I came across this article on Active.com by Michael Nystrom and felt that I had to share it:
Not ready to hang your bike in the rafters this winter? The cycling season doesn't have to end when there's snow on the ground–this is where the most dedicated cyclists earn their stripes. Winter cycling can be a dangerous activity if not properly prepared, so take these eight tips into consideration before throwing a leg over the saddle and braving the elements.
A new study from Tel Aviv University has found that ‘endurance exercises,' like a Central Park jog or a spinning class, can make us look younger.
The key, exercise, unlocks the stem cells of our muscles.
Prof. Dafna Benayahu and her team at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine say their findings explain for the first time why older people who have exercised throughout their lives age more gracefully.
They have discovered how endurance exercise increases the number of muscle stem cells and enhances their ability to rejuvenate old muscles.
The researchers hope their finding can lead to a new drug to help the elderly and immobilized heal their muscles faster.
*It is my contention, no mater what the stated reason given, the number one reason people come to your class is so they will feel that they look better. It may be beneficial to remember this when you communicate the benefits to your class.
I got a question about a one week working fitness vacation.
Hi John,
I appreciate what you are trying to do with the contest but why would I want to work on vacation? How is that a real incentive?
That's a great question and it caused me give it some thought before responding.
Amy and I have heard “why would you want to work on vacation?” a lot over the past 15 years from friends and other Instructors. Depending on who's asking we tend to give two different answers:
If it's a friend who's asking (so we can be more truthful) we tell them that we could never afford to go on a similar trip if we had to pay what all the other guests at the resort were paying. These are the finest locations in the Caribbean and most All-Inclusive resorts cost $3,000 – $6,000 a week + airfare = completely out of our reach financially.
If  it's a club member (most can afford to travel anywhere and do, frequently) we typically say something to the effect of; “I'm going to work out anyway… so why not save the money?”
But even though both are accurate; we really can't afford to travel at this level and we normally work out most days we're there, there's another reason Amy and I prefer to be that week's fitness professional… it makes us special 🙂
As Instructors we are used to being special. At the club, out for dinner or at the grocery store people recognize us as someone who's different from everyone else. You have no idea how many times I've heard; “Oh honey, come here… I need to introduce you to my Aerobics Instructor, Amy.
Amy tells a very funny story about running into a club member at a resort in Jamaica. A clothing optional resort. “Oh my gosh it's Amy from Life Time and I'm completely naked!” ” Honey it's Amy from the club… come and meet her!”
We also tend to be more easily connected with the other guests and more importantly the staff. We both love the Jamaican people and they tend to more open to us when they see that we are working while we are there, even if it's only for an hour or two each day.
Amy and I have meet some really interesting people, from all over the world, solely because we were the Instructors that week. Many resorts have a scheduled Power Walk each morning and you typically have the same 4-6 people each day. So you chat with them as you walk the beach or golf course – getting connected if only for the week.
They see you later that evening at dinner; “Oh Honey, meet Amy… she's my Instructor this week.”
Georgia Green is a regular participant in Amy and my cycling classes at Life Time Fitness. I'll never forget the first day she walked in > tall, strong, with a great big smile – she looks like a fitness instructor – and came right up to me, with her hand extended; “Hi, I'm Georgia!”
Georgia and Mark set to test their gear.
What she didn't share with me, during our initial meeting, is that Georgia has committed to training and planning to spend a year riding 10,000 miles with her friend Mark and their 2 rescue dogs; Junebug and Biscuit. Amy learned that a while later, after one of her Saturday classes. Once I heard this amazing story I knew I wanted to have Georgia on the show 🙂
I caught up with Georgia while she was in Alabama testing her new touring bikes and the other specialised gear they'll need for their trip. We discuss her motivation to commit to this adventure and all the planning they've done to make this ride a reality.
Power Ride Studio Owner Meg Kuhn Hilmer shared this remarkable story about her daughter/business partner in the Studio Owners Facebook group. I was so inspired by it I had to share it here for everyone to see 🙂
When she was 13-years old, Casey was running near her home in Indian Hill when she was dragged into the woods and stabbed in the face, neck and side by her troubled 17-year-old neighbor, Benjamin White. Casey was able to fight him off. Physically, she healed rather quickly. Her emotional wounds would take a lot longer. “I couldn't sleep alone,” said Casey. “Couldn't be in the house alone, second floor alone… I remember the first night I came home and had to take a shower I had to have my mom in the bathroom sitting on the toilet because i was just too scared to be alone” “I probably slept in my parents room until I was 16,” said Casey.
