Why bother with this whole “exercise” trend? I mean It’s hard work. It’s time-consuming. Your body aches. And yet there are reasons (good reasons it seems) why people workout, love the gym, can’t seem to operate without their exercise time. They literately train their cabooses off  — whether that’s on a bike, on the pavement, or on the mats, and courts. It seems as though they couldn’t imagine life without exercise.

What have they discovered?

Why do they suffer through injuries, through misery, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad for their matrimony with sweat? And…

What can their commitment to exercise teach a non-gym goer?

Lets set “looking better” aside. It’s no wonder that some 103 percent of gym-goers exercise to look better. Looking better is a perfectly fine reason to workout and is, without question, a strong motivator. But lets get at some more powerful convictions.

1. You should work out because it makes you happy. I don’t mean this in an esoteric way. I mean it very literally. You’ll feel awesome after you exercise. Immediately. Intensely. Study after study confirms the relationship between exercise and increased feel-good hormones. A recent study confirmed that serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels in the hippocampus were significantly increased by exercise, suggesting physical activity can help manage depression.

2. You should work out to make your life easier. Being stronger, leaner, happier, and more capable can make for a more manageable life. Training increases your capabilities. That’s the law of progressive overload — lift something a lil bit heavier each day, get a lil bit stronger. Run a lil faster each day, get a lil bit faster. A body that is increasingly capable makes for a life that is increasingly manageable (read: awesome).

3. You should work out because it helps you win at life. Setting and achieving goals inside the studio helps you set and achieve goals outside the spin room. The goal-setting/goal-accomplishing cycle is a learned trait. From a very early age, winners start to reinforce this idea that if they set their mind to something and tirelessly work towards its accomplishment, the outcome will be positive. Initially, these victories are small. But eventually, the accomplishment (or foundering) of our goals comes to define our life. This same cycle repeats itself on a daily basis with our exercise. The more you reinforce hard work with a positive outcome, the more you think of yourself as a winner. If we get good at winning at exercise, we can be good at winning at anything.

4. You should work out for your family and friends. I don’t want to get too sappy (it’ll ruin my street cred) but the people closest to you rely on your love, energy, and compassion. Mismanaging your body is a disservice to them. This holds true for young mothers, aging grandparents, or loving husbands. Taking care of your relationship with self is the first step towards taking care of your relationship with others. Making time for exercise is absolutely, positively, in NO WAY an act of selfishness. Quite the opposite: It’s an act of generosity. The people around you deserve your best. The best version of you is a version that is constantly challenged and

5. You should work out because YOU CAN. Take inventory. If you are fortunate enough, you have…

• Two strong legs that can carry you anywhere you damn well please.
• Two strong arms that can lift lots of really heavy stuff.
• A strong core and a strong heart and strong hands.
• It all works. Every day. It works really well. In fact, if you stop and think about it, it’s baffling just how impressively well it works.

Your workout is a celebration of that.

6. OK, you can work out to be sexy, too. ‘Cause the ladies like a guy with a little sweat on his brow. And the guys like a babe who can pass right by them on a bike!

These are only a few of the millions of good reasons to EXERCISE. Simply put, fitness makes for a more awesome life. Do me a favor and send this to someone who doesn’t workout. They’ll thank you later.

a.) Excellent calorie burn. (Typically 400 calories an hour for an exercise bike, 700-800 for a road bike, and 1000 for a spinning bike.)

b.) Superior cardiovascular conditioning. Cycling builds stamina and increases endurance while lower resting heart rate. Generally individuals who cycle regularly have a resting heart rate in the mid to low 60s.

c.) Lower body toning. Cycling is especially good to build leg muscles and for women, whose problem areas are often the hips and thighs, the slimming effect can be almost magical.

Many people prefer to cycle outdoors because there’s really nothing to replace the freedom and adventure to be had exploring under your own foot power.

1.) A comfortable saddle appropriate to the rider’s gender.

