Happy cycling Wednesday, guys!
I got Loops and Ladders for you today. 🙂
I love both loops and ladders in my classes as two separate elements, but this time I combined the two – 3 Loops of Ladders is what this ride really is.Continue Reading
October 29, 2014
5 Strategies to Promote a New Cycling Class
I was recently asked for advice by one of my Twitter friends – how to get more people to come to their new Indoor Cycling/Spinning® class they just took over.
It got me thinking… What would I do to promote my new class? What HAVE I done to promote my classes?
You guys know that I’ve been a long time sub for Jim’s Monday class over the summer, and I just got my own class that I teach on Sundays at 2:30 PM.
So how did I get people to come to my new classes?
Here are some strategies to consider: things I did/wanted to do and what I think worked for me in promoting my new classes.
October 22, 2014
Cycling Class Profile and Nike.com Gift Card Giveaway
Hey-hey, my fitness gang! How is that week going?
Here is the weekly Indoor Cycling Class Profile and Playlist for ya! I hope you’re riding outside today and come back here later to check this post out and let me know what you think.
So I keep experimenting with the format of these posts, and today is going to be another experiment. I am open to feedback and suggestions if you have any – just let me know in comments.
I’m going to post a .pdf cue sheet of the ride from the Class Builder™ App by Cycling Fusion, post the usual iTunes Playlist for the ride so you can quickly click through to buy a song you like from the playlist (or the whole playlist), and add some notes below it all to explain the ride in a little bit more detail.
October 8, 2014
A Week in Workouts and Exciting Fitness News
Hey-hey! Happy Hump Day, folks 🙂 It’s all downhill from here!
I’ve had a couple of really busy weeks here…I don’t know why, but I just can’t seem to catch up with everything ever since we came back from CA – so much going on!
So it’s been a while since I told you about my workouts. A lot’s been up on the fitness front, so let me tell you all about it – Wednesday to Wednesday 🙂Continue Reading
October 1, 2014
ICI/PRO 28 Day Instructor Challenge Week 1 Recap
Hey-hey, everyone! Happy Hump Day!
Today’s post is about ICI/PRO 28 Day Instructor Challenge Week 1 Recap, since the week 1 ended this past Sunday.
If you missed the beginning, read this post to find out what the challenge is all about. You can also listen to a special edition of the ICI/PRO Podcast below that we recorded to give you a better idea of what the challenge is all about and what cool prizes will be awarded at the end.
September 29, 2014
Cycling Class Profile and Playlist #5 – Ride to the 80’s
Happy Monday, my friends!
This week’s Cycling Class Profile is called “Ride to the 80’s”.
Special thanks to Sue over at Mrs. Fatass for song ideas! 🙂
I taught this class last Saturday and my riders really enjoyed it. I love teaching Saturday classes – they are one hour long vs. my usual 45 minute class format, which is challenging by itself 🙂 Also, Saturday class is taught by a different instructor every week and usually has better attendance numbers than weekday classes (looking at you, weekend warriors 🙂 ).
And – you never know who’s coming to your Saturday class vs. having your regulars in your usual scheduled classes.
Anyway, I thought I’d do something fun this week – both with the music and the routine.
But before I dive into the drills and routines, here’s a video that inspired me to do one of the fun drills in Saturday class.Continue Reading
August 20, 2014
Running with C25K is Back – Workout Wednesday: Weekly Recap
Hey-hey guys!
Happy Hump Day to ya. How is your week going so far? Off to a good start?
I’m back here today as usual with my weekly exercise recap. The highlight this time – I’m back to running with C25K!
Here’s a day-by-day recap.
August 13, 2014
Weekly Workouts Recap: Walking and Yoga
Hey-hey, it’s Hump Day!
As promised, I continue posting my weekly workouts recap on Wednesdays for you guys, even though my 30 Days Active Challenge is over.
I had a pretty crappy week as far as activity goes. It’s been a while since I ran! I just wish there were 48 hours in a day 🙂
So here’s what happened in the past 7 days workout wise:
{WEDNESDAY}
Hubby and I went for a walk. I was a beautiful evening, low humidity and nice breeze. We covered some good ground there 🙂
{THURSDAY}
We had a Yoga class at work. It was won-der-ful!
