Tag Archives: SoulCycle

Working On My Inner Badass (or How Spinning Fit In Perfectly With My Life Yesterday)

Posted on September 3, 2013 | 1 comment

My plan was originally to share my fun plans I had this past weekend on here today, but that’s being pushed back by what happened in spin class yesterday.

I had the day off of work (thank you Labor Day!), so I went to SoulCycle for a mid-morning workout (a rare treat). The instructor for this particular class was Patrick. I’ve taken his class before and have really enjoyed it.

First of all, this was the toughest spin class I’ve ever gone to (even tougher than the very first class). There were moments that I questioned if I could complete the workout. But I took it slow and took some more breaks than I usually would take in class. And after class, I chatted with a couple of other riders who agreed that this class was the toughest that they’ve even taken (which made me proud that I was able to do it).

One of the things that I loved about SoulCycle from the beginning was the positivity and motivation from the instructions. It’s part spinning part meditation/affirmation time for me.

I was having a bit of a rough morning. Even though I’m not crying all the time about my mom’s cancer anymore, writing yesterday’s blog post really got to me. It was extremely difficult to write the post, and I cried pretty much the entire time writing it. The whole time I thought about how tough my mom is being through all of this. She is totally the rock in the family. And I’m not doing as well as I’d like to about being tough and a true badass like her.

Anyway, back to what happened in spin class. Patrick was having us work like crazy during this one song. We were pedaling super fast and did what felt like a million pushups on the handlebars. My shoulders and arms were killing me and sweat was pouring off my face. When we were getting toward the end of the song, Patrick talked about being tough and pedaling through the very last note of the song. He talked about how we all have a badass inside of us and we just need to bring it out.

That seriously hit home for me. Somewhere inside me, I am a badass. I’m sure I inherited my badassness from my mom (sorry Dad). I’m working really hard to find my inner bombshell, but at the same time, I need to find my inner badass. It’s there somewhere, I just needed to know to go and look for it.

I really felt like being in that class, with that instructor, at that time, and hearing those words really was a sign. I joke on my twitter profile that I’m a girl with Southern charm and Jersey moxie (my mom is originally from Louisiana and my dad is from New Jersey). So why can’t I work on having both an inner bombshell and inner badass?

I’m not going to change the name of this blog (that is far too much work), but I am going to focus on finding my inner badass now too.

1 Comment

Posted in Family, Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Tough Stuff

Tagged breast cancer, cancer, SoulCycle, Spinning

Happy Birthday to Me! (or Part 1)

Posted on August 12, 2013 | 2 comments

A lot of things (and a lot of pictures) happened over my birthday, so I’m splitting this into 2 posts. This is pretty much what happened before 4pm on my birthday.

The day started off with happy birthday phone calls from various family members. One of my favorite phone calls to get is from my cousin Stephanie. Her oldest son, Dalton, sings happy birthday to me each year. It’s a tradition that I totally look forward to. This year, we FaceTimed so it was extra special.

The call started with a lovely video chat with my cousin’s youngest son, Hudson (who I will get to meet in real life for the first time at Thanksgiving).

Then a very sleepy Dalton and his sister Annabelle came to the phone to sing to me.

(I love being able to take screenshots of video chat!!!)

After those festivities, it was time for me to head over to SoulCycle for a spin class! This class was with Ben B., who taught the very first class that I went to. I actually hadn’t been to his class since that first one (he doesn’t teach with I can normally go), and it was really fun! He’s so high energy and upbeat.

When I was putting on my heart rate monitor for class, I noticed that even that was celebrating my birthday with me!

During the stretch part at the end of class, one of the front desk people came into the room with a brownie with a candle in it. The entire spin class sang happy birthday to me! It was awesome!

Something else awesome about the class was a group that was in there. Remember last week when I was talking about how “The Biggest Loser” is one of my guilty pleasure but their workouts are a bit unrealistic? Well, it turns out that some of the contestants in the upcoming season of “The Biggest Loser” were in that spin class! I didn’t see any cameras so I have no idea if they will show it on tv. But I did get to see who some of the new contestants are (and no, I didn’t see Ruben Studdard). I didn’t take any pictures of the contestants since there were production people nearby and I didn’t want to get in trouble, but as soon as the new contestants are announced, I’m excited to see who it was that I saw in class! I guess that some of the workouts that they do are realistic since it’s something that I do pretty much every week!

After spin class, I got home and saw these flowers from my parents on my doorstep.

After showering and getting dressed, I headed out to the one pampering thing I decided to do on my birthday. I got a blowout from DryBar. I had never been before, but I figured why not try it out.

