Freebie Fitness Friday...at Flywheel

You won't want to use this gearing at Flywheel. Credit

Try saying the first three words of this post's title five times fast. Freebie fitness Friday. Freebie fitness Friday. Then add one more word to the tongue twister, Flywheel, and see if it gets even harder to spit out of your mouth. The words might trip you up but it's worth it for free fitness on Friday at Flywheel Sports. That is, if you live or work in Chicago and can get yourself to the River North indoor cycling studio before 12:30 p.m. on Fridays.

The journalist in me knows that I should be sharing this news, but the cyclist in me is apprehensive about hitting publish. I love the word free when it's tacked onto a workout (that's how I found Flywheel in the first place). I love the 45-minute adrenaline-inducing, cardio-blasting workout that leaves my legs feeling limp and my arms turning to Jell-O with exercises that shouldn't feel as tough as they do. I love the loud music that drowns out the pain and makes my legs spin faster, perfect for this gal who always needs to work on her quick cadence. I love searching for my name on the torque board and pushing to get a higher power number to raise my ranking. I love that Flywheel is only a quick bike ride or short walk for me, and I can get there regardless of the weather Mother Nature throws at us.

Weekend of Workouts?

Outdoor yoga, where more is merrier. Source: lululemon

Did the New Year's resolutions to exercise and be more fit in 2012 just kick in? Did people suddenly decide to get their sweat on this weekend after hibernating for most of January? What's with this weekend's workouts?

At the start of the new year the gym regulars are always warned to watch out for the crowds creeping in on our territory. You know, those first two to three weeks of January where the skeletons come out of the closet, sweat it out on the treadmill or in a group fitness class, then disappear for the next 11 or so months. But unless it's because I changed my schedule to try to accommodate the crowds (swimming an hour before closing, running when I want to watch TV, which is never immediately after work), I haven't encountered as much of this New Year Traffic as I have in the past. Practically none compared to the year where I had to arrive at least 10 minutes early to score a Spinning bike on a Monday night--for three weeks straight I missed out--or fight over ellipticals, treadmills and bikes on the main floor. Until this weekend...