at the halfway point of this 2 weeks 2 dare challenge, i wanted to reflect on my thoughts and how i’ve been feeling physically and emotionally over the past 7 days. i also wanted to share about how fitness has become such an escape for me, specifically, how spin has become such a great source of clarity and a place to calm my mind.

at the start of these 14 days, i had little expectations of how things would go. i’ve been finding more and more that i’ve been trying in different areas of my life to hold little to no expectations of how experiences will be. i always find that expectations are either surpassed or you’re left disappointed. things never happen how we think they’re going to. i feel like going into something with a totally open mind is a positive attitude that can lead to a more positive experience. so when it came to this spin challenge, i went into it totally open-minded. i had parts of me that were a bit scared that i wouldn’t be able to do the entire 14 days – whether that was from giving up mentally or physically – and i had parts of me that were just excited to see what would happen. the only thing i knew for sure was that i would hit at least one wall at some point, physically, and i would be a mental mind game to push through.

on day 3 i hit that road block, which freaked me out a little bit because that seemed a really early to me. it was during the class that day that i kept thinking to myself ‘holy shit this is day 3 and physically my legs are jelly right now… what did i get myself into!’ i had a few good minutes of that thought process and then i remembered that when we push ourselves in anything it’s a mental and emotional game and once we get past that mind block of “i can’t”, we can! it’s all about that mind over matter. so i fought that fight, pushed through the rest of the class and gave it my all.

the following days seemed to go a lot easier for me after getting through that one block. i pushed myself as hard as i could in each class, turned up the tension in the dial and let the music motivate the hell out of me. i also committed to trying some new instructors with some of my regular favourites and that turned out to be even more motivating.

so how am i feeling at the halfway mark? well other than being a bit sore and me needing to stretch more than i normally would, i feel pretty great! i’ve had some moments where i feel a bit tired so i’ve had to listen to my body and adjust my nutrition a accordingly. i’ve noticed that with each class, my body is getting stronger and stronger and i’m able to push myself harder than i ever have. it’s been an amazing feeling.

beyond the physical aspect of this challenge, i wanted to know what would happen to me mentally being immersed in this community environment and being committed to a physical challenge everyday. the one thing i’ve noticed is that it’s been really great to have this commitment everyday of just me time and i haven’t had a day yet where it’s been a fight for me to get up and go to a class. i’ve had days where i was pretty stressed out with work or something else going on and knowing i had that hour to escape whatever was going on that day was extremely comforting. the minute i walk into that class my focus changes from all the stuff on my to-do list and whatever is stressing me out to all of my surroundings: the music, the smiling faces, the inspiring motivators and the sweat dripping down my forehead.

so in thinking about this challenge and also the topic of my web afternoon talk back in february, i wanted to think about a simple question: why i spin. i thought getting into the nitty gritty of it might help you guys and myself, better understand why it motivates me so much and why i’ve clicked so much with this particular fitness class. i think some parts of my why i can’t really put into words, but the biggest reason i think i would say is the escape. there’s something about the music, working out in the dark and the inspirational voice coming through the mic that lights a fire inside me. there’s also a point in each class where i connect with a certain song and the beat just totally takes over. it’s this crazy amazing feeling of just moving to the music and pushing as hard as i can. i’d say it’s pretty hard to explain if you’ve never taken a spin class or don’t get motivated by classes as much as i do. but i will say if you’ve never given it a shot, you should definitely try one! it’s a seriously amazing experience! wish me luck on this next half of the challenge and come say hi if you see me in the studio this week! 

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*please note* this post is sponsored by YYC Cycle & YEG Cycle. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Huge thank you to Farha, Andrew, Warren & Grady for agreeing to let me take on this crazy experiment. You guys are the best!! 

fitness has become such an important part of my daily routine: a motivator, a way to clear my mind and even a source of creative stimulation. in the exploration of fitness, i’ve discovered the amazing benefits, not just physically, but mentally. after a workout i feel more alert, positive and often times inspired.

since the beginning of this journey, i have tried to remain pretty open-minded to trying new workouts as my confidence levels build. i’ve found that since opening up to trying classes, what really works great for me, personally, is having someone else tell me what do to rather than trying to come up with a workout myself. one of the first classes i tried last year was spin at a local studio that my friend teaches at called YYC cycle. by now, most of you have probably seen by my slew of instagram posts that i’ve become pretty obsessed! not only is atmosphere in the studio pretty rad, but the motivators that teach the classes are some of the most inspirational people i’ve ever met.

since recently opening up their 3rd studio in edmonton, one of the owners, my good friend Farha, approached me about partnering with them on a blog post. since these studios aren’t your typical spin studios so i wanted to do something different. that’s where the idea of 2 weeks 2 dare came about. i’m doing an experiment: i want to know what would happen physically and mentally if i did spin every day for 2 weeks. besides there being a physical transformation, i want to know what will happen mentally if i commit to being in that kind of motivating, community environment for 14 days straight. having a workout that you actually enjoy changes a lot in terms of having an incentive to actually do the workout. i want to know what will change if i commit to pushing myself in one of my favourite workouts everyday for 2 weeks. starting next week: monday february 29th, i’ll be kicking things off!
 

the rules are simple:

+  commit to 1 spin class everyday for 14 days straight
+  document my progress
+  adhere to a healthy nutrition plan for the duration of the challenge
+  drink a TON of water
+  smile a lot!

i’m going to be documenting my progress on social media so follow along with the hashtag #2weeks2dare, my instagram: @taravictorial, and my snapchat for daily updates: @taravictoria12. also, look out for a progress post on here halfway through and a final update at the end! and if you’re at yyc cycle anytime in the next 2 weeks come say hi! the wish me luck y’all!

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*please note* this post is sponsored by YYC Cycle & YEG Cycle. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Huge thank you to Farha, Andrew, Warren & Grady for agreeing to let me take on this crazy experiment. You guys are the best!!