By:  Tanya Carinci

Its 6 AM, the alarm clock rings and the snooze button is oh so tempting…but the morning grind must begin and with it, the daily checklist: Kid’s Breakfast. Check. Make Sandwiches. Check. Pack Backpacks. Check.  The list goes on….

But where does “ME” time and exercise fit into this equation?

As a mom of three kids (all under the age of 7), I know what it’s like to multi-task and the importance of being efficient.  I need to squeeze in as many things as I can in a short period of time.  Exercising is one of them.

For me, nothing beats the benefits of an indoor cycling class for a high intensity workout. More importantly, there is no better way to enjoy cycling’s benefits than being in a fun and supportive group setting, led by energetic instructors, with motivating music to push you to your max.

Whether you are just starting an exercise regimen or you are an advanced fitness enthusiast, a cycleBands class gives you the cardio fix & and an opportunity to sculpt your upper body muscles and ultimately muscle burns more calories. If you are looking to shake up and reinvigorate your workout routine, give this a go! 

This combination of indoor cycling with the use of resistance bands, targeting specifically your shoulders, back, and arms,  providing you with a total body conditioning opportunity that few classes provide. My need and love for multitasking in daily life makes this work with resistance bands on a bike, a wonderful workout strategy for me.  While utilizing the resistance bands, your body demands that you use your glutes, core and legs in order balance, all the while strengthening them. 

Other benefits that I believe and have experienced include;

A Stronger You: Resistance training is second-to-none for building bones

More Calories Burned: The calorie-burning payback of even the shortest resistance training sessions continue long after you’ve finished your workout.

A More Flexible You: As your muscles shorten over time, flexibility is the first thing to go. Using resistance bands allows the muscles to work through a full range of motion which will keep you limber.

Strengthen Your Heart: Regular resistance training strengthens your most important muscle—the heart—and improves the health of your entire cardiovascular system.

What are you waiting for? Just Band it!

This is an ideal class for those who want to see more rapid results with limited time and a busy schedule; I promise….you won’t want to hit that snooze button!

I’ve always been an perfectionist. For seven years through my late teens and early twenties, this trait manifested as a roller coaster of yo-yo diets, disordered eating behaviour and punishing workouts, in an endless pursuit of my own concept of the perfect body. Four years ago, on the verge of starting yet another diet cycle, I discovered an online community of people who believe in size acceptance and Health at Every Size (HAES), drastically shifting my goals and my frame of mind.

HAES posits that pursuing improved health outcomes can occur independent of deliberate changes in body size. In other words, healthy behaviours like eating well and exercising have value whether or not you become thinner as a result of these behaviours. From its website (http://www.haescommunity.org/), HAES encourages:

●     Accepting and respecting the natural diversity of body sizes and shapes.

●     Eating in a flexible manner that values pleasure and honours internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite.

●     Finding the joy in moving one’s body and becoming more physically vital.

For me, all three are inextricably tied to my physical and emotional well-being. As a former competitive swimmer and someone who needs a constant challenge to stay interested, finding ways to incorporate joyful physical movement into my life has been a moving target. I’m not a natural athlete. I get bored at the gym alone on a treadmill or elliptical. I’m not interested in classes strongly marketed as weight-loss solutions, like fitness “bootcamps.” I need variety, motivation, and a supportive and compassionate environment to keep me coming back. (I’m sure you see where this is going.)

I admit it. I was terrified to try spinning. I live thirty seconds (I’m not kidding) from the studio, but it was only after I saw a FabFind coupon for five classes at Spynga that I decided to give it a try. My first class was a one-hour ride and pump on a Saturday in November 2010 - probably not the best class for a first-timer. I spent the hour fighting not to slip forward off my saddle and praying for the class to end. I could barely walk the next day. But I had four more classes on my account, and I do have my pride, so I came back a week later for a Spynga flow, thinking I could handle 30 minutes of spinning and would just grit my teeth through the yoga. It went well enough to have me come back again, and then again … and it was in that fourth class that something clicked. The rest, as they say, is history.

In my first year as a Spyngaee (Sari’s term), I’ve learned to jump, sprint, climb, and, yes - downward dog. I’d thought my size and my lack of flexibility meant yoga wasn’t for me. Of course, I was wrong. There are modifications and adjustments for all kinds of bodies, and everyone has unique challenges when it comes to physical activity. Sure, I can’t do a shoulder stand (these 38DDDs would choke the life out of me!), but I’ve got a super-solid crescent lunge these days. On the bike, I’m not the fastest sprinter, but I can climb in third forever. Spinning and yoga both have the perfect blend of individual and group mentality for me; there’s no competition, but there’s mutual encouragement. There’s a “we’re all in this together” factor that pushes me to my edge without pressure to compare myself to others.

