When You Get Super Disappointed at the Gym

URGH.  Last night, I realized that the Spinning studio I used to really dig is on my shit list.  Once my August monthly expires, I don't think I will renew.

Remember, how stoked I was about the Spinning studio here in Charleston before I moved?  And for good reason.  By chance I dropped in on a few of the best classes they offer and those three hours on the bike motivated me, grounded me and inspired me.  Exactly what every great Spinning class should.

When I actually started to attend classes often, I tried not to see the flaws.  Yes, some classes are FAR better than others.  One of the owners is a Master Instructor (which is a HUGE deal in the Spinning community) and her rides are beyond comparison.  Her classes are the ones I first tried.  She is an incredible leader and her profiles do something for my soul that even therapy can't always achieve.  They help me reflect and look inside myself.  I drip sweat whenever I attend.

The other instructors are okay.  A few are above average, but most are dreadful.  And I like some of them a lot off the bike and I know that changes how I view them in class.  I let shit slide.  I try to support them and give them encouragement, but the truth is that other than Miss Master, the rest of the classes are sub par to classes I have taken elsewhere.  I have been spinning for six years on a regular basis and have experienced far more than 1,000 classes.  There were some years that I went to class everyday and I sometimes even took two classes back to back.  When you have spun as much as I have, you can see the level of preparation from the minute you step into the studio.  It is so much more than a banging playlist.

Before I started working, I made my workout schedule around Miss Master.  She travels ALL of the time (teaching and speaking about the Spinning brand, she is international monthly), so she isn't even there all that much.  I would be at her classes whenever I had the chance.  And she teaches mid-morning on weekdays (because she is a mom and owns the studio and clearly she doesn't want to do early morning or evening classes).  It really wasn't until after I started my jobs that I realized how lacking the other classes are.

I have asked if I could teach as I am certified and an "enthusiast."  I love and respect the program and when you get into a class that has been thoughtfully outlined, I think that Spinning offers a mind-body connection that few other exercise classes can.  I KNOW I will be an incredible instructor because when I am passionate about something, I give it my ALL.  The answer I received was that I could begin working towards this goal, but in order to be an instructor you have to have achieved many HUGE teaching and bike related accomplishments including teaching Spinning for over two years at a certified studio, riding outdoors, attending the World Spinning Conference, being a certain level certified instructor (which requires a lot of time and money to attend all of the courses necessary) and undergoing metabolic testing.  I kinda gave this the side eye, but brushed it off because it is clear to me that some of the instructors do not have this level of training and education.  Because if they did, they would simply be better instructors and "get" how to ride a bike.  But, who am I to point fingers?  And I didn't have the solid proof necessary to prove that some instructors weren't really trained.  And I have better things to do than be a Spinning detective.

Well, last night after work, I ran over to the studio without checking the schedule.  The typical Monday and Wednesday evening instructor is the second best instructor and she just happens to be the other owner.  Go figure!  Don't even ask me why the two best instructors teach the same day……On Monday, her class was AWESOME and I sweat like it was going out of style.  I went back looking for more.  And more was NOT what I got.

What I got was a BRAND new instructor.  A gal about my age who had NO CLUE what she was doing.  Her play list was off, her form was dangerous.  She was on stage leading a class, but had no technique.  She wasn't using proper cues, she seemed lost and nervous.  She had no energy.  It was the least inspiring 50 minutes of my life…..but, but, why did she look familiar?? As I half ass petaled and did my own workout (what she was trying to have the class do was incorrect in terms of speed and heart rate), I kept staring at her.  I knew I knew her and the intrigue of trying to place her kept my buns on the bike.  With minutes to go, I figured it out.

This new instructor is the former manager of Lululemon.  Miss Master Instructor is a brand ambassador for them and they are good friends.  FUCK.  IT IS ALL WHO YOU KNOW.

I recall only a few months ago sitting in class when the now instructor was being celebrated for attending.  This was in April.  She sat next to me and didn't know what she was doing.  She was new to the program, Miss Master made this clear.  We were there applauding her for it.  3-4 months riding is NOT 2 years TEACHING.  My mind started to race and my blood boiled.

I did something I am not proud of.  I hopped off my bike at the beginning of the cool down and I stomped up to the desk and I asked how long Lulu had been teaching.  It was her fourth class.  I asked how with all of the "rules" how did she get to teach?  She is not just new to teaching, she is new to riding, how does ANY of this make sense I demanded.  The answer I was given was exactly what I knew.  There is a "special" mentor program for certain people who show great potential.  You have to be selected by Miss Master.  Lulu and Miss Master have a relationship and had one prior to her teaching.  I stood there fuming.  I really wanted to knock the towels off the shelves.  The girl at the front desk then told me all I needed to know, "Well, you know, Lulu and Miss Master are really good friends.  They have known each other for a long time."  I grabbed my bag and stomped out of the door.

Favoritism at it's finest.

I get that life isn't fair.  I understand that I am not what they are looking for.  But, what I want to tell Miss Master is that when you so clearly break the rules for friendship, you compromise your business.

