This is a picture of me blowing a kiss to my daughter who stayed home with her daddy while I went to play at the IDEA World Convention and BlogFest in LA last weekend. Notice the jacket and hood I wore at the beginning of my cycling instructor training. I didn’t need them for long that day…

If you know me, you know that I am not a cycler.

I mean, really and truly. I am kind of the opposite of a cycler and only use my beach cruiser bike to ride around the neighborhood or go for a drink when I don’t want to drive.

Before last week, the last indoor cycling class I took was in 2003. I am not. even. kidding. I had taken a cruise in Alaska and chose a bike tour as one of the excursions. I failed so miserably that I had to stop and carry my bike while 70 year olds passed me easily.

I decided I may need a little cardio and cycling training.

I started classes at the gym I worked at right when I got home from that trip. The classes challenged me both for cardio and leg strength, and were a great way to get a tough workout that I would never do on my own.

And the music. Oh, the music! Peddling in time to old school AC/DC songs was pretty much the best thing ever.

I stopped working at that gym and moved to Hawaii where I could be outside 365 days a year. I decided I would much rather run, hike and surf then spend time in a dark studio sweating on a pretend bike.

Fast forward 12 years.

My life and workouts have evolved and changed in that time. I ran a half marathon in 2012 and wasn’t sure I would keep running. I did enjoy it, but I’m not good at it and it’s just plain hard for me. Then I had a baby in 2013 and the decision was made for me. I experienced a bladder prolapse that makes running kind of uncomfortable.

Basically, I can run. Sometimes. It’s kind of like a jog/fast walk/I’m stopping because this feels really weird. That’s just not fun when I only have short blocks of time and the need for a good cardio session!

That brings me back to last week and the title of this post.

I signed up to go to the IDEA World Fitness Convention and BlogFest in LA. I attended last year and loved it. It’s basically the Olympics for fitness instructors and healthy lifestyle bloggers (I attend the PMA conference every year as well, which is the same thing for the Pilates industry).

I knew I would be rooming and playing at the conference with my girl Gina, and she mentioned she had signed up for the Schwinn Cycling Instructor Certification. I had been thinking of adding another training to my bag of tricks for a while, and this seemed like the perfect time and place. I realized I wanted another avenue of cardio in my life that would not be bouncy (this bladder does not like bouncy) and would carry me through the next 20 years with little wear and tear on my joints. Not to mention Gina had told me the trainers were the top in the business and super energetic and fun. The final piece to my decision is that there is an awesome studio near my house that teaches combo classes with cycling and Pilates/barre.

Perrrrfect.

I just want to reiterate again how kind of crazy it is that I decided to do this training. I had not sat on an indoor cycling bike for 12 years.

12 YEARS.

My husband and I both laughed when I came home with the teaching certificate because I haven’t even uttered the words “indoor cycling” the entire time I’ve known him, and now I can actually teach it.

And I LOVE it.

I’m here to encourage you today to just go for it. Whatever crazy idea you have, whatever is speaking to you, whatever sparks your interest, whatever makes your heart go pitter patter, whatever peaks your curiosity – just jump into it! Take your time to weigh the pros and cons if you need to, but not too much time. Sometimes the longer we consider and think about something the more scared we get.

Do it.

Trust yourself and the universe to take care of you.

What’s the worst thing that happens now that I have my certificate? I don’t get a job? I just enjoy knowing more about an industry I love? Oh, and I got a killer playlist out of the deal.

I can live with that.

What’s the worst thing that could have happened if I hadn’t have signed up? Regret. That is something I chose not to live with.

So go outside of your comfort zone. Get sweaty. Get your booty a little sore (maybe that’s just cycling…). Listen to your gut and see what happens. You got this!

Let me know if you are interested in the Schwinn Training and an extensive review! I can do a recap in a future post.