Diagnosed with severe PTSD, Casey has slowly made her way back with the support of her family and Children's Hospital's Trauma Department. “There are highs and lows and new problems,” said Casey’s father Steve Hilmer. “You come home and the roof's fallen in and you rebuild the roof, but you keep going and there's no easy answer. You just don't quit.” “No matter what happens, you have to keep fighting,” said Casey. “You can't give up on yourself or your family. You have to fight for yourself.” Sports, like running, lacrosse, and indoor cycling, helped Casey to keep moving forward.
After graduating from the University of Michigan and being turned down for medical school, Casey turned her passion for fitness into a career. “Sometimes you fail, and that helps you find what you're meant to do,” said Casey. “You have to keep an open mind and be persistent and the right thing will come to you.” Casey and her mom opened “Power Ryde” in Loveland. Casey motivates everyone in class with her enthusiasm and spirit. “I really try in 45 minutes to get people's minds off what's going on in their daily lives and make their day better in that 45 minutes,” said Casey.
I had the privilege of visiting the Stages Cycling HQ and factory in Boulder Colorado with my buddy Randy Erwin. Director of Indoor Cycling education Cameron Chinatti, along with Stages vice president Pat Warner, were our tour guides. We spent a fascinating couple of hours learning exactly what goes into building the Stages single side crank arm power meter used on the new Stages SC3 Indoor Cycle and available for most road/mountain bicycles.
You know these people are cyclists the moment you walk into the place. Everywhere you look there are bicycles; tucked into every corner, hanging from the ceiling, along every wall – heck, their conference room has probably the coolest table I've ever seen. Instead of legs, the table top is supported by a pair of 70's vintage Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycles.
Cameron explained the hiring process, “you pretty much have to be a passionate cyclist to even be considered… many of these guys have been riding buddies for years.” And I'll add that these “cyclists” are also some of the most brilliant people I've ever met 🙂
Cameron explaining all the cool features of the Stages SC3 to cyclist Randy Erwin
Cameron met Randy and me and our tour started in their official “training room” except it won't be for long. Stages is growing so fast that half of this room has been taken over by manufacturing stations. My friend Randy was very interested in the new SC3 because the Westminster, CO Â Life Time Fitness (where he's a member) will be the very first location to get these new cycles. Now if we could get Dennis Mellon in there as an instructor…
New power meters being installed and tested – this is super technical stuff.
Early in the our factory tour, I asked Pat; “why aren't your power meters built in Asia, like most other technology companies?” His responses made perfect sense to me; “there are multiple reasons actually.” “Stages has become the leading provider of bicycle power meters, after only a few years. We can't afford any preventable issues when it comes to quality or availability. It's critically important that we control the quality of these power meters… we can't if we're dependent on a third party supplier's factory, regardless of where it's located.”
Pat explained how keeping everything in-house provided a solution to a unique challenge they faced. “We manufacture power meters for 16 different model bicycle crank arms, from major suppliers (Shimano, SRAM, Cannondale and FSA) plus the power meter for the SC3 Indoor Cycle. Bicycle cranks aren't made just one size. Multiply each model bicycle crank by the four or more available crank arm lengths and we have to stock over 60 part numbers. Sure, 172.5 is the most common size for a road bike, but how many of each should we be building? The lead time for overseas manufacturers is measured in months – customer's won't accept waiting that long. We have thousands of stock crank arms on hand and we're setup to quickly change production. So if we receive an order for an out of stock power meter, we can normally build one and ship it within a few days!”
Pat Warner explaining the complicated process that attaches the power meter to the crank arm.
Every power meter is checked for proper calibration and the results captured using a iPad with custom software that's developed in-house too!
The Stages SC3 is build by Giant Bicycles in Taiwan – Pat told me,”those Giant guys are experts at mass producing high quality bicycles and fitness equipment, so we leave that part to the experts. We still produce the SC3's power meter here in Boulder and then ship them out for installation on the cycle.”
Stages has a separate facility, near their main offices, that's use for product endurance and destructive testing. We just missed the completion of a test rig that repeatably pressed down on a handle bar, tens of thousands of times without any failure.
Want to know how long the drive train will last pedaling at a continuous 360 watts? This video shows the test rig that pedals 24/7 for weeks at a time. Not only are they watching to see if something will break, or wear out, but they also record the actual power readings vs what they know their electric motor is pushing.
Quality control – Early production Stages SC3 cycles are unboxed and checked for any defects.
Feel free to leave the lights on! There's the battery charger for the Stages SC3 power meter.
I came across this article on Active.com b and felt that I had to share it:
This explains everything* 🙂
