan that's right for you.

I changed my eating habits a little over a week ago and I have a little more energy already. To you I say " live long and prosper" and check out that website!!  http://www.livestrong.com/

All the best, Kate