Everyone has their reasons for engaging in physical activity. I understand and respect that for some people, weight loss or weight maintenance is a priority. I deeply appreciate that at Spynga, there is no assumption that this is everyone’s reason for being there. The more I move and challenge myself, the better I feel. In turn, I feel more motivated to nourish my body properly and to respect my shape as acceptable and beautiful. It’s so empowering to see your body as strong and capable rather than something to be molded and fit into a template.

It might seem a little unconventional, but I feel healthier and happier in my size 16 body than I ever did in the years when I struggled to maintain a size 8, and I feel respected and supported without judgement at Spynga. I’m hooked - and I can’t wait to see what heights I can reach in the next year.

Julia Horel

If you’re here, on this website, chances are you already spin.  But maybe you’re just thinking about indoor cycling.  And maybe you are scared.  I wouldn’t blame you.  The first time I came, I was scared to death.  I was also embarrassed.  Would I really be able to take this seriously?  A preacher-woman yelping over throbbing pop to sprint like I meant it?  To “get to the top” of an entirely fictional hill?

Well, I emerged a little queasy, sweaty from eyelashes to forearms to knees, and a TOTAL CONVERT!! 

There is no better way than indoor cycling to plunge directly into your body, fast  fast  fast!  The music blurs your thoughts right out, endorphins flood your bod, suddenly Katy Perry’s the most meaningful thing you ever heard, you truly believe this wild-child on the bike up front, shouting that you can do anything.  You can!  It’s a beautiful feeling – cinematic, inspiring and fun.  Not to mention the calories burned and the myriad muscles strengthened, including the all-important heart!  

Even if you expected all that, nothing can prepare you for the post-spin high!  It’s better than three beers in your backyard.  Or whatever floats your boat.  It’s better!  Suddenly, you find yourself craving that high, not being able to wait to get back in that saddle! Melodramatic, I know, but so is indoor cycling!  Melodramatic, fun, wild, highly addictive and crazy good for you! 

So even if the first time you almost barf, the next day your butt’s on fire, and you have shame-memories of losing yourself in the Rhianna, I know you’ll be back.  You’ll need another hit.  Before you know it, the pain will fade, you’ll wonder how this ever made you queasy, but the endorphins never quit!  Basically, the perfect high! J.T.

Outdoor yoga at Spynga is possibly one of Toronto’s best kept secrets – an experience to be cherished in these fleeting summer months.

Scott Petrie, who teaches mindbody outdoor yoga flow Thursday evenings, thoroughly enjoys the vibe on the terrace.  “The greenery, the trees, and the wood of the deck help you feel more connected to nature,” he says.  “Taking a deep breath of actual fresh air, or hearing the birds tweet during savasana…those are things I don’t take for granted given that I’m almost always practicing indoors.”

As one happy Spynga client concurs, “There’s nothing like being outside, watching the clouds go by and the trees swaying as you do your tree pose.”

This observation reminds us of the Sanskrit meaning of the word “yoga” – to yoke, to unite, to forge connection.  According to the ancient texts, yoga is about letting go of the self and allowing the deep connection between all and everyone around us to reveal it.  As we stand, swaying gently, could it be that we are indeed the tree and the tree is in fact us?  As the clouds placidly dance, the leaves wave hello, the wind whispers encouragement, as we allow our own breath to join the party, flowing in and out of the body as we move with power and grace, this deep connection has a chance to reveal itself almost effortlessly.

With three classes offered outdoors per week, there’s something for everyone – greet the sun in Sari’s vigorous power flow Saturday mornings at 9:15 -10:15 am and to stretch out the weekend, catch Sarah-Jane Sunday afternoons detox flow @ 5pm, & enjoy Scott’s unique, relaxing approach on Thursday nights @ 6:15-7:30 pm.  See you on the terrace!

SpyngaCrowd, we want YOUR design for our next round of apparel that includes tees, tanks, hoodies, & sweats! Come up with one OUTSTANDING design; submit your artwork to sari@spynga.com in a jpeg format to be posted RIGHT HERE on our Truth Talk Blog and the Spynga community will vote! The winner will see their design in lights as well as on our spyngawear! The best part? Winner will receive 3 months of unlimited classes! Stand on your head to get those creative juices flowing and go! Submissions due on August 5th and winner will be announced in our September newsletter.