There’s nothing better than yoga, and especially in the middle of the work day – it’s my chance to recharge, reset and rewind.
I love that my company offers this free opportunity for its employees.
I didn’t make my steps goal that day… I guess I could count Thursday as a rest day.
{FRIDAY}
Totally slacked on my regular yoga class at 5:30 PM. The steps were really low, too.
{SATURDAY}
I didn’t really care for the cycling class that was going on that day, so I slept in and did some yoga late morning. We had an active Saturday (with berry picking and a soccer game), so I finally met my steps goal of 6000 steps that day.
{SUNDAY}
On Sunday I pretty much worked on my Kitchen Mileage all day – getting food ready for the first week of my Whole30 while my husband was working on our water heater in the basement. I made a bunch of food and took a bunch of steps.
{MONDAY}
I finally decided to do something about my steps and went for a walk at lunch time.
The weather was beautiful for it! I walked around the housing development near my office, and then headed to my Monday cycling class after work.
The class went very well this Monday – I had 2 new students (always exciting), one returning student after her first class with me (yay!) and a bunch of regulars.
My riders had such a quiet determination this Monday! I don’t think anyone said a single word during the class – they were so focused on what they were doing!
Now can you believe that with a goal of 6000 steps a day I went to bed on Monday with the following on my FitBit screen? My OCD was obviously off duty that night.
{TUESDAY}
Another rest day and lazy steps.
So, my friends, I officially declare myself a looser this week – 2 yoga classes, 1 indoor cycling class, and 2 days out of 7 I met my 6000 steps/day goal.
Looking at this post you could think I’m 80 years old. I don’t feel that way and I refuse to be that way, but I’m not loosing sleep over the past week.
All that matters is that I see it, and I’m going to take action.
I’ve just bumped up my goal on my Fitbit to 10 000 steps a day and I’m intended to meet it.
Wish me luck 🙂
Tell me: how was your week workout wise? Have you been full of energy or tired and sluggish lately?
Take care, friends, and come back next Wednesday for another report!
July 30, 2014
30 Days Active Challenge: Week 4 Recap
Hey-hey my fit friends! It’s Hump Day and that means what?
Correct! Time for another 30 Days Active Challenge recap.
The past week was hectic and busy-busy-busy with both mine and my husband’s birthdays – I feel like all I ate was cake all week 🙂
But yes, I did have this challenge I put myself through on my mind all the time and even on the days when I didn’t have an “official” workout, I tried to stay active or eat extra healthy.
So here’s what happened last week:
{WEDNESDAY} was my birthday, so official workout didn’t really happen. I had a wonderful birthday celebration both at work and at home.
My awesome husband took me out to Rock Bass Grill for dinner where I had the 2nd best crab cakes in my life!
Guess what I got for my birthday? 🙂
Yep, I’m married to the BEST guy in the world, you know? 🙂
Exercise on Wednesday: walk-walk-walk!
{THURSDAY}
We had a yoga class at work over lunch time. I love those classes! It’s like somebody pushes your reset button in the middle of the day and you come back to your desk all balanced and calm.
Then somebody pisses you off again, but that has nothing to do with yoga 🙂
Anyway. After work on Thursday I needed to go to CVS. So instead of driving a few blocks like I usually do, I walked there.
{FRIDAY}
There was so much cake on Wednesday at work, and then dinner at the restaurant….so we didn’t get to my birthday cake at home until Friday 🙂
No official workout, but lots of activities and walking that day.
{SATURDAY}
On Saturday I finally got a chance to try an indoor cycling class with a recently hired instructor at our Y. She teaches in the mornings on weekdays, which of course I can’t make because I work.
So I was pretty excited to see her name on the Saturday rotation class schedule this past week. I signed up and bam! I was there at 8:00 AM on Saturday.
