If you have talked to me at all in the last year, you most likely heard me rave about my Peloton bike.
I want to be clear: Peloton did not ask me to write this post and I am not getting anything from them. Buying this bike was life changing for me. You may not need this particular piece of equipment but if you are able to create a similar situation at home, I think you’ll achieve similar goals.
Before I had children, I used to work out at least 5 days a week. Spin, pilates, circuit training, yoga, step, kickboxing, free weights, if they had it at the gym, I was doing it. I somehow managed to work out through residency and fellowship. I bought videos and home equipment (weights, bands, etc) just in case I would not be able to go to the gym. I did the work out Insanity two times before my first child was born.
Once my daughter was born, it took me a while to get back to the gym. After 4 months, I joined a barre studio. If you had children, you may remember you can work out after 6 weeks post-partum. I was doing my last fellowship and had 6 months of home call, so I did not join a gym since I could get called any moment so often and I didn’t think it was worth it. I survived the year by doing YouTube videos and when my daughter turned 1, I also did 21 day fix (another video from Beachbody, the makers of Insanity and P90x). I eventually joined a gym and paid for personal training sessions to force me to go.
My son was unexpectedly born 10 weeks early. I did not start working out again for 7 months after that. I went back to YouTube videos but did not feel like I was getting much out of them. After years of crazy Peloton ads on my Facebook, I finally gave in thanks to a great Thanksgiving special and finding out I could finance the bike with no interest.
I have now owned the bike for almost a year. Since then, I have worked out 3-4 times a week, except for the occasional vacation week or service week, when I have to round in the hospital every day. I have not had that kind of consistency in years.
Peloton bikes may not be for everyone. If you are a stay at home parent, have older children, live alone, or hate cycling, this bike is not for you. If you are like me and work a full time job while having small children, this is life changing. There is something about the screen attached to the bike and being able to follow the classes that really helps me keep coming back for more.
Working out is not the key to weight loss if that is what you are looking for. A healthy, well-balanced diet, and burning more calories than what you consume is. Working out helps but is not the main way to do it.
Exercising is so much more – it is maintaining your cardiac health, your mental health, your bone health, an outlet to let go. The Peloton app is a must if you get the bike. I would argue that you could get any spin bike and use the app for a similar experience. Besides the cycling classes, I take their weight lifting classes, yoga, stretching, and most importantly, their meditation classes, which I use almost every day.
A few weeks after getting the bike, I was kicking myself for not getting it sooner. Having the ability to work out any time, without adding travel, waiting for a class to start, or other things that waste time is amazing. I did not think spending this much money on a bike was worth it but once I financed it and broke down the math, it was cheaper than the gym I was going to.
If you find yourself yearning to exercise again (or to start!) but lacking time or motivation, I challenge you to find a way to make this bike or app work for you.
I realize I am publishing this post amidst some Peloton ad controversy, however, if you know the company, their instructors, and the ideas they promote, you realize the criticisms of the add don’t make sense, so I won’t be addressing them here.