My Peloton Story
Friends, it’s time I told you my Peloton story. It starts last August, at the beach. I was there with my family and everyone was doing their beach thing, hanging out, swimming, and just generally enjoying themselves. The kids were moving around and having fun, trying the stand-up paddle board, going out in kayaks, walking back and forth from the house to the beach with different toys and snacks. As this was happening all around me . . . I sat. I had a book and I was reading. And sitting. I wasn’t unhappy about that, I love reading at the beach, but it bothered me that I felt physically uncomfortable with exerting myself, that it wasn’t quite right that I felt ill prepared to do anything other than sit and read.
Later that week I went wedding dress shopping with Hannah and Doreen, who is not only my best friend but also Hannah’s godmother. The shop is lovely and in a very old building. And the dresses are up on the third floor. And there is no elevator. I managed, but I got pretty out of breath and I had to stop and rest partway up. It was a little embarrassing but I laughed it off. At lunch, after Hannah selected an incredibly spectacular gown that Doreen bought for her (I know! Right?!) I looked at my daughter and my best friend and I shared with them that I knew something had to change about my lifestyle. I had, as it were, a moment of truth. I confessed how I had felt sitting on the beach watching everyone else move about with confidence and feeling like my own body wasn’t up to doing any of that. I admitted to being mortified that I couldn’t climb the stairs of the shop without having to rest. I looked at them both and said, what do I do?
Almost in the same breath they both said: you need to find exercise you enjoy. I responded the way I always have: I hate exercise. But Hannah persisted and said there had to be something. So I thought for a moment and I said, the only thing I ever really enjoyed was spin class. To which they both responded, practically in unison and as if they had rehearsed it: you should get a Peloton! I told them they were crazy, that Peloton bikes were too spendy and I didn’t have room in my house and I wasn’t going to be a piece of exercise equipment that I’d never use and we moved on to doing important things like ordering champagne.
Later that day, though, I started doing some research on at-home exercise bikes. There are several that are much less expensive than the Peloton and I began comparing them all. The thing I kept coming back to, though, was my feeling that the Peloton was the best. And I sort of have this thing about wanting to have the best. I pretty much decided right then that if I were to purchase something it was going to be a Peloton. I reached out to Kym, knowing she had one, and asked about the size of the bike and we started a conversation that, truthfully, continues to this day. We went back and forth for a bit, I talked with Dale, we rearranged the furniture in our little den to make sure it would fit . . . and I ordered the Peloton the next day.
And then the waiting began because, as Kym pointed out to me immediately, it takes weeks or even months to get a Peloton right now. In my particular circumstance, I ordered it on August 28th and my delivery was scheduled for October 20th. And that Kym . . . she’s a crafty one because her first question to me, after I told her my delivery date, was what are you going to do in the meantime? She recognized that my motivation in that moment was high and I needed to take advantage of it. Luckily, Peloton gives you free access to their app while you wait for the bike. And luckily, there are some really great classes for strength training and stretching and yoga and more. And, not to overuse the word, but luckily I had Kym to encourage me.
The first thing she did was make me stop using the word exercise and start using the word move. As someone who hated gym class, was never good at sports, and always preferred reading over physical activity, I definitely have a block when it comes to the concept of exercise. The second thing she did was encourage me to use my Apple Watch as a tool for tracking my movement and holding me accountable. That has worked particularly well for me as I’m someone who enjoys tallying my accomplishments. The third thing she did was patiently explain things like cardio and stretching and strength training and she helped me work out a plan to do all of those things on a regular basis. We quickly established that I needed to have 30 minutes of movement every day to really set myself up for success. Taking a day off just wouldn’t have worked for me and I’m pretty sure I would have lost my mojo and I wouldn’t be able to brag right now about it being nearly 200 consecutive days that I’ve closed the rings on my Apple Watch.
That’s a very long lead up to the actual arrival of the bike! But arrive it did, right on schedule, and I started riding that very night. Not to sound like a commercial but, the instructors are amazing and encouraging, the variety of music is fantastic, and there are so many types of rides that there’s no chance of being bored. My goal is to ride 4 times/week and I’ve been pretty good at meeting that for the last 20 weeks. In fact, I’m closing in on my 100th ride, a milestone known as the Century Ride in the Peloton community. On the days that I don’t ride, I do yoga or stretching or strength training. And as weird as it sounds . . . I love that damn bike. Don’t get me wrong: it’s hard! But it’s a good hard. I sweat and huff and puff and even swear. Some days I can’t wait to ride and other days I have to really force myself to just.do.it. But I’m always glad when I do. I said to Kym recently that cardio strips away the gunk of life and I think that’s so true. When you’re in the moment and feel like your lungs are shredding and your legs are going to fall off, it’s impossible to think about anything else and that’s incredibly freeing. There’s just no way to be anything but present in the midst of a good, hard cardio work out.
