As you may have heard, SoulCycle is now in Bellevue! It’s their first Seattle based studio and part of the new Lincoln Square expansion. Have you checked it out yet? Take a class this Saturday and enjoy the complimentary yogurt bar to celebrate SoulCycle’s second weekend in the Seattle area and refuel after your session.
It’s been awhile since I’ve written about fitness on the blog. Honestly except for getting super into sprinting this past summer my fitness goals have been a little sidetracked. But when SoulCycle reached out to me about the opening of their new location in downtown Bellevue. I was like OOH yes something new to kick me back into gear! So Dan, my Mom, myself and a bunch of friends and bloggers got the chance to check it out last Sunday. We got our butts kicked by Britt and I loved every minute of it. Check out this post about our ride by Sydney Mintle of Sydney Loves Fashion.
It was my first time doing SoulCycle but not my first time taking a cycle class so I was nowhere near as intimidated as I was the first time around. I knew it would be a 45 minute cardio workout with a weights section and great music. I also knew, based on my first cycle class, that I’d leave with a pure endorphin high. But the class itself flew by! When it was over I wanted more. I don’t know if my body wanted more but I definitely felt pumped up. So much of that is the vibe of the room. The atmosphere is the draw, which is phenomenal if you’re not a self motivator (like me). You have an instructor who gives you words of affirmation, you’re working out to great music, and you’re feeding off of the energy in the room.
I’ve taken a cycling class twice now and before each time I worried that I wouldn’t have the juice to keep up. But both times I got so into it that I didn’t even worry about “failing”. I listened to my body and did what I could. So far I’ve been able to push myself harder than I thought I could. But beyond that, just the fact that you’re there and putting in the time is important. Be proud of yourself for that. You don’t know what resistance other people in the studio have their bikes set to. Someone could be working their ass off with their resistance all the way up but going slower than someone who has their resistance set lower. You really have no idea so there’s no point in comparing yourself to anyone around you.
All that said, I’m a pretty non-competitive chilled out person when it comes to working out, so the kumbaya, feel good, party atmosphere of SoulCycle is ideal. I need to be pushed but not oppressed. Boot camp, no thanks! After class Dan and I immediately started talking about how often we’d like to go to SoulCycle and what type of packages made sense for us. I think we settled on the idea of going once a week for a fun but challenging workout we could do together. We discussed taking advantage of their SOUL Starter pack for newbies which is 3 classes for $60 bucks. That’s a great deal guys, jump on it. Sign ups for each week start Mondays at noon. See you guys at SoulCycle? Come sweat with me.
1st image via Sydney Mintle, last image via Soul Cycle BLVU on Facebook
