ColumnSpinning brings out a side of me I didn’t know was there.

Last week, I sent this text: “Class started 4 mins late—294. UGH. #FlyWorld problems.” It would take a fellow spinner to have any idea what the hell I was talking about, specifically another person who has joined the cult of spinning known as Flywheel. And I mean ‘cult’ in the best possible way.

The international spinning chain launched in Chicago about two years ago, and since then, I have become a woman obsessed. The second my shoe clips into the pedal, the non-competitive, non-athlete that I usually am disappears and a crazed, competitive maniac takes her place.

Flywheel works like any other spinning class—except for this little thing called the torq board—a giant screen that shows your progress to the whole room (if you opt in). As the spinning class progresses, you build a score based on speed and resistance, leaving you with a total power number at the end. For me, scoring 300 is always the goal (though not often the reality), hence the text.

To understand how out of character this particular spinning addiction is for me, let’s revisit my previous athletic accomplishments.

Running: I hate, loathe and despise running. Highlights of my not-running career include: walking the required mile during the Presidential Fitness Test in 8th grade as a very nice gym teacher wasted her breath yelling, “Libby, pick up the pace!”

The next year, I walked up to the high jump bar during track and field in gym class (but still cleared it and then was asked by a misguided gym teacher if I’d ever consider joining the track team). My last year of high school I wore bright green Doc Marten boots to gym class while explaining that they were European gym shoes. When told to run laps for mouthing off, I said, “These shoes aren’t appropriate for running.” I then sauntered to my dean’s office after being booted from class.

Yoga: Yoga was the first fitness-y thing I did outside of a gym requirement. I have been practicing for years, and I love it. When I step on the mat, I am in my own world. If I happen to see the person next to me executing a lovely pose that my hamstrings simply won’t allow, I am impressed, but not jealous. I don’t push beyond my limits and try to compete. Rather, I’m thankful for all that my body can do. Seriously.

As I got older, I decided that I probably had to incorporate cardio and other healthy habits into my life if I wanted to stay alive and stuff. Last year, lured by the idea of a free workout that required little advance planning, I even revisited the idea of running and completed a 5K. I was suckered in because it was the Elvis 5K and I love Elvis. Also, people wore capes and wigs, which I’m super into. At the end, I Googled: “5K in 38 minutes. Is that good?”

It’s not good, and I didn’t care—I was just glad to have finished. I don’t feel the same way about spinning.

I love the competitive edge added by Flywheel. Seeing my score on the board as class progresses makes me work harder. When I see that I’m a mere three points behind the woman ahead of me, I haul extra ass. The board is split into men and women, so I am directly competing against women, something else that doesn’t sit well with me in any other setting.

I’m in a Lean In group. I’m on the planning committee for Rock Health’s women’s leadership retreat. I constantly seek out ways to support my fellow ladies. Unless we’re spinning. On a spin bike, I imagine having those tricked-out Grease cars that shoot daggers at my fellow riders; I envision creating oil slicks of sweat; I wonder if it’s possible to knock out the competition with my stinky self.

Off the bike, I am a firm believer in unwinding, daytime naps and doing what you can. But spinning, and Flywheel specifically, has allowed me to tap into my unexpected desire to compete—to my desire to be amazing, and, as the company’s tagline says, never coast. I’m a sucker for a good tagline.

It’s a reality that, as women, we’re competing all of the time, whether it’s against ourselves or others. The ability to tune out the world for 45-60 minutes at a time and just think, “Go. Move. Drink water. You won’t die on this bike. Beat the girl on bike #23,” is a gift. Because even when I think I might die on that bike, or on the days when I know that #23 will kick my ass on the torq board, I still compete. Unlike the days when I wouldn’t even attempt to do well in a 5K, I still want to win.

Spinning has made me realize that I am stronger than I think I am; that I can push myself harder than I knew. I take that knowledge with me into the world.

Related on EcoSalon:

How to Green Your Fitness Routine

30 Best Quotes About Staying Well Physically and Spiritually

12 Workouts to Beat Fitness Burnout 

Image: Flywheel Sports

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Have you got the blue jean blues?  A new competition aims to turn your denim trash into treasure.

When Levi Strauss created the first pair of blue jeans in 1873, little did he know that there would one day be more pairs of denim jeans on the planet than people. The irony is that the iconic durable workwear item originally designed for gold rush miners (the denim fabric was dyed blue to reportedly hide stains) is now owned in designer multiples by women (and men) everywhere.

If you have a drawer or two full of jeans that you can’t bear to throw away – and have an inkling to show off your crafty skills as a denim visionary, check out Jake & Maya Collective’s latest competition, The Upcycled Denim Challenge. The British sustainable line for children has launched a competition appealing to budding textile designers and creators to submit their own innovative upcycling ideas. One lucky winner each month will score vouchers along with the chance to join the team as a celebrated upcycling designer.

