Never in a million years did I think I’d be a fitness instructor.
No seriously… there was nothing I wanted less to do with. Fitness was a personal thing whether to keep me in tip top shape as a professional dancer or deciding to go the competitive body building route, it was a thing I did for me and I wasn’t sure I wanted to give that up… plus instructing meant having to have people depend on me with the MTA as unreliable as it was… NO THANKS. I wasn’t interested in that kind of pressure.
Though spin (“indoor cycling”) has been around in gyms forever I honestly can’t remember a time when “SoulCycle” wasn’t the equivalent for spin and there was one down the block from where I worked. In a world where everybody hates cardio and anything you could do to make it go faster is the way to go, I decided to give it a try.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon KELLY SHEERINS and once I found myself crying in her dark room to Eminem’s “Not Afraid” the rest was history… I can’t tell you why I was crying, there was no rhyme or reason, & I most certainly fought the urge telling myself “Eminem is playing, why are crying?” but I gave in and it immediately felt freeing. I took Kelly’s classes religiously, worked my way up to the front row and never looked back – I was hooked.
I became engaged and we were moving to Jersey and staying late or waking up extremely early for Kelly’s class became too hard for me with a rigorous work schedule. Friends of ours were raving about CycleBar and thought we’d like it. See CycleBar had what SoulCycle didn’t – stats or the option to see it – and that was a big reason why they liked it. Indeed we enjoyed it and quickly made it our home studio.
On one of our walks home after class we noticed that a new CycleBar was opening up walking distance from where we lived. Whattt!!! I was pumped! I couldn’t wait to become a member at this new place. I could literally roll out of bed within 5min of class and still make it…sweet!
But my (now) husband had other plans: “you should teach,” he said. “Absolutely not” was my response. Hubby: “But you’d be so good at it and people will love you”…
Well maybe I would be good at it…
So I did it. I mustered up the courage to submit and audition. The audition was thrilling and receiving that invitation to bootcamp was exhilarating (despite having to miss a weekend trip to the Hamptons) but what lied ahead of me was tough – 8hr long days of bike riding and training, understanding metrics, putting together playlists, learning bike setups – heck, learning how to breathe! It wasn’t easy but I did it, I made it… I earned myself a spot on that schedule and I could not be prouder.
Now, I freakin’ LOVE teaching indoor cycling and here are some reasons why:
IT IS FOR YOU, ME AND YOUR MOTHER
It’s for everyone – from the totally inexperienced to the world-class cyclists and guess what? Those same two types are rocking out next to each other in the same class. Heck! they might even end up becoming the bestest of friends
MUSIC IS LIFE
When you hear that beat drop on your favorite track in class… can’t nobody tell me nothing! You are in, you are focused and next thing you know class is over and you have lost all concept of time…45 min where? Cardio who?
IT MAKES YOU HAPPY & HEALTHY
Have you ever crushed a workout class and regretted it? Doubt it – in fact your energy is through the roof and guess what? Not only have you burned crazy calories you feel amazing and actually had a little fun. Win-win if you ask me
I am a SCHWINN Certified Indoor Cycling Instructor teaching the CycleBar method. If you want to take class with me, you can find me at CycleBar Plymouth Meeting currently teaching Mondays at 445P and Fridays at 915A
Join in! What do you think?