“All of us in this room have the power to transform Houston,” a small woman says into her mic to a group of 40 or so of us.

She’s not campaigning for mayor, or on the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau board. No, she’s not speaking at a self help seminar nor reading from a Chicken Soup for the Soul-esque book she wrote.

Me drinking the Kool-aid. Prime sticker spot on my laptop.

She’s teaching the grand opening spin class at Revolution Studios at West Ave in Upper Kirby/River Oaks. At the conclusion of class, she, Kim Syma—who happens to be the owner/mastermind behind all three studios in Houston, invites all the 20-somethings to a champagne toast to the new studio. She does know her audience.

We know that spinning is VERY in right now, and boutique yoga/spin places are popping up everywhere. I understand the temptation of driving past them or skimming through our articles about fitness, but you’d be doing not only your physical health a disservice, but also your mental health.

I was forced on a spin bike in eighth grade by my pedal pushing mother, who was about the size of your pinky when she was my age, mind you. She wanted to get back into spinning and dragged me a long with her. I hated it. Granted, we were at Bally Total Fitness in Stafford, TX. So, yeah. The bar was set low for me. I continued to spin at whatever gym I was a member of—usually with my mom. So, I feel pretty confident in saying one thing: This is not your mother’s spin class. 

The grand opening ride was much like every other class I had been to at Revolution, which opened its new location two weeks ago with a sort of soft opening. My last seven days have been spent in that studio, since I bought an unlimited week for only $25. I took 13 classes in those seven days. #nailed it.

Revolution has spin AND yoga classes… and if you’ve noticed, I haven’t really talked about yoga…. that’s because I don’t “do” yoga. @anastasiachansen does. She even teaches it. Ask her about it. But for me, down dog still elicits a chuckle. I know nothing about yoga. Or, I knew nothing. Now I got my warriors down, my vinyasa perfected and my ujjayi breathing practiced. I’m still a newbie, but what’s more surprising is how much I enjoyed sweating gallons onto my mat (I bought a yoga mat towel, like that’s commitment)  and how much stress I was able to let go. Just, poof. Gone.

There’s something special about the people who teach at Revolution. They don’t care if you lose 10 pounds or are pedaling to the beat. They care more about you living in the moment and you leaving the studio as yourself (your best self).

#ClipInRockOut (I drank the Kool-Aid and I’m better for it).