We have all seen the commercials. A beautiful woman or man is riding a fancy stationary bike in their posh apartment in NYC or somewhere luxurious like in the mountains. It is the advertisement for the Peloton bike, and I fell for the branding.
One year ago, my Peloton bike was delivered to my home in Baltimore, and it changed my life. I was always the girl that wanted to go to classes at the gym because I thought they looked so motivating and fun, but I am way too self-conscious to actually go. Another issue with classes was the fact that I did not feel I had time to get up early, go to the gym, go back home to shower and get ready for work and then bring Vincent to daycare all before starting my work day. It was the same situation with the end of the day and getting home. Peloton allowed me to have the experience of being in a class without having to leave my home or be self-conscious in front of other participants.
I instantly fell in love with the way that I felt after my rides. (Not how my butt felt at first though!) I felt stronger, more confident and had more energy throughout the day. I noticed that my posture was improving and that I was more active in general. I looked forward to getting on the bike every day after work, and the rides were complete stress relievers for me. The mental health aspects were also noticeable. If I was not able to ride for a couple of days for whatever reason, I started to get really cranky. On a really bad day when I was feeling really bad about myself, an Ally Love ride or Robin Arzon ride could bring me to tears. (I am still not sure if that is a physical reaction due to adrenaline or what.)
I did lose weight, but not a ton. I gained so much muscle though, and normally if I would not have seen results after a decent amount of time I would have dropped this activity like a bad habit. Not the Peloton. This was different for me. I was a part of a community of badass women who supported each other through this stationary journey. I hit my 100th ride, got a tee shirt and decided that I wanted to hit 200! I knew at this point that this was not a trend for me and that this was going to be a part of my lifestyle moving forward.
Peloton allows me to be competitive, be supportive and be vulnerable. I joined groups on Facebook, follow instructors and other riders on IG and discover new music from different rides all the time. My instructors will regularly comment, like or share my posts because even though they have such a huge following, they are authentic and love what they do.
The themed rides are the best. I died when there were holiday rides around Christmas and I got to ride to Jingle Bell Rock! I think that I have taken the Lizzo and Sia rides at least 15 times each! I loved Halloween’s Rocky Horror Picture Show ride with Jess King and the Turkey Burn on Thanksgiving was amazing. The monthly goals keep you motivated as well as the high fives from fellow live riders.
Peloton is not cheap. It is not for the weak hearted and it is hard. It is also one of the best things I have ever invested in since it really leads to an investment in my mental and physical health. This February marked the one year anniversary of having my bike, and I wanted to share my love. I cannot wait for our many years together to come.
Now I have over 300 rides and have never been happier with a wellness routine in my life.