My journey to becoming a Spin Instructor should have told me that this would be transformational process for me. I walked into the 8 hour SPIN training having never even taken a class before. I was already group fitness instructor, but at the time my classes were all dance-fitness formats. However, as the owner of a studio, I knew that SPIN classes would be a great selling point. I quickly realized that SPIN instructors were not easy to find. Therefore, I got certified to teach SPIN to be the BACKUP instructor. How hard could it be…
That class was brutal!!!! My butt wanted me to quit so many times. There was nothing at all fun about it, I didn’t like the music, the pain, or the process of creating class profiles. Even after the accomplishment of being certifiied, I still had no real desire to teach this class. Of course, life had other plans. Within three months, I ended up being the only SPIN instructor for all of our weekday classes. Even more importantly than that I loved EVERY class I taught. I also loved what I learned on my bike.
Lesson 1: Alone Together
I loved the fact that the room was dark, which allowed everyone in the class to be together , yet on solo journeys. SPIN is a solo journey because you control your speed, your resistance, and your intensity levels – but we are all on the same road so you are never alone.
Lesson 2: Be The Connection
Life is very much like riding a bile. It is all about steering and navigating two wheels at the same time. Can you ride a bike with a flat tire or ride a unicycle – probably, but two wheels makes it easier. Our life is like that. We have the wheel that represents what we do and the one that represents who we are. The wheels are only separate when you, as the navigator, are out of your position. YOU, the full you, exists in the middle of what you do (your outward work) and who you are (your internal workings) I can admit I wasted a lot of energy walking my bike on one wheel. I am now focused BEING the connection.
Lesson 3: Maintenance Needed
I also learned bikes need to be routinely maintained. Over time, the constant use of the bike makes the crank arms loud and loose. This can make the bike ride less smoothly, and if not addressed, it could also become dangerous. Periodically and routinely, every bike needs to be pulled out of rotation for rest and maintenance. For us, this is our rest. We also need maintenance – energy, passion, restoration, love, gratitude to make sure that our ride through life remains smooth.
Lesson 4: Balance
I love words and my studio had a word wall in one room and a quote on the wall in the spin room. The SPIN room quote was perfect for me leading my classes and my life. “Life Is Like Riding A Bicycle, To Maintain Your Balance You Have To Keep Moving”. This is how I live. Movement drives me. Physical movement is how I climbed out of a depression and moving and growing is how I stay there.
Lesson 5: Own Your Journey
I mentioned earlier that one of the things that I did not like about SPIN classes was the music. That was because I was trying to emulate the way I saw other people teach. Many other classes used a lot of EDM music and beats. This makes total sense because EDM beats per minute is steady and fast, and the songs tend to be long – which is the perfect formula for a SPIN profile. But, of course, I had to take the hard route. I had to choose music that I could relate to. It was like a dance fitness class just on the bike. I took something that I loved and merged it with something new. I use this strategy a lot when I am creating a new habit.
Next up, I might graduate to an outdoor bike. I am not keen on riding a bike where there are cars or people or other bikes but, hey, knowing my life, there is a message in that as well. But the last lesson here is that as long as we are living and moving we are growing and progressing. Stay tuned…
