This morning I went to a spin class, which caused me to meditate on gym classes and workouts in general.

I used to love going to gym classes. One of the first things I did when I was young with a corporate job, was to join Crunch (I think membership was covered by my company). Over the years I would do yoga classes, kung fu classes, I even took kick boxing classes in hong kong – what a work out.   My favorite class is bikram LES yoga.  For me it is the best class because every time I get out I am very happy that I have survived and I am too exhausted to do anything but live in the moment.

When I started having kids, I really had no time to do classes any more. This was a difficult transition for me.  It seemed I had not really exercised unless I was in a class – unless other people saw me and I was instructed my an expert.

This is all totally absurd, but it is how I felt at the time.

Instead I started working out on my own. First situps/pushups/jumping jacks- think 10 minute workout. Then I decided I would try to do tai chi, but I forgot all the moves so I too a ba gua class and now I do ba gua circle walking and basic ba gua/qi gong exercises in the morning. I love this routine and now the idea of going to a class is odious.

This morning I went to spin with my Mom.  My parents are spin fanatics – they go every single morning.  Spin is an incredible work out, but I feel like I am undergoing some sort of mind control experiment. The music reminds me of a night club, and the spin instructor shouting inspiration and affirmations is something like a shaman or a guru. There are new spin bikes, but I miss the old ones.  They looked like a physical computing experiment, with wires and raspberry pis hanging precariously off the bikes.

I always had a fantasy that there would be a network hack of all the raspberry pis and my spin class would be  ground zero of skynet.  This also would make a great sci fi book / movie-  David Cronenberg if you are reading this.  In the meantime, if in the middle of the spin class the instructor tells you to do something new world order like – please RESIST!