Health: Cycled, Not Stirred

City Fitness’ new Happy Hour Spin class is the perfect way to start your weekend

Instead of consuming hundreds of empty booze calories during Friday happy hour, I decided to do something a little different to kick-start my weekend. Keeping with my New Year’s resolution, I signed up for the new Happy Hour Spinning class at City Fitness.

Instead of consuming hundreds of empty booze calories during Friday happy hour, I decided to do something a little different to kick-start my weekend. Keeping with my New Year’s resolution, I signed up for the new Happy Hour Spinning class at City Fitness (200 Spring Garden St., 215-923-4114, cityfitnessphilly.com).

We didn’t have martinis, Long Island iced teas or cosmopolitans at the workout session, but what we lacked in cocktails, we made up for it with post-holiday motivation. The lights went off — a plus for beginners like me who want to sweat without anyone watching! —the blacklights went on and the thump-thump-thump of the techno music beat with the rhythm of our pedals.

Whenever I felt like I couldn’t pedal a second more, seasoned instructor Mike Sheridan kept my heart pumping with his plateau-climbing directions. “80 percent! 90 percent! One person left on the mountain! Now, 100 percent!” Sheridan was so dedicated that he even taught with a broken toe. The fact that he was pedaling with a broken pedi kept me going — even though my out-of-shape legs could hardly keep up.

After the race to the finish, we stretched out our sore limbs and had the opportunity to mingle after class. It was the perfect time to get some workout tips from the instructor and meet some fellow Spinners. And much nicer than being hit on by out-of-shape, steak-eating drunkards at the local bar.

The morning after my new workout experience, my legs felt sore, but in a good way. And I don’t know if it was an illusion, but when I looked in the mirror, my legs seemed more toned and my thighs seemed a teensy bit slimmer. By the time Saturday night rolled around, I was restored to my old self — minus my new, fit body — and was ready for dancing all night long.

My intense workout session was just what I needed to start my weekend. But if you’re more about rest and relaxation at the end of your hectic workweek, then take their other brand-spankin’-new class, Restorative Yoga. And, for all you yoga enthusiasts out there, the center also offers a yoga-only membership so you can renew your body and spirit any day of the week.

And if you’ve tried a new class in or around Philly, tell us about it! We’re always looking for new ways to tone up and trim down.