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You are here: Home / Other / All I need is two (really just one) good wheels

All I need is two (really just one) good wheels

February 22, 2016 ·

Well. First of all, my feelings about the Aggie basketball team beating the Kentucky Wildcats in overtime on Saturday night are best summed up in the actions of Super Bowl MVP, Von Miller.

And Caroline’s soccer team finished the weekend with a 2-0 win and a 0-0 tie, so it was good weekend for all the sports at our house.

But here’s what I really want to talk about.

Spin class.

Let me take you all the way back to last August. We were on our way home from the beach and I told P that I really needed to work out more and that I might be interested in trying a spin class. I even texted my friend, Laura, and said, “Hey, I think I want to go to spin class with you some time.” But then it never happened because my follow through is terrible and, basically, I don’t like exercise. I know it can give you a longer life and produces endorphins and blah, blah, blah, but all those episodes of Parenthood aren’t going to watch themselves and sometimes you have to choose your battles.

And then the fall got really hectic and I vowed that after the holidays were over, I was going to get on some sort of exercise routine. But because I am not a follower, I opted to not start in January with the rest of the world who had made New Year’s resolutions. Plus, I felt like I had to get some momentum going on my next book and my prime writing time happens to be mornings which coincides with the most convenient time to go exercise.

Finally, here’s what I know about myself. I am not going to work out twelve months a year. Judge me if you want but I’m just being honest about who I know myself to be and, after almost forty-five years of living, I am fairly self-aware. So I hate to waste my exercise energy on months like January and February when we can wear big sweaters and puffy coats and layers upon layers of clothing. January and February are prime Netflix months.

But apparently Mother Nature didn’t get that memo this year because this has been the warmest February I can ever remember. And last week it actually got hot enough in the afternoon that I put on a pair of shorts and then scared myself when I walked by the mirror because I thought I’d seen a ghost who’d been watching too much Netflix. (And also writing a book. Just in case my beloved editor is reading this.)

It made me realize I was going to have to reset my exercise calendar to accommodate the fact that winter is apparently not happening in South Texas this year. So I texted my friend, Debbi, because I knew she’d recently started going to spin classes at a new place called Cycle Hub that some friends of ours recently opened. Then she invited me to go with her for the next two weeks until I finally ran out of excuses and went through the seven stages of no winter grief and said yes.

Last Thursday evening I went to my first class. And you know that old saying about how you never forget to ride a bike? LIES. ALL LIES. Because even though it’s a stationery bike, I felt a little bit like this.

giphy

Debbi had promised me the whole thing was a no pressure deal and you can ride at your own pace, but we had an instructor she’d never had before and at one point he walked to the back of the room where we were (Yes, I was at the back of the room. Hoping to achieve invisibility.) and he got in our face and said, “GO! GO! GO!”. Which made me feel like this.

giphy-6

But I picked up speed and increased my resistance because I am just competitive enough to be a danger to myself and this was essentially the result.

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However, when the class was over I looked at my stats and realized I’d ridden almost fifteen miles and burned over 500 calories and, for those of you doing the wine math, that’s two glasses. Plus I had tons of energy and felt super accomplished and basically had levels of excitement that most people reserve for accomplishments way more complicated than riding a stationery bike in an air-conditioned room while music plays and a disco ball lights everything up.

And so I went back again on Sunday afternoon after we got home from soccer and only felt slightly like this.

giphy-3

It helped significantly that the instructor played a combination of disco music and, be still my heart, Hopelessly Devoted by Olivia Newton-John. If you’ve never ridden a bike to a song off the Grease soundtrack, then you really haven’t lived. By the time class was over, this was me.

giphy-4

Well. Until tomorrow morning when the soreness really sets in and this is me.

giphy-5

Which never happens after watching Netflix.

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  1. Erika Slaughter

    February 22, 2016 at 6:54 am

    I’ve never watched an hour slowly tick by like I did when I went to spin class!! You were brave to go back for another round!

  2. Sue S

    February 22, 2016 at 7:22 am

    Melanie, this was pure gold! You talking about your exercise logic was hilarious enough, but those gifs (?) were perfect! Each one made me laugh!
    Thanks ever so much for starting my very busy week with laughter! It truly lifted my spirits!

  3. Alanna

    February 22, 2016 at 8:36 am

    My exercise routine is riding my stationary bike while watching Netflix!! I have rode a long way watching Gilmore Girls and Parenthood!

    • Karla

      February 24, 2016 at 3:59 pm

      I just finished GG and Parenthood. I miss the Bravermans!

  4. Sue Jones

    February 22, 2016 at 10:19 am

    You make my day!!!! Love this post!!!