I made the same mistakes in business and I failed.  I gave friends deals and passes and I never should have.  People do not treat you professionally when you do.  I lost some of my vision and integrity.  I discounted my gifts and purpose and started doing things on other peoples' terms.  I broke the rules with my own brand and I suffered the integrity of my product.  Miss Master is now doing this.  I see it and I feel it and it was probably there all along.  And what kills me the most is that I know that in the long run, she won't succeed and I do want her to succeed.  Even though I lost respect for her as a person and business owner, I will always consider her an incredible instructor.  The BEST instructor I know.

I will not be supporting this studio any longer when my next month expires.  I know it may seem drastic, but working out shouldn't feel like high school.  Last night, in a moment of anger, I studied all of the instructors on their website and I realized that it was indeed just the owners classes that I really enjoyed.  Everyone else didn't really do a good job, I was just looking for something that wasn't there.  I needed to love it, to get back in shape.  I will never recreate my favorite Spinning studio in Chicago and that's okay.  My Chicago gym was a special place where I first discovered my love of the program.  It is something to remember, but not try to imitate.  That year was a good year in general.  It was the time in my life when I was finally getting things together.  It was before I met Awful and forgot all of the lessons I had just learned.

The one thing I will be doing?  Training seriously to become an instructor at another gym!    Sometimes rejection is the best motivation.

Salad and Spinning and Wedding Planning

I am trying to get into shape.

There have been many salads.  Lots of Spinning.  Even salad spinning. The wedding planning.  Well, I must admit, it is one of my strengths.

Sadly, my engagement ring has not been the same equivalent to getting my jaw wired, like I hoped it would be. DANG.  Eating is still a struggle, but the good news is that it has been a TON easier since I moved to Charleston.  I am so much less stressed that I am not turning to food emotionally like I used to.

My future husband has an amazing metabolism.  He is lucky this way.  He has no idea about nutrition and eating healthily.  NO CLUE.  For example:

R&F: "Hi sweets, what did you have for lunch today?"

Crush: "I ate really healthy foods.  Fried chicken, creamed spinach and fried green tomatoes."

R&F: "How is any of that healthy?"

Crush: "Chicken, spinach and tomatoes are all healthy!'

Unlike me, Crush never learned how to read a menu for healthy clues (thanks, WeightWatchers!), never sat around a cafeteria lunch table in the 5th grade and talked about who had the lowest fat and calorie meal (thanks, North Shore Girls raised by mothers with rampant eating disorders!) and never saw a nutritionist and an eating therapist to change his eating habits (thanks for real, the wonderful professionals who are helping me!).

And yet, with his COMPLETE lack of food knowledge, Crush still has a WAY better relationship with food than I do.  He simply eats when he is hungry and stops when he is full.  I wish I could do that consistently.

Having Crush around often really helps me focus on eating better.  We have started to eat most of our breakfasts and suppers together and I find that when I am cooking for someone else and not just for myself, I put extra effort into making my meals balanced, yummy and satisfying.  Crush wants to eat better and I want to lose weight, so I have been preparing calorie friendly meals full of lean proteins and fresh fruits and veggies.  Crush has of course already lost 6 pounds in a few weeks whereas I have lost perhaps a few ounces.  All of my yo-yo dieting in the past has slowed my metabolism, but I feel so much better and now fit into most of my wardrobe again, so I will take it.

The wedding planning is fully underway and our first goal for hotness health takes place in February when we will take our engagement photos.  It just so happens that our wedding photographer who lives in Chicago will be in Charleston for another wedding he is shooting, so he is going to snap a few shots of us when he is in town.  I am super excited to have Charleston engagement photos and Chicago wedding photos (yup, I decided to tie the knot in the Windy City as truthfully, it is a great city and I love to visit it, I just HATED living there!).

I have found that all of the wedding planning has been super easy thus far and these awesome little coincidences keep happening which make me feel like in many ways, everything about this wedding is simply meant to be!  In less than 2 weeks, I have my venue, officiant, ceremony musicians, band for the reception, after party DJ, florist, photographer, hair and makeup artists, rehearsal dinner venue and hotel room blocks. When I return to Chicago in a few weeks for a wedding I am working, I will do my save the dates and invitations.  I will say, I know the best vendors in Chicago and I have gotten a bird's eye perspective about how they all work, so selecting them was SUPER easy.  I am just so happy that they were all available!  I keep thinking....if my clients actually listened to me (some do, many don't and then they don't get the best product and services), they too could have their weddings planned quickly!  Everyone likes to do things differently, but there is nothing I love more than making a list and crossing it off!

Hope all is well out there and Happy Thursday!

An Accomplishment That I Am Proud Of

It has been busy around here.  I have been packing, completing my new website, eating tons of sandwiches (I am recently obsessed with Jimmy Johns and find it to be so satisfying and filling), and saying farewell to dear old friends.

