In 2018, I had foot surgery. I had been a runner for 42 years  and a cyclist who had been going to spinning classes for 20+ years or so. I  had my foot surgery at Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics and Sportsmedicine in Gulf Breeze, Florida. My surgeon, Dr. Erik Nilssen, had told me that once I had the surgery, I could not run again so… once I had foot surgery, I had to beginning walking instead of running. Spinning became the only way for me to really get my heart rate up aerobically.

My husband bought me a high end spinner bike, CycleOps Pro 300 PT,  18+ years ago which had been one of my birthday presents which came equipped with all the BELLS and WHISTLES. I still use it religiously when I am at our home base in Indiana where I have a home fitness area, but when I had foot surgery in FL, I decided stayed at our FL home since I had to use a scooter for about 4 weeks and it would be easier for me to get around. My husband was still working so I was on my own after about 4 weeks until I graduated to a walking boot and could begin driving.  

Once off the scooter, I originally planned on putting my bike on a bike trainer to be able to spin with my boot on. I had my friend, Robin, who owned Robin’s Bikes & Fitness,  come over and set up my trainer up so I could watch TV while spinning. Robin was worried that I might fall getting on and off the bike with the boot. So I took his advice and decided I needed a spin bike at our Florida home. I had a tough time getting the closest fitness store which was in Pensacola to commit to delivering a spin bike to where I lived. So… I resorted to Amazon of course. I got the spin bike in 3 days, and was able to hire a technician through Amazon to come to my house & put it together.

Sunny Health Spinner

The Sunny Health Spinner I bought from Amazon originally cost me $240 in 2018. I am still using it & have never had any problems with it at all. One thing it didn’t have was a place for a water bottle but I have just used a water bottle that I hang on the handle bars. Today’s Sunny Health Spinners are more expensive (about $500+) but they come with more BELLS and WHISTLES but the important to note is the older model works well & I still get a great work-out on the bike.

Plastic I-Pad Holder to the Rescue

I invested about $15 for a plastic I-pad holder because I wanted to watch TV or YouTube which has many videos of cycling through the mountains, on mountain biking trails or just watching spins classes. I put the holder on the bike handles which works out fine for me.

Sweat On Demand Online Classes

Fortunately, I found STUDIO SWEAT® ON DEMAND online (www.studiosweatondemand.com) classes which was very affordable and I could bring any of the classes up on my I-pad while I was recovering from my surgery. I loved spin classes, but in FL many of the fitness centers didn’t have spin classes or not many offered. I have been a member of Studio Sweat® On Demand since 2018. I sign up ever year under their Christmas Special for about under $120 for the year-long subscription. Studio Sweat® On Demand doesn’t just have spin classes. They have Weight Training, Bootcamp, Pilates, Yoga, you name it, they got it!

Last year we took a 4-week vacation driving out west to hike and take pictures. I took my I-pad & head phones and worked out on the spin bikes in the many of hotels we stayed out. Having a fitness center where we stay is a must for me!

Bottom Line

It’s not that I have anything against Peloton the bike or the Peloton classes, but there are cheaper ways to get a good online work-out without having to sell the farm!