Spin Class and Workouts

I went for a spin class for the first time with my friends a few weeks ago. Since I haven’t done any physical activity these past few weeks, It was a very tiring experience. Spinning is another word for indoor cycling where you focus on endurance and high-intensity interval training. Each person gets a stationary bike and shoes are strapped onto the bike so that we could ride at high speeds without sliding off. The class was at the T&A Fitness Center in Colombo. We started off riding really slow which led me to believe that I could complete everything at ease however we quickly picked up the pace after. The instructor told us to keep riding even though we were really tired so as to not let our heart rate drop too much. Before we started the session, I made the mistake of picking the bike closest to the speaker which blasted music the whole time. However, it also served as a distraction when I was really tired and wanting to stop.

After that session, it dawned on me that my fitness level has dropped. I previously went to the gym and swam to maintain my fitness level but following the country-wide lockdown in October, I was unable to continue swimming since the pools and gyms were closed. As many months have gone by, I have come to the decision that the best way to build up my fitness is to start from the bottom. Which means, starting with cardio! my least favorite.

I started doing different forms of cardio for at least an hour two or three times a week. Either by spin class with my friends, walking my dogs, running at independence square with my mother or playing volleyball after school, I was determined. After a while, I decided that it was time to add some toning workouts. I did a quick and extensive internet search on the best approach to start these workouts and choose to focus on my core strength and legs. I used youtube videos and apple fitness regimes and did a small workout every other day.

However, with exams approaching, I find myself often forgetting to go outside or even do a small workout inside my house. My craving to be active and fit is overpowered by my desire to do well for exams. Along with procrastination, it is evident that I tend to allocate less time during the day to engage in an activity.  Since this has come to my attention, I am trying to get in a small workout or even just a deep stretch session every day and hope to continue my new exercise regime after exams and hopefully get back in the pool once the pandemic eases.

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Learning Outcomes

• Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

As I was formulating a new plan to build up my fitness, I identified that I needed to work on my endurance as that was something I was quite weak in which meant that I needed to do more cardio-related activities and workouts before moving on to things that I am better at such as strength training.

• Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

I aimed to do a workout 2-3 times a week and joined my mother on her runs whenever she went or walked my dogs while also joining my friends for a game of volleyball or frisbee during school. Although I do not excel at volleyball, I give my best effort to fuel my competitive side.

• Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

I looked online as well as self-reflected on my past activities to identify in which areas I needed most work on and how much time I should allocate for my workouts while also creating alternatives for days that I cannot do a full workout and overall, build up my fitness level.

• Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

I enjoyed the spin class and volleyball with my friends as they pushed me to work harder and put in more effort while also allowed my friends to motivate me and for me to do the same. Working together as a team in volleyball also allowed me to learn essential skills of working as a team.