Spinning left me spinning.

Walking into the small, wooden floored room, I was met by staring eyes and unwelcome faces. Looks as if to say, ‘Well you obviously don’t belong here’. My stomach was nervous enough as it was without being made to feel like the biggest outsider ever! It was as though I’d entered a clique that was strictly blonde hair and designer bags only. Well in this case more perfectly toned bottoms and ironing boards stomachs were the key.

I’m not talking about the runway of social statuses that is a high school corridor but the doorway to my first ever spinning class.

For anyone who has ever experienced spinning, you will know that I was in for the shock of my life and that those forty-five minutes would be the most gruelling, sweaty minutes of my life. I had been warned but riding an exercise bike to music and disco lights sounded great fun to my friend and I. Boy were we wrong!

I had no idea that you weren’t there to just sit and pedal at your leisure as if you were following a cycle route in Devon. Every five minutes (and then more and more as the class advanced) you were expected to pedal standing up, increase your speed, increase your resistance, stay on the bike AND avoid passing out! As beginners we were free to follow as we pleased but when everyone else around you can follow exactly what our very own dictator was doing, you feel obliged to strain those legs once more to stand, and grimace as with every push on the pedals, your un-thought thong rides that bit higher (ouch!).

As you may be able to sense exercise is an enemy of mine. I hate it. I would definitely fall under the lazy category if I were asked how often I exercised. However I am lucky enough to have inherited a slim, tall figure from my mum that allows me to uphold this lazy behaviour and not suffer too much physically. But recently, encouraged by my perfect figure buddy and my weight-lifting boyfriend, I have re-thought the ‘sitting on my bum all-day’ habit of mine and decided I too would like a stomach like Jenifer Aniston and a toned, much smaller bottom!

So as I have some (actually I won’t kid myself) DAYS worth of spare time on my hands courtesy of my four month summer break, what better time to kick start my new regime? How, you ask? You see many of you would think I’m silly to not have taken this up sooner, let’s say about three years sooner when we bought a running machine. Yes that’s right I have my very own ‘gym’ in my house and you could blow the dust off poor Roger Black (his brand name not a pet name given to him I must emphasise!). We also have one of those big gym balls that are lots of fun to sit on but I’m sure they have a more useful meaning than my using it as a space hopper.

So as a beginner (seriously my fitness levels are diabolical) I aim to run for twenty minutes a day for now. Who am I kidding? I am on the machine for twenty minutes but fast power-walking for nineteen, with inclination may I add, and running for one!! This will be increased over time though! Once I can actually complete the full twenty minutes without my legs turning to jelly and my hair curling from the ridiculous amounts of sweat omitted.

But do you know what? As difficult as it is to tear myself away from my new love (sex and the city) and put on my shorts and trainers, I feel so good afterwards! They’re not lying when they say exercise releases endorphins. Now, I’m only two weeks into my new less-lazy self and impatient as I am, am expecting to see results already but that is not going to happen! Eventually I hope, providing I stick to it but not yet.

But my aim, aside from toning and shrinking my jiggly bottom, is to sign up again for spinning class in six months time and hope that the two skinny minnie twins who looked so far down their noses at my friend and I during our first class, are there once more so I can complete the exercise in full, standing pedalling and all and feel the accomplishment of a full forty-five minute workout. Hopefully without the need to stop, faint or be sick. And with much more sensibly thought out underwear on.