This father-daughter pair has a special connection, and we love that Cycle Town is the place they share some QT. It’s endearing to see them ride and rock out together in our rooster classes. They embrace fitness and fun, so naturally we just love them! Meet Jack and Cate Diamond!
Tell us about yourselves… what the Diamond family is like, work/school, what your interests are.
The Diamond family consists of me and my wife, Terry, and our kids, Jack 19, Cate 18 and Meghan 14. I am a lawyer with my office here in Hingham at 738 Main Street. Terry works at Crate and Barrel. Jack is a freshman in college at UMASS, graduating from HHS last spring and having played football there for 4 years. Cate is a HHS senior who will be attending Babson College next year and playing Field Hockey there. Meghan is an 8th grader at HMS and a champion level Irish Step dancer. As a family we ski most every winter weekend at Attitash. We spend the summers at Fresh Pond in Manomet where we enjoy lots of golf, swimming, water skiing, paddle boarding and fishing.
I love riding with Cate. When I started riding in the Fall, Cate was in season playing field hockey, and had no time, or need for another workout. When her season finished she started going to the 5:30’s with me as a way to get a workout in. She loved it. As the weeks went by it was fun to see more and more of her friends and teammates showing up at the 5:30 class. Some mornings there might be 8 or more of her high school friends in the class. We laugh when a certain song from a ride comes on the radio and we remember exactly the move the instructor had us doing for that song.
Jack, you look awesome. You have physically become a different person since we’ve known you! Tell us about your fitness journey and don’t leave out any details about your success!
My current fitness journey started the day after Labor Day. I was 285 lbs. I started a metabolism based weight loss program called New England Fat Loss. After 2 weeks I was down 20 lbs and wanted to start to work in some cardio to keep the weight loss going. I had heard good reviews on Cycle Town from friends. I signed up for my first spin class on a Saturday morning. As a result of the very low calorie intake I was on, I almost passed out on the ride home. Things got better after that morning and I started riding a couple of times a week. After completing the initial hard core 6 weeks of the weight loss program I was down 50 lbs and riding 2-3 times per week. I moved in to the maintenance phase and I am now taking a more normal approach to a healthy lifestyle. My daily diet is now a normal plan with just more healthy choices. Over the winter the exercise routine has been very consistent with 3-4 trips to CycleTown each week, playing hockey a couple of times per week and a getting in a couple of days of skiing every weekend. I am down another 15 pounds since the initial 50 and continuing in that direction at a much more reasonable pace.
Cate, we are so impressed! You are young, strong and determined. Tell us what fitness means to you at this point in your life.
Fitness is a very large part of my life, I love to stay active while having fun. Whether it’s going to Cycle Town, working out at Catz, or just getting out on the turf I’m always enjoying myself. I play field hockey and lacrosse, so staying in shape, strong, and healthy is my main goal.
What motivates you? On the bike and off.
Jack: What motivates me on the bike is getting in the best workout I can. The ride is 50 minutes. I know I can go as hard as I can for 50 minutes and it is over. If I am going to be there at that hour of the morning, I might as well do the best I can to get the best workout.
What motivates me off the bike is having fun. Life is way too short to be miserable. I like to have fun every day, no matter what I am doing. I try to have as much fun in court every day as I do at the rink, the ski slope (with maybe a little more fun at Après Ski), the golf course, the beach or anywhere I find myself. This is something that I am constantly trying to instill in our kids. I am very fortunate in that they actually still like to hang with me, or let me hang with them, as much as they do. Everyone has been warning me for years that it will come to an abrupt end, but we are still hanging strong. Family is the most important thing and I have been very lucky to enjoy spending so much time with our immediate and extended family.
Cate: I motivate myself by picturing myself on the field, it’s the last minute of the game, we’re tied and the balls in the offensive end. The pressures on and you know that the push may be painful buts it’s worth it in the end. On the bike, I know I’ll be able to bounce it out soon so I just push through that 30 seconds of sprints and let my legs fly.
What do you love about Cycle Town?
Jack: Cycle Town has been a great fit for me. I love the 5:30 am rides. I now find myself going to all 4, Tuesday through Friday, every week. Kristen keeps promising me a Monday, 5:30 am class, but it never seems to be on the schedule. The crew that rides the early bird rides are great. It is an eclectic mix of people and everyone is very supportive and friendly. The 4 early morning classes all are taught by different instructors. They are all very different and they are all great. That is important in keeping the workout fresh and not getting stale. The personalities, the rides, the music, all vary from class to class, instructor to instructor. Any ride with Peanut Butter Jelly blasting is a great ride for me. I am an early bird anyway. Getting up a little earlier at 4:30 am was a minor adjustment. It feels good to walk out of Cycle Town at 6:30 am and have a great workout in the books. It energizes me for the day. I was never a good runner. The bike was always a better fit for me. The rides at Cycle Town are intense. I was impressed and pleasantly surprised at how much it works the core and upper body and not just the legs and cardio. I feel like I get a great full body workout every class.
Cate: I love Cycle Town because it’s so energizing and you get a great workout. You walk out drenched in sweat but you’re smiling because you just had an awesome playlist and you feel accomplished that you crushed the ride. People think we’re crazy for getting up before work or school to go spin, but we always tell people it’s just so much fun you don’t even notice!
Favorite move on the bike?
Jack: Favorite move on the bike is pushing the red button at the end. Second favorite move is alternating lunges. Least favorite move is anything double time. My legs just don’t move that fast.
Cate: My favorite move on the bike is definitely when we slow it down and hit the lunges and figure eights. It’s always a bonus when you get a good hip hop song that you can sing along to.
Work hard, play hard… what’s your guilty pleasure?
Jack: Guilty pleasure is Beer and BBQ, and the BBQ is not necessary. The regular 5:30 am appointments at Cycle Town let me indulge in a little of that guilty pleasure.
Cate: Ice cream is definitely my guilty pleasure. Ben and Jerry’s, specifically New York Super Fudge Chunk, or Chunky Monkey. It’s a good thing I mostly ride in the mornings otherwise I’d be next door at Nona’s after class.