It’s super nice inside. I loved the pop of yellow throughout the salon.

They have a menu of styles that you can choose from. I chose the Cosmo-Tai since it seemed pretty fun (and not something I could do on my own).

It also reminded me a bunch of this headshot of mine that I love!

The stylist I got was very nice. She and I chatted a bit and then she got to work.

While she was working on my hair, it didn’t really look at all like the style that I wanted. But I didn’t say anything because I’ve learned that you can’t judge a hairstyle by the process, you have to wait for it to be done.

Once it was done, it looked nothing like the picture in the menu. I asked her to fix it a couple of times, but I realized that it wasn’t going to be what I thought. It was a cute style, but I really wanted what I saw in the photo.

With my cute hairstyle, I headed home and started to get ready for my birthday party. But those photos will have to wait for part 2 coming tomorrow!

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Posted in Beauty, Celebrations, Family, Fitness, Fun Stuff

Tagged birthday, DryBar, hair, SoulCycle, Spinning

Kicking Butt (or Feeling Extra Tough In Spin Class)

Posted on August 5, 2013 | Comments Off

I typically don’t go to spin classes on Sundays. The spin studio is very close to my work, and since Sundays are my day off, I’d rather not have to drive that way. Also, since the studio is a block from the beach, the parking structure is horribly crowded.

But I went yesterday because SoulCycle is running a special right now. I can bring a friend for free on Sundays for the 4pm, 5pm, or 6pm classes (if anyone wants to come with me, let me know!). A co-worker of mine has been wanting to try it, so we decided to go for the 4pm class yesterday.

First of all, this class was with an instructor who was new to me. This always makes me nervous because I’m not sure if I’ll like the class or not and if they will point out that I’m not doing all the standing up work. Fortunately, Patrick who was the instructor, was awesome! I’m going to have to see if I can fit his classes into my schedule (maybe when I’m unemployed again?).

So the co-worker of mine who came with me is a super fit person. She does 3-6 miles every day. So I’m not sure if she thought that the workout would be easy or not, but I felt like I was proving to her how tough I am. I had a similar situation when I used to work out with Richard Simmons on a regular basis. My dad decided to try the class with me, and I think he thought it wouldn’t be too hard before he tried it. And he was proven wrong (my dad is planning on trying spinning with me in the fall and he’s seen some videos on how tough it is).

My co-worker after the class was almost speechless. She was shocked that I do the class on a fairly regular basis (I’m trying for 2 classes each week but I want to push it to 3). I love shocking people with my strength in workout classes. Because of my size, people don’t think I’m that strong. But think about it for a minute. I’m carrying a lot more weight than most people on a daily basis. So my legs have to be strong. As far as my arms being strong, that’s from the weights part of spin classes.

I don’t know if my co-worker will be coming back to the class with me. She sent me a text afterwards saying how wrecked she was. But I liked being able to prove to someone that I may look the way I look right now, but I’m getting tougher and stronger every day.

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Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health

Tagged SoulCycle, spin class, strong, tough, workout

More Cute Workout Clothes (or Why Can’t More Companies Be Like Old Navy?)

Posted on July 22, 2013 | 1 comment

I’ve mentioned my love for Old Navy clothes in the past. For a while, I’ve worn Old Navy workout capris and tank tops to various exercise events. The clothes fit me, they aren’t too expensive, and sometimes I find something awesome like this shirt.

But most of the tops I’ve been wearing to workout in were not designed to be workout clothes. They get stretched out and don’t wick away any sweat (so I leave class feeling like my shirt was shrink-wrapped onto me).

Many of the women in spin class wear cute tops from stores like Lululemon. I’ve looked on their website, and most of their shirts don’t come bigger than a size 12. I won’t be wearing a size 12 anytime soon, and even when I do, I don’t know if I want to support a clothing company that doesn’t celebrate women of all shapes and sizes that workout.

So I’ve been on the hunt for real workout tops that come in my size. And guess where I found them?

Yup. At Old Navy.

(I’m seriously not paid by Old Navy to say any of this. But if they want to give me a gift card to support my shopping habit at their store, I wouldn’t turn it down)

In their Active section, they now carry tops that remind me of things I saw at Lululemon and other fancy stores like that. I purchased two different tops, both which had shelf bras in them. And I got them recently delivered to my house.

My review: I love these tops! The shelf bra isn’t the most supportive for someone like me, but it’s nice to have. I could see myself wearing these for walks without having to wear a sports bra underneath. I’m not sure about wearing them alone to spin class, but I might be gutsy enough to try it out this week.