Here’s my blurry “Pilot” at the end of the class 🙂 It’s blurry because taking a picture while still pedaling is not the best idea in the world 🙂
The class was good, just a couple “funky” moves and that’s it 🙂 I still got an awesome workout, which was nice – just being able to concentrate on your own effort without having to guide anybody else. 🙂
After the class, hubby and I took a long walk to Cole’s bicycle shop where I almost agreed to buy a $1200 road bike… Crazy woman 🙂
That didn’t happen, though. $1200 is waaaaaaay over the budget I was planning for my first road bike. So…we’ll keep looking 🙂 I got fitted though and tried several bikes which was A LOT of fun!
Here’s the bike I was trying out on Saturday – Trek Lexa SLX:
$1200 is a good price for this bike. Just not good for my budget 🙁 (sigh)
Good steps that day!
{SUNDAY}
No official exercise on Sunday. Hubby and I had something planned which ended up taking up most of our day (More on that this coming Tasty Tuesday).
So…steps, steps, steps.
{MONDAY} Cycling
Monday was my husband’s birthday. As I usually teach indoor cycling on Mondays, and he wanted to come to my class this week, I designed a riding profile just for my him – with the happy birthday song in the beginning and some of his most favorite songs throughout.
My class is called “Road Trip”. So I announced this past Monday class as a “Rocky Road Trip” because most of the songs in the class were rock 🙂 If you would like to see the latest class playlist, check out this page here.
Good burn and fun class. My birthday boy was happy with the ride 🙂
We then got home and celebrated his birthday with his favorite coffee chocolate chip ice cream pie, and gave him a special birthday present he requested.
{TUESDAY}
Steps-steps-steps. No official workout.
Healthy choice of the day:
Watermelon, strawberry, mint and cottage cheese smoothie
And that was it, my friends.
I am not particularly happy with the past week for a few reasons: I didn’t run once (my knee was being funny pretty much all week), I had too much cake, I had too many days with no official workout. I did stay active every day, I did what I could when I could. I guess it’s the most important thing, but somehow it doesn’t feel like it’s enough…
Ok, so today is Wednesday and it is the beginning of the final week of the challenge. I’m gonna make it count!
Stay tuned for the next week’s recap and more!
This post has been shared on: Work Out Wednesday Link Up, The Hump Day Blog Hop
July 23, 2014
C25K and Week 3 of 30 Days Active Challenge
Hey-hey my fitness gang! How is that hump day going over there?
I’m feeling pretty happy here 🙂 Oh! That’s right! Happy Birthday to me 🙂
Yep, I get to eat at least one of those today 🙂 Image Source
So I’m done with the 3rd week of my 30 Days Active Challenge and I have to say – it has been the toughest yet. Not only because I felt unmotivated for most of it, but also due to the family/life circumstances playing against me.
So here’s the Week 3 recap of the 30 days active challenge I brought onto myself.
{WEDNESDAY} was a C25K run day.
Hubby and I went on another adventure with C25K – Day 2 of Week 2 is where we’re at. We ran/walked for 2.3 miles at about 13 min. average pace.
The stars were stacked against us that night – my Mr. H. pulled something around his knee and is out of running for now 🙁
{THURSDAY} His knee didn’t start hearting until Thursday night after we got home from work.
I ended up staying at home and taking care of him/dinner/house stuff. I tried to make up for no official workout on Thursday by eating well and at least walking more.
{FRIDAY} was a nightmare
Family issue came up big time, which pretty much screwed up my entire weekend until late Sunday evening.
No official workout on Friday, but I did try to stay active and take more steps (I think I pretty much went up and down the stairs at work like every 30 minutes).
{SATURDAY}
I was so tired after Friday events that I was only capable of yoga – or so I thought in the morning anyway.
So I did yoga with Fiona.
I haven’t been to her class in a while and was so happy to get a chance to go – it was wonderful to see how her teaching style has evolved to showcase the strength that I always knew she had. It was a great class and really helped me relax after the stress of my Friday and tune out of everything but what my body was doing in that hour.
Thank you, Fiona. I’m really grateful for that class.
{SUNDAY} Active Day
The family train got back on it’s tracks – everybody was relieved and happy again.
