I am terribly saddened by the loss of the King of Pop, and I am channeling my adoration of the artist into an MJ tribute ride. For all of his troubles, I always prayed that he would find the peace and inner strength to right his vessel. He was gifted beyond comprehension, and none of his psychological problems could compete with his immeasurable talent. God Bless You, Michael!

Here is the entire playlist on iTunes: Spinning Profile: Michael Jackson

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After nearly 9 months hiatus, I finally returned to teach my first Spinning class. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to — scheduling just never worked in my favor. I am also fortunate to work in one club where sub requests are snatched up instantly, but the flip side of that is that I have been too slow to pick up extra classes! Eventually (and it was bound to happen sooner or later), the fine gentleman who replaced me in my early morning spot decided to take a vacation, so I stepped in to teach the folks I had the pleasure of leading for almost two years once again. What a great group of folks! They welcomed me back and took away any of the nervousness I was feeling as I got my bike set up. We had a great ride, and, naturally, I want to share it with you!
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Happy National Bicycle to Work Day!! It is May 15, and yes, today is the day that we celebrate by doing something good for our bodies and good for the environment. You did ride your bike to work today, didn’t you? If you are already at work and wondering why nobody told you, rest assured there is still time for you to get in on the fun! Here are some songs about bikes, working, riding, and going to school that you can add into your class mix this afternoon or next week. It’s never too late to encourage your riders to get their bikes out of the shed and get on the roads!

• Metro Station – Shake It (Lenny B Remix)
• Queen – Bicycle Race
• A Tribute to the Beatles – A Hard Day's Night
• 16 Bit Lolitas – Passing Lights
• Coldplay – Viva la Vida
• Mamma Mia! (Soundtrack) – Money, Money, Money
• Donna Summer – She Works Hard for the Money
• Hexes & Ohs – Try So Hard
• Busted – What I Go to School For
• Goldfrapp – Ride a White Horse
• Freezepop – bike thief
• The Pussycat Dolls – When I Grow Up
• Jem – Just a Ride
• Huey Lewis & The News – Workin for a Livin
• Cake – The Distance
• Eagles – Life In the Fast Lane
• Peter Gabriel – Don't Give Up

Have a Happy Bike-to-Work Day!!

Getting back on the bike after my maternity hiatus has been an amazing learning experience for me. I have not worked my way into a permanent class slot, so all of my practicing and tweaking has been just for me. But the new insights I’ve gained into my own body and how I’m feeling and functioning right now are only going to improve the quality of the classes I will be teaching in the future, no doubt.

In that light, I’d like to present another Endurance Profile for you to digest this week. I call it the “Know Thyself” ride, because it is meant to allow your riders to explore what is happening within themselves while Spinning. This ride will keep the heart rate under 80% for the entire duration. Naturally, if you have riders who need to top this heart rate, the ride can be easily modified for their needs without sacrificing the experience for your other students.
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I think that Step Aerobics are our generation’s version of Square Dancing. Sometimes I feel like a Square Dance Caller! That was our running joke through class this past Monday. All I’m missing is “Bow to Your Partner.” Maybe I’ll work that in next week.

Here’s this week’s Step Choreography. We had a lot of fun with it, especially all the “down down up ups.” I threw in a funky kick move on top of the bench in Combo 2. If you’re not a fan of flair, then 2 marches can be substituted nicely. This is probably how you will layer anyway.

I also found several “Top 40 DJ Mixes” on Napster that we got to jam out to. I am a huge fan of Lady GaGa — she’s been played lots on the radio, but I haven’t gotten tired of her yet! She’s on Volume 10 of My Fitness Mixes Top 40 DJ Mix. It’s 30 minutes long, so I threw Volume 9 in there too. You guys are going to have a blast! JUST DANCE!

Here are the links and then the moves:

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Raise your hand if you downloaded the Mamma Mia mix from last week’s Step Choreography post and were totally rocking it out, loving the energy, partying like a rock star and then WHAM!!!  Deafening obnoxious pause as track 1 ended and the CD player waited for track 2 to begin?  ARRRRGH!!!   I imagine that when an elephant trips and falls it feels about the same as having that irritating 2 second lull interrupt your flow.  I can’t stand it in my Spinning or Pilates classes either, which is why I started DJ’ing my music long ago.  You can too!  There are ways to avoid that annoying pause, but beware — it could take a bit of effort.
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