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CONTENTS:
WORK VERSUS OLYMPIC TALENT.
SWEAT THE LITTLE THINGS, ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS.
AND HERE IS ONE WAY YOU CAN SHARE IT!
PLEASE DON’T MESS WITH YOUR INDOOR CYCLING BIKE WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR.
AND WHILE I AM AT IT, TOE STRAPS!
THE THINGS NOT TO DO IN AN INDOOR CYCLING CLASS.
THREE QUOTES ON HAPPINESS.
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WORK VERSUS OLYMPIC TALENT:
Watching the Olympics, I am always thrilled to watch the apparent ease
with which athletes ply their craft. A skater seems so effortless,
gliding and jumping. Skiing seems so fast and natural. Half-pipe or
ski-jumping makes it seem like humans were meant to fly.
All of these athletes are amazingly talented of course. But when we
watch the apparent ease with which they move, or marvel at their talent,
we lose sight of something. And that is the dedication and hard work
with which they train. This gets lip-service on the network but it’s
hard to convey how much of those amazing performances is attributable to
simply showing up every day.
We may not be in their league talent wise but we can take the lesson
that consistency is necessary to get results. The first thing at
keeping any job is just to show up - every day. So it is with keeping
your health.
Furthermore, we don’t need “talent” for our bodies to receive the
benefit of our work. In fact, sometimes we get more results from a
workout doing something for which we are less efficient. Less
efficiency = more work = better results, at least in terms of calorie
burn. For instance, I am an efficient cyclist but I burn more calories
when I run. So I run.
You need to “show up” to keep your job. You need to “show up” to keep
your health. And it doesn’t need to be eight hours a day. Thirty
minutes is enough.
SWEAT THE LITTLE THINGS, ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS: There is a Zen saying “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
It’s so easy to think in terms of, even expect, transforming
experiences. Instead of expecting a dramatic result, like becoming an
Olympic athlete, reframe your expectation so that the joy in the work
is, the work itself. And then show up, every day.
Our life’s purpose isn’t some dramatic end goal - like being in the
Olympics. Our life purpose is to live in the world on a daily basis that
carries meaning for us. Chopping wood and carrying water.
AND HERE IS ONE WAY YOU CAN SHARE IT! We can inspire
each other. So many of you have success stories. Please share them with
us. I’d love this to become a regular feature. These are your
stories. Here is a recent one I love from Gwen Harvey:
“When we talked the other day, I mentioned the good things bicycling has
done for me. My resting heart rate before taking up cycling last summer
was 68 bpm. On October 12, at the LifeServe Blood Center, before
donating, my resting pulse was 57 bpm and my blood pressure was a lovely
101/60, with no medication. I feel like that is pretty good for any age
and I am 66 years old. The group cycling at the Waukee Y is terrific. I
enjoyed my 30th group cycle class this week. You instructors are all
outstanding.
The longest ride my husband and I have done outdoors so far is the
36-mile round trip on the Raccoon River Valley Trail from Waukee to the
Forest Park Museum and back. I did that ride in September with
considerable "saddle area discomfort.” Early in December, however, I
noticed that I was no longer suffering from that discomfort. My goal is
to be in good condition all over to enjoy outdoor cycling in April. I
look forward to more physical improvements and many more hours, and
years, of enjoying cycling.”
Send me your story. (If you don’t want your name used, just say so.)
Either way, sharing your story can be a powerful tool to encourage
others. And that’s what we do at the YMCA.
PLEASE DON’T MESS WITH YOUR INDOOR CYCLING BIKE WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR. Last
month we talked about some of the differences between the old Keiser M3
bikes and the new Keiser M3+ bikes we just received. Here is one more.
Please don’t change seat posts between the old and new bikes. The seat
posts are different. Old bike seats/posts are breaking the new
seat/post bracket protectors. They can’t be interchanged! If you’re
having trouble with a bike, tell your instructor rather than try to fix
it yourself.
AND WHILE I AM AT IT, TOE STRAPS! Lately, I’ve been
seeing a lot of toe straps that haven’t been threaded properly.
Improper threading renders them ineffective. To correctly thread the
strap through the buckle, put the strap through only the first part of
the buckle, between the roller and the solid part. When you pull UP on
the strap it should tighten and when you push OUT on the buckle it
should loosen. Don't tuck the rest of the strap in the second opening of
the buckle, leave it hanging.
THE THINGS NOT TO DO IN AN INDOOR CYCLING CLASS: A
fellow instructor suggested that I do an article this winter to remind
students and instructors of the top things not to do in an indoor
cycling class. It’s a good idea to offer this reminder. Here’s the
list:
1. Using weights or bands on the bike.
2. Contrived and excessive upper-body movement.
3. Riding with one-hand or no-hands.
4. Riding “aero” seated with hands forward or forearms on the handlebars.
5. Isolations or “freezes”.
6. Squats.
7. Hovers.
8. Pedaling backwards.
9. One-legged pedaling with a foot out of the cage/cleat.
10. Lowered or removing saddle.
11. “Popcorn” jumps.
12. High cadence without experience or power. Excessive cadence.
13. Excessive resistance.
14. Lower body stretching on the bike.
15. Sucking abs in so as to restrict breathing and inhibit movement.
If you want more explanation of any of these do-not-do moves, drop me a
note and I will elaborate next month. It’s a continual battle because
sometimes our need to find something new exceeds our editing according
to the laws of exercise science.
By the way, if you’ve had a bad experience with any of these movements,
feel free to share them with me. I think telling real stories of what
can happen might be a more effective way to stomp out these bad
practices.
THREE QUOTES ON HAPPINESS:
The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances. ~ Martha Washington.
The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so. ~ Robert G. Ingersoll.
Happiness is something you get as a by-product in the process of making something else. ~ Aldous Huxley.
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COME ENJOY ONE OF THESE WEEKLY CLASSES!
Monday's - Cycling for Neuro Wellness 1:15pm - 2:00pm
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Monday's - Cycling 4:30pm - 5:15pm
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Monday's - Cycling 5:45pm - 6:30pm
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Thursday's - Cycling 9:30am - 10:20am
Waukee Family YMCA
210 N. Warrior Lane, Waukee, Iowa.
Saturday's - Cycling 8:00am - 9:00am
Waukee Family YMCA
210 N. Warrior Lane, Waukee, Iowa.
First Saturday of Each Month - Lactate Threshold Field Testing for Training Zones
10:30am - 11:30am
Walnut Creek Family YMCA
948 73rd Street Windsor Heights
($10 members, $20 non-members per advance registration at any "Welcome Desk")
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Personal Training Sessions:
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Call for an appointment 515-201-6496.
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Bill
Roach is an indoor cycling instructor (Star 3 Spinning lifetime
certified) and personal trainer (NASM-CPT, CEx) for the Des Moines Metro
YMCA’s. He is also a contributing writer for the Indoor Cycling
Association, a national organization of indoor cycling instructors. As a
former competitive bicycle racer, he has ridden over 60,000 miles
training for and competing in one-day races of more than 300 miles.
Bill served as Executive Officer in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office
until his retirement. He is enjoying his retirement by working in the
fitness world, playing golf, traveling, reading and entertaining friends
with his wife, Annie.
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