100 Rides with Peloton
Some history: I have started and stopped my fitness journey many times before. Without the camaraderie, motivation, goal oriented mindset that team sports gave me in high school & college I struggled finding a sustainable way to see an impact or progress of the work that I was putting in. In my adult years the scale seemed to be the only thing that could measure if I was doing “enough” and I became a bit obsessed.
For much of my late teens and early twenties I had a disordered relationship with food. I’m stubbornly against going back to that place now that I have struggled to find peace with it. I’ve also opened myself up to a lot of new foods, gotten older and maybe a little wiser, and my palate has literally changed (I crave vegetables now??? when I eat too much greasy food I feel bad??? 10 year old me does not understand at all). All these things have led me to eat a bit better, eat a bit healthier, not feel bad about the “bad” stuff, and find moderation most days. I say all this to indicate that I am not on a weight loss journey, nor do I ever really think I could be again when it comes to food. I want to be fit, I want to be strong, and I want to feel good - it took me a long, long, time to say these things and really mean it. (Before I would say it and really just mean - I wish I was thinner).
I’m writing this to share some happy news and showcase that there are other metrics. As of today, I completed 100 Rides on my bike! (I’ve also done around 70 strength training and 40 yoga classes). I got my bike at the end of February and have been using it pretty consistently since then (as evident by the rides). Besides the fact that the classes are genuinely engaging, fun, and have good music one of the coolest things for me is the data (competitive nerd alert). I never realized how much I missed the spirit of competition - even if it is just competing with myself! And isn’t that how we get better? By improving on what we did yesterday? Now I can compare my own rides to each other, based on speed, energy output, heart rate and even compete with others on the leaderboard.
I don’t need to rely on a scale that does nothing but tell me how much mass I have in the universe. Because I have proof, actual numerical proof, that I am getting stronger, healthier, and more fit.
Let me break it down for you:
I have more than doubled my output from my first ride on rides of equal length
My fastest 10 min pace from one month ago - I can now maintain for 30 min.
I have reduced my heart rate while maintaining the same output
I have increased my VO2 max 35% (VO2 max is a measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness)
For Peloton specifically the numbers are all visible and tracked in the app but you can also download a CSV file with the raw data, which is how I made this handy dandy graph.
Other facts of note:
I’m happier - if there is one thing I learned from Legally Blonde, it’s that “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.”
I have lost ZERO pounds (I checked this out of curiosity and actually laughed out loud because it is crazy how this number has remained stagnant while I feel so different and my body has changed.)
You don’t need a Peloton to do these things. This is what has worked and is working for me - I’m happy I’ve found something I think I will actually stick with.
If you are struggling to find a program that works for you - think more about what motivates you than an outcome and maybe you’ll find something that can become a part of your life more seamlessly.
If you are struggling to find peace with your body - I’ve been there, I’m still there some days - but find something that makes you feel good not just satisfies some arbitrary number on the scale.
And if you are none of these things - good 4 u (by Olivia Rodrigo), but seriously keep on keeping on and be a cheerleader for someone else in your life who isn’t where you are at.
xx