I took a quick bike ride to the swim club choosing to move my legs rather than take a car ride with my folks:
Got a quick refreshment in the pool, got back home and went for a run with C25K!
Lessons learnt: more that 2 days’ gap between runs does not feel good; it’s not the heat it’s the humidity that’s the “run killer”. Temperature was nice and pleasant, but it was still very humid. Besides, I chose a route that had me going uphill most of the time (silly). Oh well. That was done and felt good afterwards.
All my efforts on Sunday were rewarded by the FitBit stats in the evening:
{MONDAY} is my new favorite day of the week.
Why? Because that’s when I teach at the YMCA at 5:30 PM and get to see my cycling gang, ride with them and share this incredible energy they create.
I had 7 people in my class this Monday, no newbies, all my regulars and familiar faces. We had a blast!
If you’re a cycling/Spinning® instructor looking for new ideas for your playlists, check out this page here to see the playlists I use for my rides.
{TUESDAY} Swimming
It was hot yesterday! Really-really hot. So we grilled some chicken thighs, packed some watermelon and went over to the swim club, where I did some laps and then we had dinner there.
And then I got home and picked all this goodness in my garden to fuel my challenged body 🙂 🙂 🙂
So, what did I learn from this week of the Challenge?
First of all – I learned not to turn one slip up into a slip up week. Life got in the way of my workouts on Thursday and Friday, but I didn’t quit or stop the 30 Days Active Challenge. I kept going. Because it is not a failure. It’s a slip up. You get up and keep going.
Because I pretty much missed two days, I am going to extend my challenge until August 2 instead of finishing on July 31.
And that’s how it’s going to be. Bring on the final week of the 30 Days Active Challenge!
Tell me, guys: what was the best work out you had this/last week?
Stay fit, and keep going!
Linked to: Work Out Wednesdays Linkup, The Hump Day Blog Hop, Wine’d Down Wednesday
July 16, 2014
30 Days Active Challenge Follow Up Report – Week 2
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Hey guys! The Hump Day is here!
Are you having a good week so far? I’m pretty excited to be back here with my Week 2 of the 30 Days Active challenge report.
This challenge to myself started with this post where I wrote a Tough Love Letter to myself following a session at FitBloggin’ 14.
And I’m happy to report that the challenge is going very well and I am staying active every day. Here’s how:
{WEDNESDAY} last week was a yoga night! My legs were SORE from biking and running the week before, so yoga just felt super nice and relaxing.
I chose to walk to the Y instead of driving
{THURSDAY} was HOT! Didn’t really feel like spending any time indoors though, so hubby and I went on a nice long walk together.
Sporting our Vibram Five Fingers (Stats on the right are for the day. Yeah, I know…I have a desk job)
Check out what we saw in one of the yards while walking:
Some people are amazingly creative!
{FRIDAY} was another run day – this time my husband decided to join me and train for a 5K too!
And that run marked the end of my Week 1 of 8 with Coach to 5K.
{SATURDAY} I did not feel the energy AT ALL.
All I could push myself to was a yoga class and a few laps in the pool. But I did it! And that was it 🙂
{SUNDAY} was another C25K Day
Hubby and I agreed to leave the house early in the morning (before the major heat kicked in) and go for a run. It was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, that’s why we wanted to get that run in early so we don’t have to suffer through it.
Well, Mr. H slept in and I waited for him patiently (because I am a good wife, you know). And then we suffered through it.
Not only was it miserably hot, but it was also the day in C25K when you switch to longer running sets.
That run was the worst of my life so far! I was drenched in sweat, breathless and a little dizzy when we got home. It took me a while to recover from that one…
The numbers above probably look funny to someone who runs regularly – nearly 14 minute miles… But I’m not sweating it. I’m getting there and working on it.
And I’m still lapping everybody on the couch 🙂 🙂 🙂
{MONDAY} was a work day – I taught my regular Indoor Cycling Class at the Y.
It was raining outside, so I had 7 (!!!) people in my class – a record number for summer time 🙂 It also so happened that the class mostly consisted of my regular riders and good friends (Mr. H attended, too!).
