At the end of my freshman year, I closed the swimming chapter of my life, and, like many “swammers,” I was at a loss of what to do next. I tried going to the gym, but found it completely boring and I could not motivate myself to go every day. I was conditioned to following the black line up and down the pool for hours alongside my teammates and under the helm of a coach with the “magical plan.” Without the structure and without the teammates, I was not motivated. I had no goal in mind. Most people believe that swimming is an individual sport, but in reality we couldn’t do it without our teammates alongside us. As a result, I decided I should try group fitness. There would be other people alongside me and an instructor with a plan in mind.
With only a few weeks left of the semester, I decided to try different types of classes to see which ones I liked best. I found that spin was the kind of workout I needed. Even then, there was still something missing, and I wanted to find my love for fitness again. Fitness had been such an important part of my life for fourteen years and I didn’t want it to become something I dreaded. I figured out that the competitive aspect of my workout was missing and that would be my goal for the summer: find a new fitness passion.
When I headed home for the summer, my friend and I made it a goal to hold each other accountable for working out. One day, she told me I had to try Flywheel; she had attended a class with her Mom the previous week and said it was exactly the kind of workout I would enjoy. Flywheel is unlike any spin class out there. Many of the instructors had been college or professional athletes in the past and carried that training with them into class. However, the most unique thing about Flywheel is the torque board.
When you sign up for classes, you make an account, register for a bike, and make a torque name. Your torque, also known as resistance, builds throughout the class to create a final power number. During the class, the torque name show up on the screens located at the front of the studio and you compete with the other forty-nine people in the class for the highest power total.
This incentive allowed me to embrace my inner athlete and competitiveness, and on that day I fell in love with fitness again. The Flywheel team in Charlotte is unbelievable. They truly care about their clients and make it their goal to challenge and inspire each and every person in their class. I believe that without them, I would still be searching for my new fitness love.
Finding your fitness love after you move on from a passion-filled sport can be one of the most difficult tasks a person can face. Often, towards the end of that chapter, a person is so burnt out that one feels they will never find athletics enjoyable again. I know I felt that way, and honestly I have only stepped a foot into a pool to actually swim once in the past eighteen months since I gave up swimming.
However, it is okay, and it just takes some time to find that passion again. Never give up on finding it.
