Ashtyn

Nicholson
HLAC-1015-600
7/30/18

Wellness Assessment Reflection

This spin exercise course has been extremely beneficial in more ways than one. When I

first began this course I hadn’t worked out in over five months. It would be a huge

understatement to say that the first spin class I attended was easy. I honestly almost passed out

and I did throw-up. I couldn’t even spin in jogging or climbing position for more than ten

seconds without feeling like I might pass out. That being said, after the first two weeks of pure

struggle I started to see a difference and realize the importance in not giving up.

One of the first changes that I noticed after about two weeks of attending spin class was

that I felt less stressed when starting my daily work routine. I tend to be an extremely stressed

person most days. I have a very high stress/fast paced job that demands a lot of my mental

energy. I also experience large amounts of anxiety on a day to day bases. After getting into a

rhythm of attending this spin class I started to realize that I left the gym feeling happier and

more light minded than before spinning. Spin has been an extremely helpful and healthy outlet

for releasing tension from the daily grind.

Another change that I noticed was how much stronger and healthier my body started to

feel. Like I said earlier, I hadn’t worked out in over five months, so it was terrifying to even think

of the possibility of getting back into the groove of exercising. My legs weren’t very strong and

would almost start to spasm if I tried to stand and peddle longer than five to ten seconds. I had

to stay in the saddle for almost the entire hour just so I wouldn’t end the workout passed out

on the floor. Though, I felt helpless for a while I ended up being able to keep up with the class

with each passing day. I remember how proud I was of myself for being able to spin climb to an
Ashtyn Nicholson
HLAC-1015-600
7/30/18

entire song. From that day on I continued to improve more and more. It’s amazing to see how

much more my body can handle compared to what it could just a few short months ago at the

beginning of May.

I personally feel that I have met most of my goals that I set out to achieve at the

beginning of this semester. The first goal I wanted to achieve was the ability to be able to keep

pace with my class and to get more in shape. Obviously from what I shared earlier this is a goal

that I have definitely achieved. When first starting this course I had all of these insecurities

about what people might think of my inability to keep up with the rest of the class, so much so

that I almost dropped the course all together because I couldn’t handle the idea of being looked

down on by others. Luckily, I didn’t succumb to my fears and I continued my fitness journey,

and what do you know!?! It paid off!

My second goal for this class was to be able to maintain a healthy heart rate and

manage my breathing better while exercising. I also feel that I have achieved this goal to some

level. I don’t necessarily monitor my heart rate in detail but I did notice when I first started

spinning that I would be out of breath after the second or third song. I feel that this is because I

was not maintaining a healthy/smooth breathing flow when working out which lead to me

feeling light headed and unable to continue. Once I started paying more attention to my heart

beat and consciously making an effort to monitor my breathing in and out I noticed a huge

difference in the amount of energy that I was able to save.

My third and last goal was to start eating healthier and to maintain my stress levels

better with the help of exercise. I feel that I have achieved maintaining my stress levels better
Ashtyn Nicholson
HLAC-1015-600
7/30/18

but I am still working on eating healthier. I know that a healthy change in diet is one of the

fastest ways to help your body physically and mentally feel better. I plan to continue to make

an effort to reach a healthier diet plan. I will say that I have gotten much better at making sure

that I am drinking enough water when working out and throughout the day.

Overall, this course has really showed me how helpful just two hours of cardio a week

can help a person to feel better mentally and physically. There are so many benefits to working

out and I will definitely be continuing my fitness journey after this course. I am so grateful for

this course and the knowledge that it has given me.