Shane’s New Spinning Adventure
Why did you join Friskis?
For me it is very similar to the types of fitness activities that are carried out on large warships at sea. On New Zealand ships you have approximately 180 persons who all need to maintain their fitness as part of their job, so there is a Physical Training Instructor (PTI) posted to the ship whose job it is to provide exercise opportunities for everyone on board. On my ship the PTI would program fitness classes on the ship’s flight deck early in the morning, sometimes during lunch, and always in the late afternoon. These sessions usually last about 45 minutes and would involve a variety of classes from work stations, aerobics and yoga, to core strengthening and exercise station circuits with shuttle runs in between.
The variety made it fun, but more importantly, it provided me the chance to get away from work for a while and do some fitness with a group of like-minded colleagues and friends. It also helps breaking up an otherwise routine day in the office working on the computer, and in my case dealing with the daily pressures of commanding a warship!
So when approached by my work colleagues early last year at the New Zealand Embassy to join them for a Friskis Celebrate class during a lunchtime, how could I say no? Friskis provides me with the opportunity to get away from the office for an hour once or twice a week and to get some exercise and not thinking about work for a while. Being a tragic cyclist who used to ride every week, I am a big fan of the Friskis Spin Class on Tuesdays at Jims (and they do Thursday evenings – but I am also a Dad who has to be home in the evenings to work for my other boss), and we used to do them on the ship too.
I love to go with my Embassy team mates to have Annika, supported by Olivier, challenge us to “turn it up” a notch and work harder for 45 minutes. To me there is no better feeling than having completed a Spin Class while riding to music and constantly being challenged to do more. While I’m not a great dancer (and can’t jump), the Jympa classes and other sessions that run during the week here in Brussels also provide a chance to work on overall fitness.
The motivation to attend Frikis is always there with my work colleagues, reminding each other constantly of upcoming classes, and what better way to meet other people outside of the work place than in an exercise environment where everyone is focussed on finishing the class while having some fun at the same time!