I feel like I need to say something here about weight loss because for many people the purpose of exercising is to lose weight. And that’s cool and I wish them well. But that’s not what this journey is about for me. I could write whole blog posts about the dangers of diet culture and the brutality of fat shaming and the prevalence of fat bias in the medical community. For the purpose of this post, though, I’ll just say that my story is about accepting my body and making it stronger and healthier and that has zero to do with the numbers on a scale or the size of the clothes I wear. Rather, it has everything to do with my brain and the things I say to myself. I’m fighting years of believing I’m not worthy of anything good in my life because of childhood trauma, years of calling myself unlovable, unworthy, and unhealthy because that’s all I thought I deserved. It’s been one hell of a journey to get to the point where I can feel a little pride about my body and how hard it can work instead being ashamed by the size of it. I ride the Peloton to improve my cardio health. I do yoga to improve my balance. I lift weights to strengthen my body. And if I never lose so much as an ounce I’m absolutely fine with that because my resting heart rate has dropped significantly since last October. And those stairs at the bridal salon? I climbed them last Thursday and yes, I was winded, but I didn’t have to stop and rest and I recovered within moments.
Buying a Peloton has been a huge change in my lifestyle and I feel so good about it. Now when I sit on the couch and read, (which is and always will be what I’d rather be doing) I feel like I’ve earned it. And that feels way different than how I felt last August, back when I felt like my only option was to sit and read because I wasn’t capable of anything more. Looking back, though, I’m grateful for that day on the beach. I’m grateful for that feeling that something wasn’t quite right. I’m grateful for the seed that was planted in that moment because that seed has been watered and nurtured and cared for, not just by me but by Dale and Hannah and the rest of my family. And by Kym (and her husband, Tom, too), who has encouraged and supported and occasionally even cajoled me to believe in myself, to stick with this plan, and to literally change how I think about my place in this world and the space I take up. I know I’m the one doing the hard work. I know I’m the one changing my story. I’m just so glad I get to do it with these amazing people cheering me on.
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Big congratulations to you for your moments of knowing you needed to do something, doing the work every day, and moving! We’re always fighting the fact that the things we enjoy (knitting and reading) are sitting still activities, but you are also moving. This is a wonderful change in your mindset and thank you for telling your wonderful Peloton story!
What a fabulous post! GonCarole! I haven’t fallen in love with our sort of new bike and the Peleton workout yet. If I get on it daily I bet I will.
Way to go! I think it’s very empowering to discover that discipline in yourself and what you’re physically capable able of. Peddle on!
Bravo, Carole! I am cheering for you! (and Christine is my favorite teacher just saying!)
So loved your story/journey to implement movement into your life. Maybe you already did but if you haven’t had a physical lately you might want them to check and see if some thing else was causing you to be short of breath. We women need to be vigilant regarding our heart ?? health too. Thank you for sharing you are inspiring others with your words!
So I am sitting here crying. I am so happy for you, Carole. Because . . . this is just so awesome. Thank you for being brave enough to get on that damn Peloton in the first place — and especially for being brave enough to share your story.
And . . . as Christine would say . . . “You are bigger than a smaller pair of pants.” XOXOXOXO
Thanks for sharing your story. We looked into getting a Peloton or some sort of bike because my husband has back issues which makes walking and hiking tough but he loves riding his bike. The wait time put us off but I did put my bike up on a trainer to ride indoors this winter. I love that you talking about your reasons – wanting to be more comfortable in your body and being able to move. Those grandsons are going to keep us moving, we need to be able to keep up!
Your post speaks for so many, thank you for always being so honest
I’m so glad that you had that day on the beach, that it led to you finding movement you love, and that now you’re more confident and healthier! I’ve always known you are worthy and pretty darn amazing … happy that you’re starting to realize it, too.
So proud of you and your accomplishment – 200 days! And now when you sit on the beach it will be even more enjoyable. It was nice to see you last night!
Wonderful!
A lot of us have so much in common. Great story! Congratulations!!
That Kym is a smart one! AND YOU are amazing! To keep up a daily practice is not easy to begin with, but it is so rewarding. Besides the fact that going to the gym now is impossible, having your very own space in which to move is easy and doable. I really love my (old fashioned) bike and also daily walking (in part thanks to Mylo). Being competitive with yourself, via iWatch, is a fun way to do what you need to do to keep the body singing. Way to go, Carole!!
