Treat. Yo. Self.

Three weeks ago, I walked into my first spin class ever at Biker Barre on Capitol Hill. And guys, I was out of shape. Oh man was I out of shape. I didn’t have any idea what I was getting myself into, since the only group fitness class experience I had came from “Sex and the City” reruns and the one Pilates class I went to at the YMCA in high school (I hated it and never went back).

My first class was miserable. I distinctly remember thinking, maybe aloud, “I am going to die. I am going to die. I am dying.” But my ego took over; I was too ashamed to stop in the middle. I had to keep going. I told myself that I didn’t have to completely keep up, but I wasn’t allowed to stop (please don’t mistake me for someone who is capable of giving self-pep talks. I was just too embarrassed to show weakness in front of strangers).

But I survived! I lived to tell the tale. I had massive bruises on my arms because I didn’t know how to set up my bike (edit: if you don’t know how to set up your bike, either, go here), but they went away. My legs were sore for days. But I was hooked.

The studio is fairly small, with one spinning room and one barre studio. All of the instructors I have had for both bike and barre have been awesome–encouraging, energetic and not condescending (important when I feel like Flubber when tucking hips).  They are all willing to help you no matter what level you’re on (or not on), and the small size means staff members recognize me now.

In the past three weeks, I have gone to 20 classes. I made a lot of mistakes (Google is usually the answer to most of my questions), but at least now I know how to set up a bike to avoid bruises. But better, I am able to go home after work knowing that I accomplished something other than sitting at a desk all day. It’s certainly not cheap, which adds more motivation to going…running is free, yes, but how many times have I done it in the past 23 years? Probably less times than I’ve gone to class this month, and those running shoes weren’t cheap, either.

Plus, shouldn’t treat yo self day be everyday? (That’s not a real question. Of course it should be.)