For all the people out there who love the new cycling classes, let me start by saying this: I'm sorry.
After anyone who hasn't tried the class reads this article, they are going to want to sign up, and those available bikes will be even harder to come by. But in my defense, I have to make it known how much better my fitness experience has been here because of these classes.
Before coming to DePauw, I was a part of high school sports teams and summer swim leagues. I was never one for treadmills and ellipticals. As my first semester of college progressed, I finally began to get used to these machines and, much to my dismay, the Lilly Center.
But after spending a semester off campus on an internship and summers at home and around the Midwest, a newfound resentment built up. I began to hate the Lilly Center. The smell was no longer endearing, but rather disgusting. The towel situation was, quite frankly, inexcusable. Waiting in line to mundanely run on a treadmill for half an hour seemed like a chore.
In the cold Indiana winters, the nature park was not an option. I found alternatives in Turbo Kick, in Jillian Michaels videos in my sorority house (or, as we like to call it, "turbo jam in the new TV room"), or in doing nothing at all. But Turbo Kick became repetitive and crowded, Jillian Michaels's voice started getting annoying, and I did not want to start the bad habit of being un-fit. I was in a fitness rut.
Until the indoor cycling classes started.
I loved everything about it. The online Google Docs sign-ups were effective. The music was new and different. The racquetball court was actually being used outside racquetball class. Any skill level can participate. On some days, there were three different class time options throughout the day.
Sure, it may be my last semester at DePauw, but I'm still ecstatic that there are so ways to stay fit on campus, despite our lackluster fitness facility. Just Google "DePauw Fitness Classes" and it'll take you straight to the Fitness/Wellness page. After perusing through the fitness classes listed, I'm thinking I may even take a crack at water aerobics. Or pilates. Or yoga. Or zumba. Or just stick with what I know and love: indoor cycling.
The fact of the matter is that any given day of the week, I have a variety of options.
Indoor cycling is getting me back in the Lilly Center again. And with only three weeks until I'm Florida-bound with my sorority sisters for one last Spring Break before graduation, it's perfect timing.
— Weed is a senior from Mission Hills, Kan., majoring in sociology. She is the graphic designer for The DePauw.
opinion@thedepauw.com