  5. Jenny - So.Many.Words. Blog

    February 22, 2016 at 10:24 am

    Dude. That Aggie game. We were eating at Jimmy Changa’s on Saturday night and that last goal got such a reaction from the whole ding-dong-dang restaurant that there were scared, crying children everywhere. I think they thought we were under attack.

  6. Shelly

    February 22, 2016 at 10:29 am

    Oh my gosh I’m rolling!! Cycling is totally not for sissys and you go girl that you are still competitive enough to turn that sucker on up. I’m the one always cycling about 2 notches under the recommended resistance. It’s a great calorie burner though no doubt about that!

    Have a great week!
    Shelly
    http://queeninbetween.blogspot.com/

  7. Tiffany

    February 22, 2016 at 10:41 am

    I am impressed and a little jealous. The ice packs I wanted after the one and only spin class I tried were similar to the ones I required after birthing my 10lb. son.

  8. Bobbie Lutz

    February 22, 2016 at 11:37 am

    I’m thinkin’ Von and Tony REALLY enjoyed being back in Aggieland!! Did you see the pic of Von dancing behind the dancers?!! He’s good, maybe he has a new off season job…I’d go to the games to watch him dance!!! (Only b/c they only dance when our amazing Aggies are taking a time out!) DONT forget our Baseball team…we watched all three games and are blown away at their skills this year!!! Those bubbles….?S…makes for a great season!
    I started this new week off with a new smoothie…complete with Protein shake, strawberries, blueberries and banana…now to go for a walk! I’m thinking I may need to add a little weights too! I may be a little delusional…

  9. Courtney Lyon

    February 22, 2016 at 11:46 am

    Oh my word I haven’t laughed that hard out loud in a while! So good! Thank you for your honesty! I did not want to get up and exercise this morning but my butt isn’t gonna get any smaller on its own no matter how many Sir Mix Aloters I surround myself by.

  10. Jen H.

    February 22, 2016 at 12:09 pm

    Oh, Melanie. This is the first time I’m not in 100% agreement with you. I have NEVER enjoyed riding a bike – stationary or moving. I did ONE spin class a couple of years ago and vowed I would NEVER do it again. Hated. It. I work out and that is one workout that is not for me. Like you, I know myself. I will applaud you in your new found workout regimen though. Go, Go, Go!

  11. Jen Bowers

    February 22, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    Your use of gifs is on point today! That Jim gif made me snort with laughter.
    And how much do you love Von Miller right now? I’m sure you’ve read it already, but this article is pure gold: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/von-miller-broncos-super-bowl-mvp-nerd/

  12. Lauren

    February 22, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    Well, I’m a Kentucky Wildcat fan and if I had been watching the game (which I wasn’t, because I was at Rupp Arena rocking out to Matthew West and Crowder at Winter Jam) my reaction to the game would not have been the same of yours. I almost can’t believe that it happened because just prior to that win, Amazing Grace was echoing off the rafters at the Mecca of college basketball and surely that should have got our wildcats some brownie points…
    but this post. I love it. It sums up everything about my exercise experience. Thank you for a much needed smile on this Monday!

  13. Gina E

    February 22, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    The first time I did a spin class I thought I was never going to walk again. Keep at it and you will love the results.!!

  14. Michelle Fortik

    February 22, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    Love. you. That’s all.
    Awesome post! Keep, Go, Go, Going, girl.

  15. Cristy

    February 22, 2016 at 3:15 pm

    I feel like the perfect tie-in is the fact that you should watch the Netflix series, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Not only is the whole thing terribly funny, they have an entire episode in which she starts going to spin classes and finds out that it’s actually a cult. That sounds much darker than it actually is. It’s very funny.

  16. Traci

    February 22, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    I finished the final episode of Parenthood just this afternoon (nnnooooo!!!), and now I can get on with my life.

  17. Jean

    February 22, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    Ok. You and your uplifting images have inspired me. I’m finally going to do it. I’m getting Netflix.

    • Susan

      February 22, 2016 at 7:17 pm

      That is hilarious!

  18. Maria D.

    February 22, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    I have never taken a spin class and have no plans to add it to my non exercise plans at present…lol…I know I need to get exercise in but I think it will be walking and not spinning. At least for now. Funny post though!

    • Colorado

      February 22, 2016 at 9:56 pm

      Totally agree! I walk year round in Colorado, outside for four to five months and inside on the treadmill for the rest of the year, plus I climb stairs — great for the legs and “rear view”! I will never do a spin class but I applaude anyone’s exercise efforts. Go, go go!

  19. Stacey

    February 22, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    “Hoping to achieve invisibility.” This is pure gold. That and wine math.

  20. Debbie Prater

    February 23, 2016 at 10:03 am

    I never got into doing stationary bikes. But I do love treadmills. The only exercise I do anymore is walking the dog. You are so funny!