For years (5 to be exact), I have been super into Spinning.  I have mentioned it before.  Don't be confused with Flywheel or SoulCycle or any of that jazz, I like the old standard, Spinning.  The real deal.  Not indoor cycling classes that may be at your gym, Spinning.  The type of cycling class that can only be found at a certified Spinning studio or a gym that endorses the program.  Spinning classes are called Spinning and everything else that is on a bike at a gym in a group setting that isn't endorsed by Spinning falls under the umbrella of indoor cycling.  I know I sound annoying, but take it from someone who didn't know the difference and tried countless non-Spinning cycling classes and wondered why she hated them because it was still cycling to music...light bulb moment, it wasn't Spinning.  Yes, I am a dumdum sometimes.

Of course, in my typical difficult fashion, I became obsessed with something 15 years after it was really cool.  In the kismet mess improving reality that is my life, Charleston has perhaps the best Spinning studio I have ever experienced.  No excuses now to get in shape.  I just bought a 20 pack of rides this very morning.

Well, after hundreds of real Spinning classes, several pounds lost, (and then regained because of binging from depression and not Spinning) and exposure to some fabulous music I would have never heard otherwise, I, yes, Ready and Fading, became a Certified Spinning Instructor over the weekend.

Pick your jaws off the floor.

I am super excited about it and plan to teach some classes (I have taught a few cycling classes in Spinning fashion already, but not as a certified AKA real Spinning instructor!) down south.  I can't wait to play some super techno mixed in with my country tunes.  I learned over the weekend that a successful Spinning class should have over 5 genres of music to keep things interesting.  I am ready to make those play lists.

Some people connect with running, yoga, Zumba, or pilates.  Spinning is my go-to.  I love the team environment, the personal challenge, the music, the energy, the 1 hour commitment.  I am pumped to become involved with my new Spinning studio and hopefully teach there one day.  It is my next fitness goal now that I am certified.  Since my new studio is so boss, it is quite difficult to become an instructor there, but I plan on making it happen one ride at a time.

I don't plan on joining a gym.  I plan to work on strength myself and then get my cardio in with Spinning and outdoor bike rides.  There are no words to express my excitement about getting to ride a bike year round!  WHOOT!

That's all for now, just needed to boast that I did something I have dreamt of for years.  I am proud.

Ride on.

Making My Workouts Work

Years ago, I fell in love with Spinning when I joined a new gym to get in shape.

Spinning (real Spinning classes are harder to find than you think and are only offered in Spinning certified studios.  Some gyms use this program, but most don't as paying for the Spinning brand and educating instructors is pricey) is NOT cycling or biking or anything else it may be called at most gyms.

The gym I joined just happened to have the real thing and I quickly became obsessed.   In less than a year, my body looked the best it ever has and I was down 30 plus pounds.

Then, I moved in with Awful, got depressed, changed gyms because my old one was a bit harder to get to (especially in city traffic) and tried the biking (not real Spinning) classes there....I was less than impressed.

The same story can be repeated 5 times.  NOTHING has ever come close to the AMAZING classes I took at the gym I loved and even some of the Spinning certified studios (I always try multiple classes at each location I try to see if I can find an instructor I click with if the overall offerings are not what I expected) I have tried are blah....BUT, there is a Spinning certified studio in the new city I am moving to and I have tried several of their classes and THEY ARE EXCEPTIONAL.  I actually cried during one because I felt like I was transported back in time 5 years when I first fell in love with Spinning...everyone, but the instructor, thought I was insane.

It really is very fitting that the only Spinning classes I love are in my new city....because it is truly my favorite place in the world.

So, for the last 4 years, I have made excuses to not workout as I should because I love Spinning, but cannot find classes that even compare to my first experience with it.  I was trying to generalize that the past success I accomplished was ONLY because of Spinning and NOT because I was working out hard on a daily basis.  DUH.

2 weeks ago, I walked out of a cycling class at my current gym.  This is the first time I have EVER done this....BUT, the instructor was talking all about her vacation and playing such songs as "Purple People Eater" and "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" and I was about to throw my water bottle at her because I am intense when I work out.  I don't talk, I focus, I want to sweat.  I take a class, so I don't have to think about anything, but the way my body is feeling.  I don't want to hear about the crab legs at the all you can eat buffet and play any music you like, but at least play something with a beat....

I reason that leaving was better than going to jail for assault for throwing an object at a stranger.....

And then it hit me....

I can play my own music and ride a Spinning bike on the cardio floor of my gym (my gym has Spinning bikes that you can clip into in common areas and not just the studio...I wear bike shoes during class) which happens to be open 24 hours a day.  No more excuses.

Since then, I have been making my own play lists and I have been riding daily.   I have been looking forward to the time I get to spend on the bike, sweating the day out, and listening to all of my favorite music.  I have been to the gym 10 times in the last 14 days.  I know the scale will be down this Monday as it was last, I can feel my jeans getting looser already!  When the weather finally agrees to be Spring, I will bike outside, too (which I love), but there has only been 2 nice days around here and I worked both of them, so inside will have to do for now.

Recently, I decided that I am ready to commit to a goal on my bucket list that I have been wanting to accomplish for 5 years.....da da dah......

I will be riding a Century, an 100 mile bike ride, in October.  The race is close to my new city.

I started in on training program and accomplished 30 miles in 95 minutes today, so I am right on track according to my guide.

I work well with a goal in mind and I think 100 miles may just be that!

HAPPY FRIDAY!