We had a BLAST! I felt such wonderful energy exchange and inspiration! Don’t forget to check out the latest playlist right here to get the feel of what it was like 😉
{TUESDAY} was a weird day…
Mr. H and I were originally planning to go for another run with C25K, but he had to get up really early and leave, so we decided to re-schedule that run for Wednesday.
I had to do SOMETHING! I felt like peace and quiet. So I went upstairs, lit up some candles and did yoga.
And that was it, my friends!
Missed the Week 1 Report? No problem, check it out here.
Do share: what was your most favorite workout of the past week or so?
Stay fit, friends!
This post was shared on the Workout Wednesdays linkup.
July 9, 2014
30 Days Active Challenge Follow Up Report – Week 1
Hey guys! Happy Hump Day!
As you may remember, last week I posted a Tough Love Letter to myself where I promised to go back to basics and workout every day for 30 days, and post weekly progress reports here.
So here is Part 1 of the 30 Days Active challenge recap, as promised.
{WEDNESDAY}
Last Wednesday, after I published the tough love letter, I was all jazzed up to get started on my new challenge!
So I grabbed my husband and we hit the weight room together (followed by a yoga class for me).
It felt awesome to be back in the weight room! I ran into a couple of my cycling students, which is always a pleasure. Love my people!
{THURSDAY}
Oh, was I sore on Thursday! I think I pulled a muscle in my arm as it still hurts today – been working too hard 🙂
Since I couldn’t really use my arms to workout, hubby and I went on a long walk on Thursday evening.
{FRIDAY}
On Friday I woke up with an itch only a run could “scratch”. 🙂
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know that I got injured running about a year ago (on my first run in forever), went through a long and expensive PT, got a pair of expensive running shoes and never got back to running – story of my life…
Until the 4th of July 2014.
So at about 7 AM on the 4th of July, I dusted those Brooks off, laced ’em up, left a note for my husband (who was still asleep like most of sane people out there), and went for a run with the C25K® – 5K Trainer.
No, my bad knees didn’t give out and I ran/walked for about 1.7 miles. I know people who eat marathons for breakfast, and I’m awful proud of them and proud to be friends with them. But you know what? There’s no feeling like being proud of yourself for making those first 1.7 miles after a long period of being a lazy ass injury!
I felt horrible every step of the 1.7 miles, and felt awful proud of myself afterwards!
No knee pain so far (and it’s been almost a week), so I decided to stick with the C25K for now.
{SATURDAY}
It was my turn to teach Saturday Cycle at the Y at 8:00 am last week. The Y has dropped the 9:00 am class for the summer and made the 8:00 am class an hour long instead of the usual 45 minutes.
I have to admit, I dislike an hour long cycling classes. I think 45 minute format is ideal for getting a good workout and not overdoing it.
But hey, the boss is the boss, so I put together a hilly, one hour long nightmare plan on Friday night 🙂
It is VERY schematic though – the height and steepness of the hills in the drawing above had nothing to do with the actual intensity of the class profile elements. I just did that so I could better visualize the terrain I planned out for the class.
So on Saturday morning I grabbed my husband again (gotta love that guy for everything he takes from me!), and we headed out the door for the morning cycling madness 🙂
We killed it! It was a wonderful class – great energy from my students, lots of compliments from the class on my playlist. By the way, you can check out the playlists I use in my indoor cycling classes here.
After getting home, taking a quick shower and grabbing breakfast, I went back to the Y for a yoga class. Oh did that feel good to my sore legs and arms and shoulders!
{SUNDAY}
Regular workout was just not playing out for me on Sunday. The evening was approaching fast so I had to come up with something to stay active.
When the family decided to drive to our local swim club, I decided to bike there.
It’s not far – just about 1.73 miles one way, but that was better than nothing.
It felt great to do some laps at the pool afterwards, too!
{MONDAY}
On Monday I taught my regular indoor cycling class to my regular 3 summer students 🙂 You know, you might see a lot of instructors complaining about attendance numbers dropping in the summer time. I LOVE this time – I use this opportunity to try new things in the class that I wouldn’t be able to try with a bigger group, use it to bond with my students and give them more attention during and after class.
