Like Your Last

I tried a noon spin class today. The classroom filled up as the clock got closer to 12:00 p.m. I looked around, wondering if the instructor was going to show. At L.A. Fitness instructors often seem to not make it to their own classes. Then, just a minute before noon a woman rushed through the door.

This lady was a character. As she hopped on the bike she explained how she was speeding to get to the gym from her work, asking God to get her there in one piece. Then, she grabbed her whistle. (I have been to many a spin classes, and never has an instructor use a whistle. I was a little petrified.)

Not to sound like a spin snob, but once she began instructing the class I noticed several things I was taught while I was getting certified not to do. There were several people in the class that were not sitting in proper form that she never helped. She instructed us to do five sets of sprints several different times throughout the class (you aren’t suppose to do more than one set, and that is only for intermediate and advanced spinners). She would also bounce out of her seat, which means she didn’t have the resistance on high enough while she was riding, something many of the riders followed suit in.

Though this instructor had a handful of “issues,” there was one thing that had the entire class mesmerized. She was a motivator. She talked about how she had lost 100 pounds. How did she do it? She said she treated every work out as her last. She also said sometimes she’d visualize a camera crew shooting her because as she said, then you had to put in the effort, right?

Putting 100 percent effort into everything we do is tough, but I think it makes life so much more rewarding. Working in Wichita Falls, I remember coming to that realization. I could either come to work and quickly get the task done, or I could try my best to make my work sing. Something I love about what I do is that I have a lot of outlets for creativity. I can try to write a witty line, or come up with a new and interesting shot while I am shooting. Doing these types of things, I can keep my work fresh and interesting, even if it’s ‘just another school board meeting’ that I am covering. My job is to make people care. So rather than merely reporting what happens, I treat it like it’s my last report. Finding that nugget that makes tells a story rather than just providing information for the viewer.

It’s not easy. It’s hard to come in every day fully concentrated on the tasks on your to-do lists. But when we do choose to treat our activities like it’s “our last,” life can taste a little bit sweeter.

#spin #workout