I feel like it’s important to feel comfortable and beautiful while working out. And you don’t have to dress up to feel beautiful. I have friends who feel amazing when they workout in tank tops and sweat pants and that’s great! It’s just not me. I want to feel cute and stylish (but I’m not so crazy that I want to do my hair or wear any makeup when I’m working out).

I highly encourage you all to check out some of the workout clothes by Old Navy. I don’t get a kickback or anything. I just want to show support for a company that supports my body type. I am slightly peeved that they don’t carry any plus sized regular clothing in their stores (those are online only), but the largest size of the regular clothes is pretty much plus size.

If I have the courage to wear my new top to spin class, I’ll make sure to report back!

1 Comment

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Shopping

Tagged plus size, shopping, SoulCycle, spin class, workout

A Moment Of Self-Consciousness (or Did I Look Like A Newbie?)

Posted on July 3, 2013 | 2 comments

Yesterday I went to my spin class. I hadn’t been to this particular class time in about a week or two (I’ve had a bit of a crazy schedule).

The class was great and I really felt the workout this time. I pushed myself a lot harder than I’m comfortable doing (that’s the point of class) and I know that I was sweating like crazy.

I felt amazing after class. I knew I worked really hard and I’m feeling a lot stronger (I still have to do the entire class sitting down due to my hip, but I’m working on it).

I was sitting on a bench outside of class changing out of my bike shoes into my flip-flops when a guy who was in class with me came up to me. He congratulated me on getting through class. I said thank you and continued to get ready to head home. Then two more people came up to me and said that I did a good job in class.

It was kind of weird. Did they think that I was having a tough time in class and needed the encouragement? Did they think that this was my first class? Did I look like I didn’t belong?

I hate having these doubting thoughts in my head, but I can’t help it. I’ve had a tough time finding a place where I’m comfortable working out and not feeling like a freak. Even though I’m probably the heaviest person in the spin class, the employees there make me feel incredibly welcome (even giving me ideas of restaurants near my work that does take-out). And most of the time, I feel like everyone else there.

But with all those people coming up to me after class, I felt like an outsider. I know that there is a chance that they were just being polite and friendly to me, but it almost felt patronizing.

I’m not going to let this get to me. It’s taken me a long time to find a workout that I actually love (and not just tolerate). Maybe next time that someone comes up to me and says something like that, I’ll try to engage them in a conversation and not just say thank you. I should congratulate them for kicking butt in class too. It is an accomplishment that not everybody can do.

And I really should be proud of myself for doing it no matter how hard it is or how much of the class I have to do sitting down.

2 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Tough Stuff

Tagged class, SoulCycle, Spinning, tough, workout

Fitting It All In (or Getting Better At Time Management)

Posted on May 17, 2013 | Comments Off

I’m settling back into my work routine. The next few weeks are a bit odd because I’m working weird hours due to a show at my work, but I’d say about 80% of my schedule is what it should be.

I’m still not great at managing all my time (including my one day off), but I’m getting better. And I’ve finally figured out a plan that allows me to work and fit in my SoulCycle classes.

Right now, my days for spinning classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays. On those days, I don’t start work until noon (it might be pushed back to 12:30 soon which works in my favor). On those days, I get up at 7am, as I do every day. I leave my house for spin class by 7:50, take an 8:30 class, and get home by 10. Then I have enough time to shower, get dressed, and eat some late breakfast before heading out to work.

On those days, I’m at work until 8:30pm (and have to be back at work by 9am the next morning), so working out at nighttime is not an option. Also, there aren’t any spin classes that late at the studio.

I’d like to try to add in a class on the weekend as well, but the classes on Saturday don’t exactly work well with my work schedule. The class that’s closest to the time I leave work is 2 hours after my shift. I wouldn’t drive home, but I’d need to find something to do (and make sure I eat a light meal before class). And on Sundays, I’m so busy doing everything else that needs to get done that I’m not sure where to fit in spin class.

I’m glad that I figured out how to still do the workout I love while I’m working 6 days a week. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but honestly, nothing in my life is easy. It would probably freak me out if it was easy.

And knowing that I’m working at doing something that I love does make me happy. It can be a little overwhelming and depressing knowing that I’m working at a job 6 days a week (that isn’t my career). I’m glad I’ve found something good for me that makes me so happy.

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Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff, Work

Tagged job, scheduling, SoulCycle, Spinning, time management, work, workout

Boy Band Ride (or Bringing Out My Inner Teenager)

Posted on April 15, 2013 | 1 comment

On Saturday, there was a special ride at SoulCycle. It was going to be all boy band music!