Love-love-love small classes. They might not be blasting the bigger class energy, but they sure feel rewarding and challenging!
{TUESDAY}
It was HOT here on Tuesday. I kind of gave up on the idea of going for a run since early morning – it was sticky! Options were: home yoga DVD or weight room at the Y.
Since my arm is still not 100%, I decided to wait with the weight room.
Home yoga DVD seemed a little boring….It cooled down after the rain…So I ended up going for a run 🙂
I love that feeling of freedom running gives you…All you need is a pair of shoes and some motivation to lift yourself off the couch and get out of the door – and you won’t regret it.
I felt so much energy after the run last night!
So, friends. Here are the results of Week 1 of the 30 Days Active Challenge:
- I. AM. SORE. Like, all the time and everywhere 🙂
- I am 2.8 lb lighter (that’s after a 6 months plateau and then a gain – I couldn’t believe the number on the scale finally moved in the right direction!)
- I look at my FitBit more than I look at my watch 🙂 Sometimes I feel like I look at my FitBit more than I look at my husband! 🙂 🙂 🙂
- I feel empowered!
That’s it for now, guys.
Remember to check back next Wednesday for the Week 2 recap of my 30 Days Active challenge I brought onto myself 🙂
Stay strong!
This post has been shared on the Work Out Wednesdays Linkup. I am also a featured blogger there this week! Check it out – it is a great weekly linkup with wonderful people.
July 2, 2014
Tough Love: I Choose Today To Be My Hump Day
Tough love letter to myself we all agreed to write at the “Fitblogger Tough Love” session with Mrs. Fatass last week at FitBloggin’.
Dear Lena.
You’ve been slacking a lot lately – both in terms of healthy eating (yes, there’s a lot of ice cream pictures that didn’t make it to this blog) and exercising.
I guess when you reach a certain point in your journey (for you it was loosing 20lb) you start thinking that this is it – you’re happy with what you have accomplished, you can cut yourself a little slack.
You start saying “yes” to more and more of those ice cream outings with your family.
You start saying “10 more minutes” in the mornings more often and snoozing your alarm set to go to the gym, and never going after all.
You start saying more often “Oh, I’m so tired, I can skip my workout today”.
You start snacking when you don’t really have to.
You reach for that extra helping at dinner thinking “I worked out today, I deserved it”.
You choose elevator over stairs.
You think teaching indoor cycling one-two times a week is going to be enough to keep you in good shape.
You think that goal set on your FitBit is going to reach itself if you just walk up and down the stairs a couple extra times during work day and say to yourself “Tomorrow for sure” when you don’t hit that goal; and then tomorrow it doesn’t happen either.
You think that as long as this blog looks like that of a fit person you can slack and no one will know (that is horrible hypocrisy by the way).
You forget that all that is EXACTLY what led you to the tipping point when you decided to change everything.
You need to get your shit back together, Lena.
And you’re going to start by going back to basics: 30 days of working out every day – just as you did when you first started this journey.
STARTING TODAY!
No excuses and no slacking.
Just doing it – one day at a time.
No, it’s not the first of the month, but we’re not going to hear that “I will start on Monday/the first of next month/new moon” crap again, are we?
We’re going to start today, Lena.
You will then come back here weekly on Wednesdays and report to all the people reading this blog what you did on every one of the past seven days.
I will check back with you in 30 days to see how you did. Remember, that I will also see you every one of those 30 days.
To remind you where you’re going and how it all started.
To kick your butt and give you the tough love you need to wake up and keep going.
There will be no consoling hugs and patting on the back.
Just kicks and cracking the whip.
Because this is what you need right now.
Let’s see what you’re really made of in the next 30 days.
I choose today to be your Hump Day.
Love,
June 25, 2014
Latest Playlists for Indoor Cycling Classes and a Couple Learning Moments
Hi friends! Happy Hump Day!
Today I’m packing for FitBloggin’ 2014 and sharing my latest playlists for indoor cycling classes with you!
FitBloggin’ starts tomorrow, so I fly out tomorrow morning and get to Savannah around 2:00 pm.
