Nobody gonna break my stride!

Got a case of the Mondays? Grab a Jax Pass and join Fitness and Wellness graduate assistant Alissa Underhill for her 6 p.m. cycling class. You’ll be sure to have a great time and sweat out any tension you may have picked up throughout the day.

Last Monday I had my first cycling experience.

Small class sizes are the reason I came to SFA and that’s exactly what this class delivers.

The cycling room holds a maximum of nine people, allowing Underhill to communicate easily with participants.

“It’s fun for me to teach because I am able to interact with the patrons, and many of the people return to my class every week,” said Underhill.

Cycling is a self-paced class that offers the opportunity to increase or decrease resistanceat ones own comfort level. Underhill put it best when she said, “You get what you put into it.”

While coaching the cyclists Underhill plays a unique combination of calm alternative music that really got me in the zone.

Artists on her play list include Passion Pit, Coldplay and The Killers- all music I wouldn’t normally listen to, but have a newfound appreciation for. When I was trying to find personal focus during the class the music is what got me there.

Underhill refuses to play typical perky work out music. “I pick music I listen to when I work out, and hope others will like it too,” she said.

And they definitely do. Patrons that had been in her class before even requested songs!

Underhill told me cycling is her favorite class to teach because she loves cardio workouts. Like most of us, she likes the way she feels after an intense workout as well as the health benefits.

I always knew cardio was important but after taking the class I decided to do research and find out why. According to the American Heart Association website, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death in the United States.

Healthy.net claims the main process resulting in cardiovascular diseases is atherosclerosis, or clogging and hardening of the arteries. The narrowing and hardening of the arteries increase their resistance and pressure and makes the heart work harder, which can then wear down this vital muscle.

Obviously arteries may easily become clogged by a repeated diet of saturated fats and cholesterol. The great part about cardio workouts is they get your blood pumping and actually help push out the bad stuff! Not that I’m suggesting to eat a Big Mac and then attend cycling class, but cardio workouts can definitely help the cause.

I don’t think I’ve sweated that much since I played sports (three years ago)!

YOUR inside connection to Campus Rec- Steph