Congratulations on your new active lifestyle! I hate exercise as well but after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes I knew I had to do something. Being active helped me to reverse it (along with diet because my body reacts to certain foods) but the best thing is being able to DO things and not have to sit on the sidelines anymore. It’s great that I have lost weight but it wasn’t my goal to “look good”. Funny how our priorities change as we get older? Here’s to being healthy and active!!
Yay Carole!!
For all the right reasons! Bravo, Carole!
What a great accomplishment. Putting value to your journey. Congratulations, Carole! Daily movement, not ‘exercise’. I love that concept!
Carole, this post is just GREAT! I too hate exercise but know I have to keep moving and its hard as we age, joints hurt and over weight by the ‘medical system numbers.’ I am no longer keyed into weight but how I feel and my lab numbers, these are truer assessments of my health. I may not be able to run a 10k but I can walk a 10k and I can touch my toes again with the Zoom Yoga classes I have been taking.
You go girl!!!!!
Let’s keep cheering each other on!
Bravo, Carole! It’s so hard to take that first step, believe me, I hear you. You are inspiring. I wish you the best.
Carole, Thank you for sharing your beautiful & inspiring story…it has moved me to tears! I wish you continued joy in your daily movement and all that is good !
Congratulations! What an uplifting and motivational story. Makes me want to get up out of this chair and move. 🙂
Good for you!! Those are all the right reasons to climb on that bike, do that yoga and lift those weights. You are working on healthy habits that will have you around for your family for many years to come!! Love you! ??
What a great post! wonderful story1!! Good on you and keep moving on!!!!
Congratulations Carole.keep up the good work. It’s all about staying healthy
What a fabulous, inspiring post! Thank you for sharing your journey to daily movement. Congratulations on DOING the work and changing your story. Wishing you all the best!
Congratulations on the big step! I love Kym’s advice to think of it as moving, not exercise! (She sold me on the idea of weight training!) She is one smart cookie! When I have days where I don’t want to walk, I tell myself I will feel better if I do…and I always do. Keep on moving!
Yeah Carole! I’ve been doing yoga daily since January and I enjoy it. I do have an exercise bike that I got from a co-worker and I have to start on it again. It has a few programed rides and I enjoyed them when I did it, they were hard. Maybe a Peloton someday but not till this bike stops working.
That’s great that Doreen bought Hannah’s dress. I am godmother to my niece and I bought her dress when she got married. I had figured I never married or had kids so it was my chance to do something for my niece.
Way to go, Carole! You should feel very proud of yourself. Your realization that it’s about being healthier and stronger is one I had myself in the past couple of years. It’s so hard to avoid all the toxic diet stuff in our world, and I really think that we’re much more likely to be successful if our motivation for exercising, having a healthy diet, etc. is that we want to be able to keep moving for a long time to come. I’m glad you’ve found an activity that you love, because that makes it a lot easier!
Thank you for sharing this. I love it! You are so determined and deserve to be proud of your progress.
playing catchup and intending to leave one comment at the end of all the posts I missed, but I couldn’t NOT leave a comment here to say thank you for sharing your story, for being so vulnerable and honest, and to say CONGRATULATIONS on your success(es!)! Getting into the habit of moving every day is hard (my husband has been making that journey these last few years), but I’m convinced it’s life-giving. and so worth-while. especially when you have people to move for … Dale, Jackie, Hannah & Mikey. xoxo.
What a wonderful post! Really proud of you for making the changes in your life to keep you healthy and strong. You go girl!!!!
I have thought about your Peloton story for days now. I too hate the word exercise. Never did it, never would. I have been getting up at 5:30am and going to the YMCA since November to do a routine of water exercises five days a week for an hour. My reason: my hip has been diagnosed with arthritis and is very painful. The range of motion has improved but like you, I haven’t lost a pound. All that “exercise “ and very little results. I’ve been getting very frustrated and afraid the drive to continue will fade away.
Your story was inspirational. You wrote “I’ll just say that my story is about accepting my body and making it stronger and healthier and that has zero to do with the numbers on the scale or the size of clothes that I wear. Rather, it has everything to do with my brain and the things I say to myself.” I’ve had some depressing conversations with myself but I am going to keep in mind what you wrote and take pride in what I’m doing everyday. Thank you!
I need to get back on mine. I had a work change about 2 years ago that sucked away all of my time and energy, but I don’t have that excuse now. I just discovered the Peloton yoga and barre classes as well.
Go Carole Go! You are going to be great at this.