Spinning 101

Although I live in Oregon and find myself outside all year round, sometimes I really get sick of the rain. For times like this when a run seems like the last thing I want to be doing, I turn to an amazing workout offered at my local gym: Spinning! Maybe some of you have tried it, or maybe just saw the class and ran the other way... I encourage you to put the horror stories you might have heard aside, and try it out. I'm going to give you the 411 on how to make this class your new best friend.



First, mentally prepare for the workout:

1. It's difficult
Don't kid yourself, those people you see in spinning who are rything in pain ARE IN PAIN. This class is hard and in a 50 minutes session you can burn anywhere from 400-800 calories. With that in mind, enter classes with the mindset that you are there to work, and hard

2. Its sweaty.
I was shocked when I left my very first class. I was COVERED from head to toe with sweat and looked like I just emerged from the pool. Dress to accommodate this. Tank tops or tee's that are not obstructive to arms or shoulders as well as tight fitting shorts or crops work great.

3. You might be sore, on your backside
Even for the fittest of people, those rail-thin bike seats (or saddles as the bike community calls them) hurt your butt. You might see people wearing fancy bike shorts with padding, this is NOT a fo-pa. Get some.

Now that you are mentally prepared, here are some tips to help you really kick butt during the ride:

1. Get your bike set up properly.
When walking into your very first class, put your pride aside and ask the instructor to assist you in getting your bike dailed in. I cannot tell you how many times I've been riding and seen people in the most uncomfortable of positions just because they felt they knew how to do things themselves. Trust me, the bikes are odd and are made to fit people from all different heights and weights so you'll need some adjustment to get something comfortable.


Bike Fit Rules of Thumb
-When pedaling, your knees should not be flying up past the resistance knob
-Your seat should come to about the height of your natural waist. The seat should NOT be much lower then the handle bars or much higher

Want to see how its done? Here is a video from YouTube with some tips

2. Shoe 411.
Spin bikes are made for two different types of shoes. 1) Sneakers. Don't bring your best pair or a minimal shoe. 2. Cycling shoes. These shoes have clips on bottom for you to clip-into the bike. Bike shoes are really the way to go. Why? The clips will help you be able to pull up on the pedel when resistance in addition to just pushing down. Think of pedaling a bike like a clock. . . Those "good" cyclists will be pushing and pulling during all numbers on the clock where as a notice will push down to the 6 and then recover and repeat. As you get better, you'll be able to push down to 6 then pull back up to the 12 and repeat. . . .
Clips of spin bikes are usually the SPD


3. Prepare to sweat.
Drink lots of water before and bring a water bottle and towel with you. You'll notice even the instructor suffers though this too... come prepared to go the distance. I add NUUN to my bottle to help replace the elector-lights I expend during the class. NUUN is tasty, easy to plop into a bottle of water and honestly, makes me feel awesome.



4. Feel the music
Rap to oldies, I've heard it all. Different teachers like different things. If you go to a class and dislike the tunes, just try out another instructor next time. Spinning workouts are all about moving to the music and allowing it to help you handle the resistance you feel on the bike. I can't tell you how many times I've found myself clinging to a beat or mouthing the words of a song to myself to help cope with the stress my body was taking on... this is why the tunes matter

6. Enjoy the burn
Spinning leaves you like jelly- Enjoy the feeling of kicking your butt and working hard. Maybe a cookie for a reward?

Valentines Day Cake

With a weekend of double workouts behind me, I'm ready to jump head-first into a week dedicated to decadent foods and non-stop chocolate eating. One of my New Years resolutions for 2013 was to not bake ANYTHING from a box this year. That's right, Betty move over. With a Kitchen-Aid mixer and trip to Powell's books store, I am ready to begin my year of "from scratch" baking. For my first endeavor, a Valentines Day cake is in the works. I wanted to find a recipe that was simply, rich, and contained some of the gorgeous seasonal fruits I've seen at the market. I found a recipe for a Vanilla cake with whipped cream and raspberries.

Here's the Recipe:

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Raspberry Simple Syrup for Valentine Cake (Simple Syrup= 1/2c water, 1/2c sugar, same crushed raspberry juice. Boil and let cool)
Whipped Cream for Valentine Cake
2 pints raspberries
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Cocoa powder, for dusting (optional)
Directions

Step 1: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 11 1/2-by-9 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cake pan and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment paper, and set aside.

Step 2: Set the bowl of an electric mixer over, but not touching, a pot of simmering water. Combine the granulated sugar and eggs in the bowl, and whisk until mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.

Step 3:Transfer the bowl to an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sift in the flour in three additions, folding gently after each. Combine the butter and the vanilla, and add in a steady stream as you fold in the third addition of flour. Fold gently, and transfer to prepared pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Step 4: Bake until the cake is springy to the touch and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When ready to use, turn out cake onto a cutting board or a cake turntable covered with parchment paper, and carefully peel the parchment paper off the cake.

To put it all together: Using a serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally. Brush cut sides of cake liberally with simple syrup. Spread bottom layer to within 1/2 inch of edge with half of the whipped cream. Cover cream with an even layer of raspberries. Spread remaining whipped cream over berries. Place top of cake cut side down over cream. Dust with confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder, if desired.



I really like video tutorials, so here is Martha Stewart walk through this step-by-step: http://www.hulu.com/watch/448652?playlist_id=1474&asset_scope=all

impromptu photo shoot

In need of web art? The HTC/PTC office was today and so guess who got picked to be the model? Yup. Me.

Was I nervous? Sort of, I mean I don't generally get photographed when I run. Actually the closest thing I've come to seeing myself in action is when I run past a bank of storefronts and glare into the wall of windows reminding myself to straighten up, relax the hands and land gracefully. A coworker pointed out this picture once to me and I find it to be VERY true.

Anywho, my coworker and I hit the streets of PDX today to photograph me running. The result? Maybe the best photo's I've seen of myself EVER. . . See for yourself but I really think I am channeling my inner-Nike ad