Spinning

Spinning, let's talk.

So, I recently was staying at a hotel in small town Kansas. I was there for work and was trying to get my normal workout in. I headed down to the gym and saw they had a weight set (relief) and some treadmills and cardio equipment. Then in the middle of the room sat a spinning bike, something I hadn't done in forever (but need to do for the fake triathlon I'm training for). I decided I would give it a try.

The next morning I came down to the weight room. I moved the giant trash can over next to the bike and set my coffee and water on the top and began pedaling away. As I have discussed before similar to diving and running, there's something to a monotonous activity that allows me to zone out and begin to think about deeper things. I began to tune into my body, I noticed the movement in my legs. The resistance of the wheel against the rubber creating a slight strain in those leg muscles. There was a slight discomfort from the seat, as well as just an overall weird feeling of motion. Creating an energy, or a force that was being generated into nothing.

So, there I sat feet locked into this repetitive motion. Each foot moving in a this circular motion one after another. So, there is a difference between being on an actual bike and a stationary one. Progress. You see on an actual bike you can feel the progress, you can see the road/trail/path move under your feet as you continuously pump your legs until the end of your workout. Whereas a spinning bike is just exactly that. Spinning.

It is the idea of moving, but without true movement. A constant and continuous recumbent motion that creates no actual positive movement. Maybe you have felt this in your life? You're heading to work. You answer the same phone call, you head to the same meeting, you fill out the same paperwork. You find yourself in a continuous and repetitive recumbent motion that not only makes you question your sanity, but also your life choices. You find yourself questioning what's next, where do I go? What should I do?

In life sometimes we find ourselves spinning. Going through the motions of what we used to love. Whether it's in our work, our relationships, our hobbies, continuously shuffling our feet in a spinning circle. A vicious cycle of stagnation that we find ourselves repeating. The solution is simple. Break the cycle. End the spinning. Get off the bike.

On purpose,

Matt