When I was in high school, it was like the battle of the boy bands. You were either a fan of *NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys. I personally loved *NSYNC. I remember recording their Disney special onto a VHS so I could watch it again (this was a time before DVRs). I had their CDs, I went to their concerts (with custom-made t-shirts as well), and I even did the choreography for a high school lip sync contest for one of their songs. One of my craziest memories of being an *NSYNC fan was when I was a junior in high school. That year, I started school at 7am. And there was a radio contest for *NSYNC tickets on May 5th (they called it *NSYNCo de Mayo). I remember leaving the house at 4:30am (with my parents’ permission) to go try to win tickets before school. That’s dedication!

Anyway, I was beyond excited for this spin class!

When I arrived, the lobby area was all decorated with boy band pictures.

I checked in, put on my fancy bike shoes that I’m loving, and headed into class.

There was some One Direction music in there, but most of it was *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. We were encouraged to sing along, and yes, I remembered the words to almost all the songs!

The instructor, Heather, was amazing! First of all, I like that she pointed out that I was singing along when she asked us to. I was working hard to sing so I like that she saw my effort. Also, during the class, Heather mentioned that she used to weigh over 200 pounds and has managed to lose the weight. I love getting to meet people like that, because I really feel that they get me. She never pointed out that I did most of the class sitting down (I’m going to ask my hip surgeon about doing the stand up work when I see him at the end of the week).

After the class was done, I was a sweaty mess, but I had to get a picture with Heather, who is now one of my favorite instructors!

I’m back to work this week, so I’m trying to figure out where spinning can fit into my life and not be an issue. I’m obviously not going to miss work to spin. I can’t do that with a seasonal job. I’m hoping that if I go early enough in the morning, I can make it back home to shower and then get to my job on time. I don’t know if I’ll try that this week since I’m going to be getting adjusted to being back on a 6 day a week work schedule, but I’m hoping that next week I’ll be back in the groove.

Thanks again to Heather who was such an amazing and motivating instructor!

1 Comment

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff

Tagged SoulCycle, Spinning, workout

A Spin And A Spa (or More Spinning!)

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Comments Off

I went to spin class at SoulCycle on Tuesday (which marked my 3rd spin class in 5 days). And this ride was called the “Beauty Ride” because after the class was over, there was going to be free mini-facials!

So besides wanting to get my workout in for the day, I really wanted to take advantage of the free spa treatment! First of all, the class was really hard for me. It wasn’t that this instructor was exceptionally tough, but I was sore. I really wanted to be able to do 3 spin classes a week while I don’t have work, but I’m not sure that is a reality. I might have to do a week of 2 classes and then a week of 3 and alternate. But I’m proud of myself for trying. And this particular instructor told me after class that she was so impressed that I was working at my own level, but I was working the whole time. That was pretty nice.

So after getting wonderfully sweaty, I headed out into the lobby where the facials were to take place. The spa that was there is named Arcona and their spa is located pretty close to the spin studio and my day job, so I might go check them out in the future.

They had all the spa stuff set up in the center of the lobby (and had free samples for us to take home as well).

I totally forget the name of the woman who did my mini-facial (I’m so sorry!), but she was awesome! I apologized for my super sweaty face, and she was totally cool about it (and probably why they all wore gloves as well).

The products were really nice and soothing on my face. I try to wash my face right after spin class (they have face wash in the bathroom there), because I hate the feeling of sweat drying on my skin. I tried to get a picture mid-facial, but it didn’t quite work.

BTW, I totally want some of the cute SoulCycle shirts that they sell there! I just wish they sold one in my size (maybe I should buy it as motivation?).

When my facial was done, I headed home. And I couldn’t help noticing that my skin looked pretty darn nice considering I just spent 45 minutes sweating my butt off!

The only thing that stunk was as soon as I got home, I jumped in the shower to wash my hair, and I washed off all the lovely products that were put on my face!

I’m totally going to start trying those samples they gave me. And with the samples we got a 20% off card to use for our first visit, so maybe a facial is in my future soon…

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Posted in Beauty, Fitness, Fun Stuff

Tagged bike, facial, SoulCycle, spa, Spinning

Spinning Machine (or Continuing My New Healthy Addiction)

Posted on March 11, 2013 | 1 comment

This past weekend, I got to take 2 classes at SoulCycle! This is the first time that I’ve taken more than one class in a week, but I’m really proud of myself for doing this!

The first class I took was on Friday morning. It was an 8:30am class, and one of the reasons I wanted to take that class was because I’m trying to figure out if I have time in the mornings to take a class when I go back to work (it would be cutting it close with the 8:30 class but possible).

