Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Heart and Soul - SOUL CYCLE


Here's the thing - we are on a mission. It's pretty serious and focused. However, with our determination to improve on our health and wellness, we are not going to the extremes. We're just adding some challenges along the way. This weekend we put our hearts and soul into cycling. There I was skipping along to the cycle class. After all, I know how to ride a bike.


Enter the SOUL CYCLE to the most friendliest team of front desk staff. We checked in, headed to the lockers, back up the stairs into the cycle room. We were assigned a bike, I had all the adjustments made for my comfort. Well, that was a silly assumption of mine - there was no need to think of comfort. An intense 45 minutes with a fun team of instructors, a room full of cyclists and then there was me. We cycled to the music of Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West - how cool is that? Yes, it was a lot of fun. Naturally, I knew not one single song, not even a line but the beat was perfect for the cycling frenzy. We rocked it as we peddled up and down - side to side. According to the way that the class went, there was no need for the seat except towards the end when it was time to wind down. My confession - I took a seat and peddled like a mad woman. I stood and peddled when I could muster up the energy and rocked along with the music. I lifted the weights and peddled. I screamed/shouted along enthusiastically blending with the serious peddlers.


The Beast was in the class - peddling along. SOUL CYCLE was perfect for him, he cycles for miles on end and will be cycling in a few weeks with the New York Century Bike event (they have a 100 mile cycling event). One of our daughters was also cycling along. She was fantastic. SOUL CYCLE was another jolt - just the challenge that I needed. I left the class drenched in sweat - that brought a smile to my face. We did it!!!

What's next???!!! I say let's just pray the pounds away.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Mixing It Up - Working It Out


And as the summer continues, the workout is in full gear. The runs, walks, indoor workouts have all added to a fantastic fitness routine. In fact, I look forward to running with the Beast as we go around the track and mix in burpees, jumping jacks, jump squats, mountain climbers, push ups, a variety of planks, etc. in between laps. I can assure you that it's not an easy task. I complain/whine as I go along, yet I feel so accomplished at the end of our workout (getting in three miles of running). It's called the Run Plus ;-)


The Run Plus is fantastic. Sometimes we need to shake things up in our workout routine and taking a boxing class at the Shadowbox NYC was the perfect remedy. We got in a 45 minute set with Jaws which was absolutely grueling for me. Jaws is a petite lean machine with a beautiful smile. However, once the session began, it was on and popping. We boxed and did a variety of exercises in between just like the Run Plus. There was no time for whining, the class was moving along and using every minute to jump on to the next thing. At one point, Jaws instructed the class to use the form and consistency like this person - of course when I turned around to look it was none other than The Beast.


Overall, the boxing session was quite an experience. The next morning I woke up feeling sore all over. I smiled as I ached, I knew that it was all worth it. I reached for the weights - the workout must continue.

How do you mix it up?