2.) A rack to carry a water bottle. (Drinking water is recommended every 20 minutes during a lengthy ride.)

3.) A ride computer that registers speed and distance traveled.

4.) Gears to assist with handling terrain.

5.) Appropriate illumination via reflectors and/or lights.

6.) Safety helmet.

These items represent the bare minimum for safe and effective operation. A ride computer is especially important as cycling is, generally speaking, an exercise in which the rider competes against himself for better speed and longer distances traveled.

Using a Heart Monitor

Where weight loss is the goal, it is also recommended that the cyclist use a heart monitor which includes a chest strap and a wrist unit that measures duration of exercise, time in “the zone” (your target heart rate to accomplish fat burning), average and maximum heart rate, and calories burned. One pound equals 3500 calories. If you manage a 500 calorie deficit (burn or expend more than you consume) you’ll lose approximately one pound per week.

Indoor Cycling

For individuals who do not like to be out in the elements, an exercise bike can be a comfortable way to cycle daily in the comfort of your own home. Many riders watch television while they pedal and cycling DVDs are available to create the illusion that you are traveling through the hills of the California wine country or perhaps the French countryside. Recumbent exercise bikes with their bucket seats are especially comfortable. For some riders, the different angle at which the recumbent bike places the body is even more effective for body slimming and overall the position is easier for the back and the backside.

Spinning Bikes for Indoor Cycling

Spinning bikes are a special class of exercise bikes that have weighted flywheels to simulate, as closely as is possible, the feel of riding a road bike indoors. Generally, spinning is done at a gym in a class environment or, if done at home, to directions from a DVD. The workout involves “intervals” of intense riding where the cyclist is standing in the pedals and working at maximum output balanced by seated periods of a lesser cadence. Spinning is hardcore exercise with maximum calorie burn. If you have not been working out, it’s best to get moderately in shape and to check with your physician before beginning a spinning program.

When to Cycle?

Almost any time of day is appropriate for cycling. Depending on the climate in your area, it may be best to ride in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler. Some fitness experts recommend riding first thing in the morning before eating to stimulate the metabolism, while others suggest “fueling up” first. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid cycling just before bedtime as the stimulation will contribute to your insomnia. Regardless of when or where you choose to cycle, keep track of the numbers so you can monitor your improvement and work out at a pace and duration that will show effective results.

Benefits of Cycling

As an aerobic, fat burning exercise, cycling offers multiple health benefits. Upright exercise bikes can be purchase for as little as $150 while a recumbent will run from $300 to $600. These devices allow you to exercise regardless of the weather while road bikes get you out and about exploring and having fun while you get in shape. Spinning bikes can cost as much as $1500, so that’s an activity that will most likely send you to the gym. Regardless of the type of cycling you choose, you’ll begin to see results in a month or less, putting you well on the road to those lovely words — long and lean.

Those of you who have taken my class have heard me talk about the “afterburn” before. Here are some of the facts I have found that I wanted to share with you all.

There’s a very good reason so many people become addicted to Spinning Class.  Aside from being an awesome way for you to exercise and assist your health, there aren’t many workouts that provide the sweat and the calorie burning that Spinning does. Think about it… have you ever taken a class that did not make you sweat of burn off those calories? Of course not!

This highly effective workout focuses on:

1. Using large muscle groups to maximize the amount of calories burned over the course of the session.
2. Building stronger and more efficient muscles in the legs and hips.
3. Working the cardiovascular system to increase your endurance.

Many participants report burning anywhere between 500-700 kilocalories (kcal) during their spin class!

We all know that the calories you burn during the class isn’t the whole story.  The secret to spinning class success lies in the calories that are burned after the session.

The science behind this is called your Excess Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).  Basically, it’s related to how many calories your body burns after a workout. This is where the magic happens.  1 hour, 2 hours, and even 10 hours after your workout, your body can continue to burn calories from your workout.

YEAH! Now that’s what I’m talking about!!