Spinning Northallerton

Spinning with warriors

At 8.30 am this morning Alice and I did something crazy. We went spinning with 20 other woman in Hambleton Leisure Centre!

As we got out of bed, showered (weird I know – we were going to get all sweaty anyway!) and put on our super stylish sportswear (you’ve got to look the part haven’t you?) we looked at each other hoping the other person would say: “let’s just stay in and have breakfast in bed instead”. The alternative invite never came and so we laced up our trainers and hopped in the car.

Alice had never been spinning before and I’ve barely worked out in six months. I can’t remember the last time I went spinning. But I remember what it was – I remembered the ‘jelly legs’ you felt when you stepped off the bike – and I was apprehensive.

But, before we knew it, we were at the gym, on the bikes and the warm up had begun.

Half way through and we were racing. Peddling full pelt. Our eager ‘we’re working out, yey!’ smiles had faded, our hair had dropped out of place and was falling in our eyes and we were wiping our brows with towels and blue tissue.

The charm of the effort was truly gone. Or was it? Here we were:

20 women with 20 different stories.

20 women with 20 different reasons.

20 women with 20 different goals.

I felt powerful, pushing my body beyond its limits along side such focused, hard working and committed women. Side by side, we rode – peddling our hearts out as we gazed ahead of us. Each with our internal dialogue running.

Mine started with “stop, this hurts” and “what were you thinking?!” but as I pushed ahead and took control, I persuaded that voice in head to recognise the truth: “Lisa, you are strong” and “these legs have carried you for miles every day of your life, they can carry you for ten more minutes…finish strong”.

Soon, I couldn’t see the gym, the walls, the bikes. I could only see my dreams. I saw my future. I saw the kind of woman I wanted to be and I peddled for that. For all of it.

“90 second sprint, GET READDDY”, the instructor shouted, “Get ready…GO, sprint, sprint, sprint!!”.

We rose up out of the saddles, we gripped the handle bars with fierce determination and we replaced the grimaces on our faces with a look that said: “Yes this f***king hurts and I want to stop but I won’t. I came here for a workout. I came here to push myself. I came here for me.”

This morning Alice and I didn’t go spinning at all. We went boldly into our future selves with 20 other female warriors out to change the world: their worlds.

Those other woman inspired me so much this morning. Just by being there. Just by showing up. Just by being themselves.

The truth is that your hair doesn’t always need to be perfectly in place – it can’t be. You’re going to break a sweat if you work hard at anything – you have to. When you show up for yourself, as yourself, you show up for others too and there is magic in that.

Where do you need to show up for yourself this week?

Lisa x x

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