On Friday, my friend Kate, who comes with me to spin class often, was able to come. And we were joined by my new friend Chelsea, who is participating in the same fitness challenge on Facebook that I’m doing. Chelsea had taken one spin class before, but never at SoulCycle, and all of our bikes were in the first row. I normally take the front so I don’t feel as claustrophobic. It might not have been the right choice as the instructor who was teaching that class likes the people in the front row to do everything as instructed (I’m still struggling with standing up on the bike). So the instructor encouraged me to try the second row for her classes in the future.

I’m not upset or insulted that she suggested that. I’m used to Sal’s class where he encouraged me to be in the front. I just need to test out more instructors and see what each of them like.

After the class, Kate took a picture of me and Chelsea so we could share it online with the other participants of the fitness challenge.

And on Sunday, I went to a class on my own. I’m still a little nervous going to class solo, but I’m sure the more I do it the easier it will be. The instructor for this class was Laurie, who was in for the weekend from NYC (where SoulCycle started). I didn’t know this when I signed up for the class (I picked the one that worked in my schedule the best), but it was an amazing class. Laurie had a great energy and so did everyone else in the class.

Laurie’s class had more of a meditation element to it for me, and that’s what I needed. My muscles were still recovering from Friday’s class, and all of Laurie’s encouragement to let go and enjoy the ride really hit home for me. I survived and felt amazing afterwards! I’m only upset that she is not one of the usual instructors here at the Santa Monica studio, but when she returns to teach here again, I know I’ll be signing up for her classes!

I left on Sunday super sweaty but it was exactly what I needed!

This week, I’m hoping to do at least 2 spin classes, but I might push myself and try for 3! And hopefully my bike shoes will be in this week so I can finally stop renting them!

1 Comment

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health

Tagged bike, class, SoulCycle, Spinning, sweat, workout

Customer Service After The Fact (or An Update to My Experience At Performance Bike)

Posted on February 20, 2013 | 2 comments

I had previously written how poorly my friend and I were treated at Performance Bike. I was so shocked by the behavior of that employee, and I was not afraid to share it.

After writing that post, I tweeted at Performance Bike again. They asked me to email them explaining what happened, and I just sent them the link to that blog post.

Well, they clearly weren’t happy that I put that out there. The next morning, I had an email from the retail marketing coordinator asking if someone could call me to talk to me about what happened. I was fine with that so I emailed back my phone number.

Within about an hour, the district manager called me. His name is Chris, and he was extremely nice and wanted to hear the entire story of what happened. So I spared no details.

Chris explained to me that he has worked for Performance Bike for years and was shocked to hear what happened to me and my friend. He asked for a description of the employee helping us and the date and time we were there.

And finally, he offered me a gift card that would pretty much cover the cost of cycling shoes for me! I was super grateful, but I wanted to make sure my friend could get shoes too. So he split the gift card (and added a little extra) so we would each have over half of the cost of our shoes covered by the gift card!

As soon as I got off the phone with Chris, I called my friend and made sure she didn’t get her shoes already. She was so surprised that Performance Bike was doing something so nice for us!

And last week, I got 2 of these in the mail.

Just as I was about to buy my shoes online (and have them shipped to the store for free), my dad emailed me. He got an email from Performance Bike with a promo code for $20 off of $100. So between the promo code and my gift card, I paid about 1/3 of what I was expecting to pay for both my shoes and cleats!

Unfortunately, the shoes are backordered for about a month, so I’ll have to continue to rent shoes at SoulCycle for a while. But I’m super excited to have my own cycling shoes very soon!

Thank you again to Performance Bike and Chris for going above and beyond to make sure that they didn’t lose me, my friend, or my dad as customers. It was not expected at all, but much appreciated!

2 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Saving, Shopping

Tagged bike, customer service, discounts, gift card, shoes, SoulCycle

Tag Archives: SoulCycle

Working On My Inner Badass (or How Spinning Fit In Perfectly With My Life Yesterday)

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Happy Birthday to Me! (or Part 1)

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Kicking Butt (or Feeling Extra Tough In Spin Class)

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More Cute Workout Clothes (or Why Can’t More Companies Be Like Old Navy?)

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A Moment Of Self-Consciousness (or Did I Look Like A Newbie?)

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Fitting It All In (or Getting Better At Time Management)

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Boy Band Ride (or Bringing Out My Inner Teenager)

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A Spin And A Spa (or More Spinning!)

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Spinning Machine (or Continuing My New Healthy Addiction)

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Customer Service After The Fact (or An Update to My Experience At Performance Bike)

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