I have SO many people I am excited to meet in person there that I had to make the list! Not kidding you. I did totally just make a list.
Don’t want to rank my list – I will be equally happy to meet everyone on it, and whoever is not on it, but here are a few people I am particularly excited about meeting:
Fit and Free with Emily and many-many-many other wonderful bloggers!
I am pretty sure I won’t have time to blog while I’m there – it is my very first blogging and fitness conference, so I will probably walk around with my mouth open most of the time 🙂
I will sure tell you all about the adventures in Savannah when I get back on Monday!
Now back to our regular broadcasting 🙂 It is workout Wednesday after all!
So after the previous post I took a couple yoga classes as part of my stretching/recovery/rest day routine (that was on Saturday and Wednesday).
On Saturday I taught one of those super exciting cycling classes where you don’t know whatcha gonna get 🙂 Meaning the crowd is changing from week to week and there are a few regulars.
This past Saturday I had a wonderful group of people! Most of them experienced cyclists (either indoor or outdoor). It was easy and super rewarding to teach them!
I got a thousand compliments on the playlist – one from one of my regular students (“Good sounds, kid”), another one from another fairly regular attendee of Saturday classes (“You were born too late! Love your music!”), another one from a teenage girl (“I LOVED your soundtrack”) and more. 🙂
SO nice to hear that people are happy about the music in the class. It is hard to please everyone. So, may be those who didn’t say anything didn’t like it all that much. But everybody was sweating 🙂 That’s for sure.
This time the class was a lot quieter that the Saturday before – it was a gloomy rainy day, 8 AM…I guess it took my students a while to wake up and stop asking themselves the “what the heck am I doing up and on a bike so early” question 🙂
Anyway, here’s the playlist everybody liked on Saturday in case you need song ideas to incorporate into the playlists for your next indoor cycling classes.
On Monday I suddenly found myself teaching my regular class to 8 (!!!) people instead of my regular 3-4 summer indoor riders 🙂 That was exciting!
Here’s what we rode to:
Couple of people in my class were indoor riders getting back on tack after a couple years of break, so I had to set up their bikes and remind them how the Pilots work. Thankfully they came in with enough time before the class so I could do that.
But here’s a tip and note to self: GET THERE EARLY. Make sure you’re the first one in the room and greet your students when they come in. ASK them if they have ever done indoor cycling before. If they say “Yes” and you see them struggling with the bike set up – GO HELP. A lot of people feel embarrassed to admit they’re new thinking “It’s just a bike. I can figure it out myself”.
No, they can’t.
You need to help them.
It’s like being a doctor – you can’t walk by someone who needs medical help. You simply MUST NOT or you’re in the wrong job.
Anyway 🙂
The Monday class also got me thinking about something else…
Every time we’d get out of the saddle to a standing flat, there would be this one person leaning forward onto the handlebars and isolating the upper body.
I kept saying “Light grip on the handlebars, just to keep you balanced. Don’t lean forward. Relax your shoulders”.
Nothing helped.
I tried getting frustrated but I’m too kind 🙂
Just kidding.
He stopped by after the class and said his back really hurt whenever he was out of the saddle, and that’s why he was leaning forward carrying a lot of weight on his arms on standing flats.
I told him to just stay in the saddle next time if getting out of it bothers his back.
But here’s the thought: next time you see that stubborn rider in your class who just wouldn’t do the right thing despite your instructions – think twice before getting frustrated or thinking they are just another “know-it-all” and “know-it-better”. I’m glad this person told me after the class what his issue was and let me help him out the best way I know how. Think how many of them will never talk to you about their health issues and why they can’t do certain things. Think about how many of them will never admit it even to themselves.
Talk to them. Offer help. Ask questions. Be discreet and polite. Find the key to every one of them.
That’s what this job is about for me: building your own community of like-minded people and making everybody feel welcome and “at home”.
There you have it – a couple playlist ideas and a couple pieces of valuable advice 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ready to start this Wednesday now!
Question of the day: What’s the worst case of a “know-it-all” student you’ve ever witnessed in your/somebody else’s class?
Take care, friends, and talk to you soon.
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