I am a runner.

Or, well, I was more of a runner before the accident, but I still love running.

However, I have been advised by my doctors and family to not run at all due to the high likelihood of damaged cartilage and inevitable arthritis.

So, while I still hit the pavement about once a week for about 4 miles, I am transitioning my workouts to include more yoga and spinning, as opposed to running.

I am lucky that my gym is literally right across the street, so there are only a few excuses that can keep me from going there – either the gym is closed or I have the Bubonic Plague. Those two circumstances are not the case during most of my waking hours, so I have decided to get creative as motivation to sweat across the street.

When I was rehabilitating I would go to spin classes at the local YMCA. And despite the frustration of pedaling for over an hour and not getting anywhere, the workout was worth it. Here, I have not had a chance to try the spin classes at my gym as their timing is not convenient for my schedule (not too mention they are instructed in Hebrew), but I have turned to the internet to get my spinning fix.

I write down (print-out) spinning routines, such as these:

FitFabCities

Pinterest

And I set myself up on a spin bike with my iPhone timer and plug into MTV for my pump-up tunes. Then, I simply follow along with the routine pushing myself as best as I can.

Of course, I would be working much harder in a room full of other sweaty spinners and a domineering instructor, but there are times where I yell at myself be all that I can be and reach the summit of the mountain, or I encourage myself to find the fire within and race past the finish line.

I hope to make it to one of the gym’s spin classes soon to soak up a full spinning experience, and of course, to pick up a few tricks for myself to continue my solo sessions 😉

Do you print out workouts to do at the gym on your own?