By Melanie Buckley Jackson
Imagine you just rode a 13 mile bike ride. You’re feeling amazing. Your heart is pumping while your favorite song is blasting through your earbuds; you’re pushing your body to the limit. Your endorphins start to release as your entire body gets a workout. That’s what we experience twice a week in our spinning classes at The Post Fitness Center. Rain, snow or sunshine, every day is a good day to spin.
All spinning classes are done on a stationary bike, indoors, with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, and each bike is individually adjusted for maximum comfort. It’s the perfect way to maintain or increase your cardio endurance and physical strength, especially during the snowy Utah winter. I discovered spinning a few years ago, and immediately fell in love with the high intensity classes. As a runner living in Texas, spinning was my exercise of choice on blazing hot summer days, or cold, rainy winter days. I found I could challenge myself as much as I wanted, or zone out, close my eyes, listen to music and have a relaxing “ride.” It’s a great way to challenge yourself or race against your neighbor. It’s your own ride, your way, any day.
Spinning is also a great exercise for every fitness level, and anybody can enjoy a bike ride. Begin slowly and progress at your own pace. We are all enjoying the same class. It’s also great training for your spring and summer mountain biking, or build up the muscles to try fat tire biking on our amazing trails.
Hopping in a spin class is excellent cross training for skiing as well. It’s low impact, making it ideal for people who have sore quads, hamstrings, hips and knees. It can be as much of a cardio-challenging class as you want. Besides your lungs, heart and muscles getting a workout, your mind will too. You learn to push yourself as we climb hills, race or sprint, and you can sink into your best problem solving and thinking, during the flats. Work every part of yourself out.
Torch calories! The average 45-60 min Spinning class burns between 450-700 calories. Seriously. Ready yet? Good! Let’s enjoy the ride, together at The Post.
