spinning!

we have been spinning now for about 7 or 8 weeks. a british woman, Claire, runs a spinning studio in the basement of her home. after many times of saying we should try it out, we finally did and really liked it. well, i should say that we really like the workout but sometimes dread it because it is such an ass-kicking exercise. we call it "punishment" - as in, "we have punishment today..."

they play great music, turn off the lights, and use black lights, so it's kind of a wild experience when you first try it - unlike any other exercise program i have been through. the music is LOUD! when it is good, it can really motivate you. they've got A/C and fans but somehow we manage to be completely DRENCHED at the end of the workout.

little did we know that we would know most of the people who do spinning here. it is a small place in which we live and there are not that many exercise choices outside of the watersports. well, that's actually not true as there is yoga at Natura Cabanas, the gym in Sosua, and pilates here at Ocean Dream. i guess it's just that the expat community is relatively small, so it's not that surprising that we see many faces we know there. many of the spinners are kiteboarders, including some professionals, who just want to keep in shape. depending on how the wind is that day, you may or may not see them at the spinning studio.

the instructors are all quite fun. there's Claire who is like the most bad-ass of them all. you know you are going to be totally drained at the end of her classes. one of her dogs, Dill or Jasper, usually sits in the room during the class. they laze about on the floor which can be a bit of a tease to look at while you're practically falling off the bike with exhaustion. the dogs seem to love all the music and do their own stretching at the end while the group is also stretching. their behavior could not be better timed....

Coco is a total riot and always laughing as she is setting up for the class. you can't help but laugh too, so it's fun to be around here. she tends to kick your butt too. she likes spinning so much that she shows up on her own when not teaching a class herself. (man, they like the punishment!)

then there is Kit who doubles as our waxist as well. that's my latest joke - "the place we live in is so small that our waxist is also our spinning instructor". Kit has a lot of energy about her so that's fun too.

Lloyd is the only male instructor. he was our first instructor but then was away for a while. he has since returned, but we have not had a class with him again. Laurel Eastman should be returning as an instructor. i am curious to see what her style is like.

we go 3 times per week in the evenings. tonight is a night off which is a good thing because i would not be in the mood for it!