Spin for stress!

Happy Tuesday! It looks like early morning in San Francisco today, fog galore. I actually like fog, it seems very Halloween-ish to me. The only difference is that the fog in San Francisco burns off and sun arrives, whereas the forecast for Boston this afternoon is rain. Lovely! I didn't even attempt to do my hair this morning, I pulled a 'wet hair pulled back into a ballerina bun' look for work today. Feel great about it.

I talk about spinning ALL the this in this blog. Like at least once a week. And every time I talk about it, I think of another reason why I love spin class. Today's reason: stress relief. While most exercise is a form of stress relief for me [the whole endorphin kick effect + sweating really does it for me personally], spin class is especially effective. I think part of it is that you are strapped onto the bike, I use spin shoes so technically I am clipped onto the bike, and can crank as hard as your legs will go. You can focus all of your energy, and stress, into simply turning over the pedals, as smoothly and strongly as possible. You can close your eyes, listen to your breathing, and feel every muscle in your glutes and thighs pushing and pulling on the pedals. The sweat drips all over your handbar, the bike frame, pooling on the floor. The music pumps through your veins and you synchronize your cadence with the beat. All you have to do is listen to the instructor, keep your legs moving, and you get an amazing workout. It is easy to focus on yourself, even in a group setting, with the dimmed room, checking your form in the mirrors in front of you.

I occasionally pretend I am riding the Tour in the mountain stages and get a scary look of intensity on my face. Does that mean I am crazy? Probably, but I am not alone. The great thing about spin class is that you are surrounded by people who are as motivated as yourself [with the exception of a couple middle aged women who don't break a sweat but still come every week...what is UP WITH THAT]. The combination of hot beats, dimmed room, sweat, legs cranking, instructor yelling at you to GO = amazing stress relief. I had a tough day emotionally yesterday so spin class was the perfect solution to letting go and moving on. The workout this morning was focused on hill climbs and endurance, which was the perfect combination to really get all the stress out of my body and mind. Next time you are feeling stressed, down, or simply unhappy, get yourself to a spin class, I give you my personal guarantee that it will improve your mood!