I have always been a health and fitness aficionado. I love kale smoothies, yoga classes, and trying new healthy foods at Wegmans. I am also in the College of Engineering and interested in business. Naturally, I signed up for this Rose Scholars event: a spin class led by a previous Cornell engineer who started a fitness studio in Ithaca.

Spinning is a form of exercise that involves stationary biking (effective for improving cardio). The class was held in a dark room with energizing music and colorful lights. The owner led the class and biked with us throughout the hour of spinning. The lights and the dynamic music were motivational. I loved how the instructor set up the music to mirror the difficulty of each set of exercises we did. During each set, she described an experience that corresponded to the difficulty of that set. For instance, when she instructed us to increase the resistance on our bikes, she matched her request with a description of a monumental hill we were about to surmount. I really enjoyed imagining the scenes she described and working through each challenge she set in front of us. Her class provided a truly motivational experience.

I also appreciated that the group of Rose Scholars attending this event were also engaged in the activity. I felt as if we were a team facing an athletic challenge together. This component of the class was also very motivating and exciting. In the future, I would like to attend fitness classes like this one with other people rather than by myself. I typically attend yoga and spinning classes without any friends, but this experience has inspired me to invite others to join me. I never knew how motivating exercising with peers could be.

I also would like to attend more spinning classes in the future. Seeing a Cornell engineer pursue a career completely different from what she studied at college was also interesting and opened new ideas for my personal career path in the future.