Wow. It's hard getting back into the routine of college once you've left. However, I can't lie- I'm happier than I've been in about 2.5 years. :)

So, you know I've been Spinning. And I've got some great playlists to tell you about, and we've been revisiting some of our favorite rides from last year. So- I promise they. are. coming.

:) Soon! :)

Much to my surprise, when I went in to teach my first class of the semester I was greeted with a pretty awesome present. Brand new bikes! :)

Although I am slightly sad that they are not Mad Dog Spinning bikes, I do know that Schwinn makes good products, as they used to be affiliated with Mad Dog/Spinning a long time ago.

So, I thought, because it was like Christmas morning, I would share my first impressions of the new bikes that we got; and hopefully I can keep you updated on how they hold up through the torment (and abuse) I'm sure they will receive from college aged students/less than super instructors.

So, for my review, we are going to take a look at the
Schwinn Evolution Indoor Cycling Bicycle.

I. Bike Set-Up I was impressed with the ease of transitioning between settings on this bike. There are numbers on both the fore/aft and height of the seat, as well as handlebars. This is really helpful when setting up a newbie on a bike. You can tell them to remember the numbers and then they know how to set their bike up the same exact way every time.

II. The Brake System The brake is pretty cool on this bike as well. Instead of pulling up on the knob (like the old Schwinn Spinning bikes from 8+ years ago) there is a red arm that sticks out slightly under the resistance knob that when you push down, the brake engages. It is also bright red- a great indication for a newbie out of control to "stop!" I think that the brake works much better this way only because you get an immediate response. With the knob, depending on how you were pulling you may or may not engage the brake. And if your leg has come free out of the cage or clips the last thing your brain is thinking is to PULL. It seems much more natural in a "crisis" to push down!

III. The Frame The frame seems really solid. This could be because I am so used to seeing bikes that are falling apart, but all of the gears are covered so that sweat can't pour into them, but are still easily accessible for lubrication when needed. Also, there's a nice little grip pad on the back of the bike which makes a calf stretch perfect! No more need to tell students to be careful their shoes don't slip on the metal frame.

IV. Extras Something else I thought was awesome is the adequate water bottle holding this bike provides. Especially when doing a special 2 hour ride, I always encourage/give away water bottles to my students so everyone has at least 2 to start. Most people set an extra one on the ground, have to stop riding to switch and then get back into it again. I do try to keep an eye on this and hand off water bottles to help my riders, but this bike rules. It has TWO water bottle holders on the sides that are slightly adjustable to allow for different sized water bottles. This is awesome!! Also, there is another "shelf" like area on the bike frame in the middle (where the water bottles used to be on the old bikes) that appears it could also be used as a platform to hold an extra large water bottle. Can I just tell you hydration will become even more important to me now that we have all this great room!

So, in summary I would like to share what I think are the pros and cons of this indoor bike:

Pros
1. Love the multiple water bottles. Hydration = IMPORTANT
2. Love the SMOOTHNESS of this bicycle, no matter what resistance. Definitely will help get across better form to students, especially newbies.
3. Brake System - I think the push down on the red lever is much better than the remember that the resistance knob can be pulled up to stop in case of an emergency!
4. Numbering system on bike set-up. Just remember 3 numbers and which adjustments correspond with those 3 numbers and you never have to worry about setting up your bike, other than to double check everything is good!

Cons
1. No SPD clips. They spent all that money and there are still NO clips on the underside of the cage. A super, super bummer.


Conclusion? As a new bicycle, I am first totally psyched to simply see NEW bikes, as we needed them desperately... but as an indoor bike it seems like it will hold up well and rides extremely nice. :)

You know... there is one mystery of life I can't figure out to save my life. Why does food that is unhealthy taste so tasty?!

It seems unfair. Don't get me wrong, I do love tons of healthy foods- fresh fruits and veggies, whole wheat, soy products, etc. But, man... if you start eating junk, then it just gets more and more addicting.

I found the best way to avoid eating unhealthy food is not to have it anywhere near me. A fair estimate would be about a 100 mile radius. That would keep me safe.

Unfortunately, that's not reality.

I actually decided to google "Why does bad food taste so good?" and found some interesting results. Most talk about sugar, salt and fat and our genetic need to have these items in our systems from years and years ago.

Others talk about how bad food should be completely ignored and try THIS or THIS!

My personal opinion is, if I ban myself from something unhealthy completely, that is going to make me want to eat it even more. But, if I allow myself to splurge every once in awhile, I still get to enjoy a piece of cake and fit into my jeans the next day.

Problem is, being in 3 weddings and invited to 6 has left me little room for splurging. I think I've maintained myself pretty well this past summer, being that I haven't gotten to spin and have mostly been teaching pilates.

But, I like many others, always feel the need to do more. I want to lose more, I want to tone more, I want to be more!

So, why does bad food taste so good?

To remind you to get off your butt and work for it!!!

Well, after a long, lazy (my last for next 4 years!) summer, soon it will be time to get back on the saddle. I mean this both figuratively and literally. August 31st officially resumes college classes, which officially resumes my Spinning career for the school year.

This time around will be a challenge. How to keep giving meaningful rides, while living through my schedule of academic classes and classes at the YMCA. I plan on spending a LOT of time in endurance land.

I ended up getting a ton of music this summer through some cd exchanges and a very generous Master Instructor, so I should be ready to rock and roll.

Although my course load is only 11 credits I feel like it's much larger. Biology, Chemistry and Anatomy all with labs = lots of class time. I'm so excited to be getting started on these important classes that will lead to my ability to apply to physical therapy school. I finally figured it out, and I'm finally starting to make it happen.

And it's with that joy of a new beginning, excitement and hardwork that I want to make my classes this year even better than they were last year. I want to teach discipline, perseverance and guts. Guts to follow your dreams. Guts to challenge your body. Guts to live without fear.

Get ready! :)

I just read a post on livejournal about someone talking about their exercise routine and it included the word "boring". I don't have time to really talk about this now but I wanted to write this down so that I would remember to do so later.

Personally anytime I hear anyone say some type of exercise is boring I know right then and there that they aren't going to stick with it. There are so many different things to do, you can afford to find something to enjoy, so you aren't having a boring workout.

Makes me frustrated. Also, makes me miss spinning soooo much. Only a little over a month til I'm back to teaching again!

Also, I think I'm going to submit my "Chasing Lance" profile for the Spinning profiles this year. Didn't get to submit one last year, so now I have a shot and I know so many people over at P-O who have used it and loved it just as much as me! :)

Ok, I'm off to teach pilates, do yoga, weight lift anddddd GET READY FOR THE BEACH!!!!! =D