As predicted, it’s slightly painful to sit today! This is the culprit.

My bottom met a spin bike for the first time in years. I actually own padded shorts that I’ve never worn (gifted to me when I went through a month long spinning phase when I first moved to Charlotte) but after a quick try on I deemed that I’d rather have a bruised butt than a diaper butt!

The occasion for attending a spin class was the grand opening of FlyWheel. It’s a concept out of New York and they’ve started expanding to cities like Chicago, Atlanta and Charlotte. Basically, it’s upscale spinning with awesome service, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities and great instructors who play rocking music that is customized by FlyWheel DJs.

The idea is that you sign up for class online ahead of time and when you arrive at the studio they have spin shoes waiting in your size in a cubby. You strap them on and head in to the spin room that features stadium seating and really cool bikes. They kill all of the lights while you’re spinning and there’s only a spotlight on the instructor and some TV monitors…and really loud music. I loved the custom mixes of popular songs. Everything was timed so that you hit climbs and sprints on a beat.

The bikes are wired to a computer system that shows you your progress in relation to the other participants (they only flash this occasionally for comparison – it’s not up the whole time). Each individual bike shows stats on your torque, RPMs and total power. This was my favorite feature of FlyWheel because you could follow the instructors directions exactly.

Another differentiating feature of FlyWheel is that there is a little bit of upper body work included towards the end of the classes. There are body bars attached the the bike and you do a few minutes of biceps, shoulder and triceps work. The weight isn’t really heavy enough to feel like you’re really getting a good strength workout but I appreciate that it’s a least a little bit of upper body toning.

I really enjoyed attending the preview class at FlyWheel and it did remind me that spinning is a great cross training activity. The kicker is that you pay for the experience. The classes run around $20-$25 a piece. Luckily, I received two free class passes so I can try a few more classes with their regular instructors (our instructor was in from NYC for the opening) before committing to paying for a class package.

Spinning…love it or hate it? 

I was sweaty and starving after class so I came home to shower and make lunch. Check it out…not only is my sandwich not open faced but it’s not toasted or “melty.” – all cold! Arnold Health-Full bread with hummus, mashed avocado, spinach, tempeh, pepper jack, tomatoes and sprouts.

Afternoon pick-me-up. Iced green tea is the new soy latte for warm weather.

I ended the day by taking Sullie for a walk just before sunset and eating a salad. I ruined my appetite for dinner by snacking on way too much granola before teaching an evening yoga class. Salad was pretty much the only thing that sounded remotely appetizing. Mixed greens, grilled asparagus, strawberries, mushrooms, croutons, dried cherries, goat cheese and chickpeas for some protein.

Hope you’re having a good week!