Ok…We are up to 12 reasons. Ever left a juicy yoga class and thought, hmmm… I wish I could teach like that? Ever had an inkling to inspire and move people back to themselves through breath and a spirited flow called yoga? Here’s your chance!

1.       You love yoga so much you want to share the love with others!

2.       An opportunity to study and learn about anatomy (in a fun way of course!), yogic philosophy, meditation, breathing techniques that calm and energize, and how to get in that very twisty pretzel pose that eludes you. See curriculum here!

3.       Learn about yourself and take a trip on a remarkable transformational personal journey

4.       Immerse yourself in a community of like minded people who can sit and talk about the minutia of posture alignment all day!

5.       Discover the impact of teaching, inspiring, and touching people’s lives daily and what that does to your soul and the soul of others.

6.       Work with a fantastically experienced faculty!

7.       Free Yoga for 5 months (it’s included!)

8.       Learn how to make a passion of yours a real live business and you are the BOSSS.. .yogi-like of course!

9.       In need of reinventing your career

10.   You get to get to walk around in Lululemon apparel all day and its ok!

11.   Once you finish, you have the opportunity to make people happy and get paid for it!

12.This 225 Hour RYTT Yoga Alliance Certification Program® is a Federal Government of Canada Private Educational Institute. We are a Yoga Alliance Certified School which allows you to teach anywhere in the world. All tuition and educational books will be tax deductible.

The media is crawling with happy images of Springtime, ideas for fun in the sun, uses for all your post-winter energy.  What no one seems to want to mention is that THIS SPRING HAS SUCKED.  There.  I said it.  At least in Toronto, this supposed Spring has been a draggy, cold, disgusting, rainy, snowy, dark, gray, epic piece of junk.  There.  I said that too.  I’m sorry!  It’s been a lousy one.  And I’ve started to take it personally!

In my dogged quest to be a yogic/meditative/all-around-calm-being, I am trying to locate the lesson in this garbagey Spring.  I’m so deprived of vitamin D and beers-on-the-patio by this point that all I’ve come up with is this lousy weather is a wonderful, very gentle teacher of Acceptance.  Not Earth-shattering, I know, but it’s all I’ve got, and I’m trying to make it work.  After all, wouldn’t it be great to learn a little something about how I deal with aversion to things I can’t change, and learn to relax into what really is with a mystery as easily understood as the weather?  Perhaps this type of gentle training will come in handy when life whumps me upside the head with far harsher, far more confusing mysteries.

I can’t go so far as to say I love this Godforsaken Spring, but I am trying to be grateful for it.  It has laid bare the extent of my aversion to discomfort.  Which in turn has revealed the path I hope to choose – the path toward accepting things exactly as they are, and letting go of my self-centred storyline.  A storyline that includes many, many beers on the patio at some point in my future!

by julia tausch

by, DR. GREEN, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, as well as  President & Founder of Dr. G’s Health, Wellness and Performance 

MARCH 30, 2011

Exercise is a crucial component to true healthy living. Being healthy from the inside out means that at some level, exercise has become part of your day-to-day routine.  But it is not just “exercise” that is important; it’s the right exercise with the appropriate what, when, how and why along with the what not, when not, how not and why not being equally vital.  I tip my hat to all those who participate in exercise and put forth the effort to live a healthy lifestyle.  I cringe though, with the number of people I see being told, misguided, or inventing the wrong exercise or the wrong exercise for them.  Just because someone told you or you saw it in a gym doesn’t mean that it is correct or it is the right exercise for you.  Just because the person in your yoga class is touching their toes, does not mean you can or even should.  Just because the person spinning beside you is standing while sprinting does not mean you should. I think you get my point.

Awareness of your body, your current health status, proper body alignment, proper form and tempo, are just some of the keys to healthy exercise and successful execution. 
Oh, and in case you were not aware, the benefits of exercise come with longevity and an improved lifestyle.  In order to exercise into your glory years you should be conscious and well informed on the things “outside of the gym” that will help you succeed: hydration, supplementation, nutrition, pre and post exercise routines, rest days, sleep patterns, treatment options, management tools, hurt vs ache, understanding that pain is a notification…and the list goes on. 

Bottom line: get informed! Find an expert.  Learn to listen to your body.  Get off the couch and get active. Do it right!