Written by instructor Alyssa Humes
SPENGA was founded and designed to include all three areas of fitness that are needed for overall health: cardio, strength, and flexibility training. Starting each session with 20 minutes of cardio with cycling is a great low-impact way to get the heart rate elevated and get the body warm and ready for the rest of the WERKout.
With spin being driven by not only the pedals, but the beat of the music, it creates a fun environment while still putting in the WERK for the first 20 minutes of the session.
Here are a few more reasons we love spin:
Improved Cardiovascular Health
According to Spinning's Spin Life Blog, spinning consistently over time has been shown to improve your heart's stroke volume which is the amount of blood that is pumped out of the heart and into the rest of the body with each heartbeat! By increasing the stroke volume in our hearts, our hearts therefore distribute more blood to the rest of our body as we continue the WERKout.
Low Impact, High Reward
As we age, the ways we are active change as our bodies and lives change. With every RIDE, we are getting that cardio in while putting far less pressure on our joints than many other cardio methods. Spin is also accommodating to injuries, ailments, and a great way to restart a fitness routine.
Be Kind To Your Mind
Spin not only has great cardiovascular benefits, but mental health benefits as well. While spinning, endorphins are released that not only lift your mood, but lower stress levels! Dopamine along with serotonin and oxytocin are released when we are putting in that WERK in the first 20 minutes of the session! All three endorphins enhance that feeling of accomplishment and are released when we ride on the beat for the first time, stand up out of the saddle, or even stay on beat for the entire song!
As for stress reduction, taking that 20 minute RIDE allows us to not only get our bodies moving, but lets the music take over and turn our brains off to anything but the beat, that Sweet Spot, and putting in that WERK to pedal toward a better us!