  21. Reta

    February 23, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    Hilarious!!! Girl you picked quite a way to pick up the exercise regime. Spin is tough! That being said I love love love it. By the way I tried Barre for the first time last week partially inspired by how much you said you enjoyed it but man I did not. I think our instructor wasn’t fantastic though. All I can say is if I see another squat again it’s going to take a lot more than a barre to get me back up and a lot more wine than two glasses to get me to go back lol

  22. Sheaffer Sims

    February 24, 2016 at 6:37 am

    I laughed my way through this entire post. SO MUCH FUNNY!
    I went to spin class like 3 years ago with Shay, Erika, and our friend Jeni. I had never been before, and I’ve never been back. We got there like 5 minutes early and all hopped on bikes. And I swear to you, I’d been on the bike for 30 seconds when I turned and asked “Is it weird to already be sore?” Just the act of sitting on the bike was causing me pain. It took me DAYS to get over it physically. I feel like I’m still dealing with some of the emotional issues.

  23. Karla

    February 24, 2016 at 4:14 pm

    I’m in the middle of season 5 of Parenthood and I’m way addicted to the mess we call the Bravermans. I’ve heard from many friends that series finale is gut wrenching. I’ve been angry at most of the Braverman clan at one point or another, but my love for them prevails in the end.

  24. Misty

    February 24, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    I am a spin instructor, so I found this post so freakin hilarious!! I hope all my students feel the same way after my class. Keep going. I promise it becomes less torture 🙂

  25. Brooke Klintworth

    February 25, 2016 at 1:41 pm

    Oh my goodness! I loved this post! I am laughing so hard about the spin class. That is totally me!! You rock it Big Mama!

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Who is Melanie?

Melanie ShankleMy name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA.Read More

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Well, we have some news I wanted to share because Well, we have some news I wanted to share because I know many of you are really just here for the Piper and Mabel content. ⁣
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A couple of years ago, Piper contracted a rare fungal infection in her left front paw. It began to invade all her soft tissue and we went to several vet specialists who all agreed there wasn’t any way to treat it short of eventually amputating her leg. We held off on that as long as we could and treated her with meds to slow the growth, but over the last month it became obvious that the foot was causing her pain and it was time. So on Monday, Piper got her left front leg amputated. ⁣
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She’s home now and I’m happy to report that she is doing amazing. Apparently she didn’t get the memo that she is now missing a leg because she hasn’t missed a beat. She’s moving around like a champ and I feel certain she’ll be back to running at the ranch and protecting our home from bearded strangers wearing hats in no time. This is why she is currently on some painkillers and sedatives so she can rest and heal. No one gave her the memo this is a big deal. ⁣
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However, at this point I would like to also give Mabel a sedative because she doesn’t understand why her sister is getting so much attention and is, frankly, a little salty about it. Also special thank you to @alldredgevet who treated our girl like a rockstar.
Back in the high life again. 👍🏻🏈🤍⁣
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I love a bright, shiny football season when the Aggies are 1-0 and the possibilities seem endless. Best time, best place, best people. ⁣
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Thanks and Gig’em.
Twenty-six years ago today we got married. At noon Twenty-six years ago today we got married. At noon. During the hottest month of the year. I give that decision one star, do not recommend. ⭐️⁣
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But we made the best decision when we chose each other because we have lived a lot of life together and still make each other laugh. ❤️⁣
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Also, Perry is spending this anniversary fishing at the coast. And I told him he just needs to remember he already made his best catch twenty-six years ago. 😂
🩵 HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY, CAROLINE! 🩵⁣ ⁣ I 🩵 HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY, CAROLINE! 🩵⁣
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I blinked and my baby turned twenty.⁣
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But the gift that happened when I blinked was my delightful little girl turned into an incredible woman and one of my best friends.🩵⁣
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Wishing you a year of joy, love, laughter and winning Aggie teams. I love you so much!🩵
🥳 Happy Birthday, Gulley! 🥳⁣ ⁣ A couple 🥳 Happy Birthday, Gulley! 🥳⁣
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A couple of months ago, Gulley and I took a selfie at an Aggie basketball game and we wondered how many times we had done some version of that over the years. Here’s just what I found on my phone and this doesn’t include most of college since, well, we went to college in the days you had to take film to Fox Photo to get developed and it was a whole thing. 
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Here’s an excerpt from 𝘕𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺’𝘴 𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 that I wrote years ago. ⁣
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“𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘎𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦: 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯, 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘦’𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.”⁣
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I’m so thankful for every single bit of it and for a best friend who makes life infinitely more fun. 💕 @gulleyfisher
Best cure for the Texas heat? Leave. ⁣ ⁣ Spend Best cure for the Texas heat? Leave. ⁣
⁣
Spending time in the mountains with old friends who have known you and loved you for over thirty years and counting is a great place to be in July. 🤍

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