If it wasn’t for the music, it’s unlikely I’d ever go to spin. Seriously. I can’t imagine doing sprints to the sound of huffing and puffing. Nor would I ever entertain doing a heavy seven-minute climb without a rocking song to push me through it. Heck, let’s be honest, every time an instructor’s iPod cuts out, I’m literally ten seconds away from getting off my bike and heading home.

Valentine’s Day creates a lot of pressure to show the love. Of course, if you’re a fan of Nicholas Sparks novels, Lifetime movies and Hallmark commercials then you already know that romance is easy. There’s a simple formula: Flowers + chocolate + card = Love For the more adventurous, there are variables that can be added to spice things up....

Each year is the same. On New Year’s Eve, bloated from the holidays and buzzed on cheap champagne, we make grand resolutions. This is the year we’re running the Boston Marathon. By Spring we’ll drop 30 pounds and have ripped abs. This summer we’ll go from struggling to keep up with the pack on muffin rides to dominating the race circuit.

Lately you’ve been listless and lacking your usual energy. Your workouts have been off, your endurance is flagging, and your muscles are sapped the next day. You may chalk it up to the cold weather, but temperature might not be the true culprit. It could be dehydration. What?? It’s ten degrees outside and it’s all you can do to keep warm! But the evidence is there: the cracked lips and dry sinuses, the chapped skin and brittle hair.

Without a doubt, the holidays are prime cookie season. Whatever your favorites—gingerbread, sugar cookies, thumbprints filled with jam—plates of them show up in the breakroom, you receive tins of them as gifts, and they cover the table at holiday parties. They’re delicious. But they’re also usually loaded with refined sugar, larded with butter and brimming with empty calories.

Maybe it’s the season. The days are shorter and night comes earlier; the temperatures are colder and a warm blanket sounds like the perfect way to spend an evening. Or maybe it’s the holidays. There are gifts to buy and decorations to hang; there are parties to attend and family to visit. Whatever the reasons, we’ve hit that time of year when there are a hundred reasons not to workout. Which is fine, except that every time you skip a workout in favor of curling up on the couch, you feel pretty awful and swear you’ll make up for it tomorrow. Until tomorrow comes and another convenient excuse presents itself (A wine tasting! A cheese sampling! A “Dawson’s Creek” marathon on TBS!). Here are three tips to help you keep that date with your bike.

‘Tis the season for baggy sweaters and elastic pants, comfort food and comfy clothes, Aunt Jane and antacids. But Cycle Life is determined to keep you feeling good and looking even better. We’ll be open Thanksgiving morning to get you burning calories long before the Turkey hits the table.

Most runners know they should cross train. And yet it’s hard to break from the routine of lacing up day after day. We’re slaves to mileage and time, and we’re convinced that missing our target numbers will mean decreased results. But studies have shown that runners who replace 50% of their runs with cycling perform just as well as those who train by running alone...but they absorb far less wear and tear.

For all riders, getting the most out of your workout can be a challenge. At the beginning, class can be confusing and intimidating. Should you really be able to do everything your instructor is calling out? Experienced riders, on the other hand, can start to plateau as they get stronger. Here are a few tips to ease new riders into the flow of class and help experienced riders keep getting the most out of their bike time.

As the days get shorter and temperatures cooler, you might be tempted to put away your bike for the season. But if you’re a serious cyclist, you may want to hold off on putting your gear into storage. Cycle Life offers individualized CompuTrainer sessions that will help you maintain and build your fitness during the winter months and get your ready to surpass personal bests next season.