For more details about how to enter, click here.  Take a look at some our favorite ideas so far and get inspired to make your own:

Wall Mounted Fabric Deer Head.

Wallet.

Ruffle Vest.

Drawstring Duffle Bag.

 Images courtesy of Jake & Maya

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Curbing our plastic problem is no small task. That’s why the Plastic Pollution Coalition is giving away $50,000 to businesses working towards decreasing our plastic dependency.

Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance working towards a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on people, animals and the environment, created the Think Beyond Plastic competition for innovative entrepreneurs working on solutions to the world’s serious plastic crisis.

The amount of plastic on the planet is nothing short of alarming. Each year, around 300 million tons of plastic is produced globally. Here in the U.S., only about the half number of plastic bottles produced wind up in recycling centers. The rest creep into crowded landfills, or our vulnerable oceans, creating serious harm to animals and ecosystems. Chris Jordan (Running the Numbers) has documented this tragedy as it’s impacting the helpless residents of Midway Island to a tear-jerking degree in his forthcoming film, “Midway: A Love Story For Our Time From the Heart of the Pacific.”

“Plastic pollution is a problem that the world has just begun to comprehend. Recycling is not an adequate solution to the increasing consumption of disposable plastic. We seek disruptive solutions that will reduce the planetary plastic footprint,” said Daniella Russo, co-founder and executive director of Plastic Pollution Coalition.

The global alliance, which was formed in 2009, has caught the attention of some major media outlets, companies, festivals and foundations. Jann Wenner, Editor and Publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the Think Beyond Plastic partners said, “Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem, and we are excited about engaging the spirit of entrepreneurship in the solutions.” Other partners for the contest include Apogee Digital, Bonnaroo, Conservation International, One PacificCoast Bank, FSB, The Sam and Peggy Grossman Foundation, and Tabor Communications.

Entrepreneurs working on products, services, materials and infrastructure solutions that can lead to a widespread decline in use of plastics are encouraged to apply. One existing business will receive $50,000 and the most innovative business concept will receive $10,000. The prizes are being underwritten by the Netherlands A-Spark Good Ventures, an investment company. Winners will be decided by Eben Bayer (Ecovative), Mike Biddle (MBA Polymers), Julie Corbett (Ecologic), Adam Lowry (Method), Dr. Ramani Narayan (Michigan State University), Mike Velings (A-Spark Good Ventures) and Adam Werbach (Yerdle). Submissions must be received by March 10^th and the winners  will be announced at ceremonies in June in Berkeley, California.

For more information, view the competition trailer here.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: tompagenet

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Yoxi’s Trim the Waste Of Fashion competition aims to play an active role in changing the fashion industry.

Yoxi is a creative competition and a social game that challenges team players to tackle social issues with a sense of style and playfulness. Their first competition asked people to rethink fast food and produce a 90-second video to express their opinion about the challenge. This time around, the challenge is something equally important – the fashion industry and the winner stand a chance at winning $40,000.

Yoxi says: “In the nearly $1 trillion clothing industry, waste abounds from the estimated 15-20% of fabric trashed on the cutting room floor, unsustainable material sourcing, massive carbon emissions when transporting products from manufacturing centers, gallons upon gallons of wasted and polluted water during washing and dyeing, as well as wildly excessive packaging, tagging, and storage. Fashion choices matter to everybody, not just models, magazine and style mavens.”

Watch the Yoxi video that looks at the manufacturing of one pair of jeans.

Yoxi founder, Sharon Chang, says the idea of play and competition to solve social problems like waste from the fashion industry is somewhat of a cultural shift – moving the “do good” space from guilt-driven to fun-driven.

“We know that games have existed for as long as human societies have existed, and we all love to play, whether it’s a collaborative or competitive game. The idea of play brings people together and makes problem-solving more engaging and rewarding,” she says. “We also want to add a bit more glamor to the social innovation space. Style and substance are equally important.”

Influenced by a Kickstarter format, people vote for their favorite Yoxi team creating the most innovative fashion waste tools, which forwards teams to future rounds. “Promoters” can even pledge monetary donations should the team they are backing win.

Chang says one of the most interesting lessons from their last competition was how diverse the teams were in regards to geographic location, backgrounds, perspectives, and demographics. The big question is, do we have the time to play like this, or is it easier for people just to write a check for a cause and be done with it? Chang says that while funding is a key component in delivering solutions to pressing social issues, we have to recognize that the problems we face today are far too daunting to be resolved by conventional practices.

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