I have watched from outside the Cycling room while waiting for Zumba class to start and I always wondered what exactly they were doing in there. They turn off the lights and they play some sort of video on the big screen, but I was never really sure what. I thought it was time to find out.

I asked around about Cycling - it's like Spinning, but since that's a trademark they can't call it that unless they have certified instructors, etc. I heard all sorts of horror stories, as well as some advice:
get there early
take two towels
take lots of water
your butt will be killing you
you'll feel like puking
your legs will be rubber
be sure to set up the cycle correctly

So I was a little bit scared to go in and try it. Still, a lot of the people I heard from said that it was addictive and that they loved it, so I gave it a try.

Yes, you need two towels - that way you can put one on each side of the handlebar. You will sweat, so it's nice to have something to wipe up with.

Lots of water - yes, you will need it. I took two bottles but really didn't need to drink all of it. 1 1/2 would have been ok.

My butt was fine for the first 30 minutes. But then it did start to hurt a bit. I have padded shorts I could wear, but didn't this time. Maybe next time I will. The thing that surprised me was that my feet were hurting - I was starting to get toe cramps towards the end of the class.

In all, it was a fun class - not as fun as zumba, but a good workout and better than mindlessly riding on the cycles in the main cardio room. Lots of jumps, sprints, hills, etc. - it was good to have someone pushing me a bit. The instructor was quite nice, not at all a tyrant - but still able to inspire everyone to give it a little more than they might have otherwise.

So I may be back from time to time. I don't know that I'd make it my main workout, but it's a good one to throw into the mix. With Zumba only being twice a week, I may just add a cycle class once or twice a week.

I love summer. First of all, I don't have to teach. I love teaching, but I need a break now and then. Summer is great - it gives me time to do all sorts of projects, as well as to just sit around and do nothing. I can read the books I didn't get a chance to read, learn the software I didn't learn, and recharge the batteries. But I also love summer because of the crazy amount of cheap fruit you can get in the supermarket!

While in Hawaii, we ate lots of pineapple and papaya. I was kind of bummed that the other usual summer fruits were so expensive. I was happy to go to the store when we got back to AZ to find all sorts of stuff on sale - cherries, peaches, nectarines, melons, apricots, strawberries. I think I have at least 12 kinds of fruit in my house right now, and it's great to be able to grab a quick snack. We had tropical fruit salad with dinner last night, and mixed melons for breakfast. It's delicious!

And, I got a new toy. Right in time for our trip, and boy was it wonderful! I got a 16GB 3G iPad and I have to say I love it! I can keep books, magazines, movies, songs, notes, etc. on it. I can watch TV on it (the abc app is nice). And I can track WW on it. So far no dedicated iPad app for WW, but the iPod one works for the time being.

It's one month into summer vacation and I'm still going to the gym 5 times a week. I've been doing Zumba 2-3 times/week and elliptical and strength 2-3 times. So far no huge results on the scale but I am seeing some NSV's (non-scale victories).

I started out barely able to do 8 minutes on the elliptical. Now I blast through 28 minutes easily, and can do 35 if that's what I'm doing for my main cardio that day.

I'm able to lift higher amounts of weight on the machines.

My pants are fitting a little looser around the waist. Not down a size yet, but at least it's progress. And I've noticed my butt and thighs are a little tighter than before.

I did get thrown off a little bit because we were in Hawaii for 2 weeks. I did get LOTS of exercise because we walked and swam like crazy. I did splurge on a bathing suit that was comfortable and that I didn't feel bad wearing in public. Sure, it wasn't a bikini - but it was an attractive suit that I liked enough to go swimming in every single day!

So now it's back to the grind - back on point tracking (kind of hard to do on vacation, although I did try to eat as many fruits and veggies as I could rather than junk), and I've already been back to the gym twice. Today was my day off, but tomorrow I'll be there bright and early.