When Sarah rides she smiles ear to ear. She makes her health and well-being a priority because she knows acutely the need to keep in touch with the joy of the every day. That’s it: seek out the joy of the everyday. That’s her power.
Tell us about yourself, your fam, and your interests.
I moved to Hingham almost seven years ago from Charlottesville, VA. We moved here after my husband finished law school at the University of Virginia and took a job with a law firm in Boston. We have three small children – two boys (7 & 6) and a little girl (almost 20 months – ahh!) – that keep us very busy. We love Hingham; it is such a great town to raise a family. I am very involved with Foster School, my Giving Circle and St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Some of my interests are exercising, volunteering, cooking, traveling and reading. Mostly I enjoy being with family and friends.
What first brought you to Cycle Town? What has your fitness journey been like?
I had not done any spinning classes prior to coming to Cycle Town three years ago. I was intrigued by the type of workout and wanted to really push myself to do more. I always played team sports growing up. After college I attended a number of different gyms where I gravitated towards group classes. My favorite classes were step aerobics or cardio classes because of the fun music and enthusiastic instructors. When my kids were little I had a hard time finding time to work out. Now that my oldest is seven I have made a commitment to getting into better shape. I like to rotate between Cycle Town, Hingham Yoga and the Bar Method for my workouts because they offer a very different type of burn.
What motivates you?
I am motivated by being the best version of me. I find that I feel better and have more energy on days that I work out.
This has been especially tough year and a half, and I feel that working out, and Cycle Town, were a big factor in my recovery. After having my daughter, I was very sick; there were long periods of time where I struggled to do much of anything. I was a shadow of my former self, and even with great medical treatment, my recovery was very uneven and difficult. I have wonderful friends and family, and their patience and support were big factors in my recovery, but internally, it was crucial for me to find personal motivation to help me move forward. Working out became a great motivator – whether it was the adrenaline or the constant reinforcement of great teachers, or the desire to be part of a group, I’m not entirely sure, but I found a very important part of myself in these classes. For a long while, I went to the earliest class so that I would just get out of bed, and without any time to dwell on the day or second guess myself, I would cycle or do another class. It set the table for my day, and eventually my weeks, and, to me, was a big part of pulling myself through my illness and becoming “me” again.
What do you like about Cycle Town?
I really love all the instructors. They have a positive energy and they are always motivating me to work harder on the bike. Even on the days where I don’t feel as motivated, I walk out of class feeling invigorated. Unlike at other workouts, the Cycle Town instructors seem to love their jobs and they always deliver with an awesome workout. One of my favorite aspects of the workout is when an instructor calls out a rider. I love that the instructor knows everyone’s name and encourages them throughout the ride. It really makes me feel like part of the community. I also love the social aspect of Cycle Town. I have a number of friends that work out here and I love coordinating classes and scheduling a coffee date or juice date afterwards as a reward for working hard.
Favorite move on the bike?
I really like moving around on the bike. Lunges and figure eights are my favorite even though I am not always sure that I am doing them correctly.
You are known for your love of throwbacks. Any favs you want coming out of our speakers soon?
My all-time favorite Cycle Town moment was during one of Kristen’s Thursday classes when she played Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ and dedicated the song to me. The band played that song at our wedding and it has always been a personal favorite. Nothing beats sprinting to the lyrics of a classic 80’s song.