cycleology

Stretching is cycling’s finest non-mechanical component. The more I stretch, the finer my ride. Never saw me in a Yoga Class. After one class, I was all in. Hot Yoga is rejuvenating. I felt ten years earlier following that first class. My lungs manipulated more oxygen. Aches and pains accumulating since childhood vanished. Hot Yoga is the best 90-minute healing workout on the planet. I met the game of squash just down the road.

Discovered the squash game one October when forced to the treadmill in blizzard snows while preparing for a run thru New York’s five boroughs. The Squash Pro introduced herself out of the blue. Stuck a racquet in my hand. Years of tennis behind me squash odd a first. Picking up the rhythms and geometric synergies, I was addicted to solo squash in twenty minutes. Squash with two people is more about picking up the ball. Solo-squash never stops. Ninety minutes of live Pearl Jam and solo squash. A revolutionary fitness experience for me. The aerobic factor, comingling a slow-motion dance of reaching, stretching, and lunging, all blending into a graceful mind-game of stamina, geometry, music, and a tiny rubber ball. If racquet sports are of interest, check it out. It’s a serious three-dimensional workout experience.

Ran that marathon smoother than prior efforts. Returned home to playing solo squash every day till spring. Not running a step since November. In April encountered an old favorite. A fifteen-mile loop. Twelve minutes vanished. Solo squash and hot yoga were the keys to this effortless run. Squash also embellishes cycling, strengthening you in ways you won’t imagine without playing the game. Keep in mind yoga studios are easier to find than squash courts, and cycling is everywhere for free.

Hot Yoga and squash are unbudgeable today, yet the benefits follow my life’s cycle. A treadmill previously despised and a blizzard exposed me to these flexible fitness options. PS: A treadmill will make your running faster and stronger.