As much as I care about my appearance, gym time has never been a priority to me. I’m not a “gym girl.” You’re not gonna catch me at the gym at 6 a.m. lifting weights and doing crunches. That doesn’t mean I am an advocate for being unhealthy – it just means that’s not my thing.
I don’t believe you have to be a size 2 to be sexy. I don’t think a flat stomach and abs make you any more beautiful of a person. Even though there’s nothing wrong with either of those things, that’s just never been something I’ve associated with real beauty.
I’m the girl who orders dessert at restaurants. If you bring bread to the table, I’m probably going to eat that, too. Some people know me for my love of processed sugars and snacks – my office is stocked with candy and people have even joked that my nickname should be “Skittles.”
Am I making the most healthy choices? No. But if you’re one of those “ditch the Skittles and try eating strawberries instead” types … move along … because the two are not interchangeable. 🙂 I really think life is just entirely too short to skip out on the snacks. 😉
Nevertheless, whether you’re a size 2 or 22, the Skittles will eventually catch up to you.
And that’s where I am.
I should probably go ahead and mention, I’ve never been “overweight” and I’ve never struggled with having to face real weight loss.
But I started noticing that some of my favorite clothes were fitting just a little too tight. Pencil skirts and fitted dresses were ditched for jeans. I went from shopping consistently to skipping out on new clothes just because I knew what I was facing. I started looking at myself in the mirror with negative thoughts about my appearance – which wasn’t anything that had really bothered me in the past. It became part of my daily routine to notice all the flaws I was seeing in the mirror.
I had visited gyms in the past, but it never lasted more than a week – mostly because I really love what I do and would rather be sitting behind a computer, but I also felt like I wouldn’t make any progress in a gym full of equipment that I honestly didn’t really know how to use anyway. And the idea of a personal trainer sounded more like boot camp – which isn’t what I was looking for either.
Just as I had been considering some gym options, Shine Cycle Fit Co. opened in Sevierville with cycling/spin classes and barre classes. I debated for a couple of days and had to decide whether or not this was going to be just like all of my other attempts at “going to a gym” where I go for a couple days and quit.
They offer your first week of classes free and since the studio was brand new, I thought it couldn’t hurt to try it out – even if it was just for one class. So, I registered online and went to class.
I showed up with ZERO spin class experience – ZERO gym experience, honestly. For the first time, I walked into a “gym” and didn’t feel like the whole place stared at me. This isn’t your typical gym. It’s a studio – the lights are better, the style is better, the smell is better (yeah, this place has NO GYM SMELL), the bathrooms are better, the environment overall is just better. When I got there, I had no idea how to set up my bike, I didn’t know how to clip into the bike and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn’t even know there were special shoes for this kind of thing, so I was surprised when I walked in and people started jumping up to help me get set up.
When I thought about spin classes, I imagined a room full of size 2 sorority girls fully decked out in their expensive workout gear. It has actually been quite the opposite.
People of all sizes and fitness levels show up. Even though the majority are women, some men even join in on the classes. People wear everything from Lululemon to their old high school t-shirts…and no one cares. No one is watching you when you’re struggling to keep up, no one is judging you because your clothes aren’t cute and your hair isn’t in the perfect messy bun – there’s really no pressure other than the pressure you put on yourself to do better.
Most people who know me would probably say I don’t put myself first all the time. But one of the best things I’ve done for myself is dedicate an hour of my day, just a few days a week, to something besides a computer screen.
It has been different from any “gym” experience I’ve ever had. I’m not even so concerned with losing weight, I was just looking to do something that helped me feel better about myself…and so far, this is it.
If you’re local to the Sevierville, Tennessee area, come try out Shine Cycle Fit Co. with me! If you’re not local to me, but you’re feeling the same way, I encourage you to try out one of your local spin/cycling classes. It has been a game changer for the way I feel about myself and I am confident it can do the same for you.
If you made it to the bottom of this post, thank you for reading. 🙂