Peloton and gratitude

When I found out I was going to be in New York City this fall, I really wanted to take the opportunity to do a live Peloton class in their NYC studio.  And by “take the opportunity” I actually mean that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my wife, Crystal, for scoring tickets to the classes — think Taylor Swift.  

Peloton, for those unfamiliar, is the stationary bicycle (although they also now offer a treadmill and rowing machine) that has a video feed so you can participate in spinning classes real-time or tap into their enormous library of previously recorded workouts. I’ve been riding a Peloton bike at home pretty consistently since 2019 and I’m enormously grateful for it because it kept me exercising during the craziness of the pandemic.

Peloton is designed to keep you motivated and returning for regular workouts by fostering communities within Peloton where you and other members can connect and motivate each other and it allows you to compare yourself to others on the leaderboard. Over time, Peloton trainers have become celebrities in their own right with cultish fan followings, so when I got into two classes with Alex Toussaint (aka AT) who recently published a motivational book called Activate Your Greatness, I was beyond excited.

Due to flight delays I didn’t land in NYC until after midnight, so I did not have much gratitude at 5:30 a.m. when I rolled out of bed to get to the studio in time for the classes. But standing in line with the other folks in my class, it was hard not to catch the excitement.  After checking in and getting bike shoes for the classes, I wandered around the Manhattan studio which has a juice bar and lots of merch for sale. Most of the Peloton content is filmed right there which includes not only cycling but also yoga, Pilates, strength and fitness, stretching, meditation and running classes. One of the great things about Peloton is the unbelievable amount of content from which to choose. There is literally a workout for everyone with classes of varying duration and intensity.  

As we were led into the biking studio 10 minutes before class to pick our bikes and get them adjusted, I was feeling nervous and excited and didn't know what to expect. But before filming started, AT came in to get us pumped up, and he brought me back to feeling gratitude when he told us, “If you can hear me right now that means you woke up today. If you woke up today, you were blessed with another day of opportunities.”

The classes themselves were really fun and not too hard. As an aside, if you want more challenging rides, I recommend Power Zone training where you determine your FTP (functional threshold power) and then the classes are customized in intensity for your particular fitness level. The studio classes I did were a 20 min Low Impact Ride and a 20 min HIIT & Hills Ride (you can find them by filtering 20 min rides with AT and choose the ones from 10/27/23).  I’m easy to spot in the videos because I’m the goofy guy wearing the “Peloton Idaho” shirt. So this Thanksgiving, instead of giving in to tryptophan lethargy after your big meal, why not “validate your greatness” as AT says, and join me in one of these rides! 

THE GOOD: As the days are getting darker and colder here in North Idaho it’s hard to beat the convenience of rolling out of bed, trading jammies for biking shorts, and getting a good workout all without having to leave home.  

THE BAD: The high startup cost ($1,450 to $2,500) for the bike. But if your gym or your sister-in-law (more gratitude!) has a Peloton bike, it’s only $44/month for the subscription or you can access tons of content on their app for just $12.99/month. And inasmuch as Peloton tries to create virtual communities, it’s still not the same as exercising with your buddy IRL.

THE NITTY GRITTY:  Whether or not you own a Peloton bike or plan to get one in the future, gratitude is a key ingredient to achieving your fitness goals. Or as AT says, “Find your gratitude, cancel your attitude.” Happy Thanksgiving! 

Dr. Emry is a family physician and partner at Ironwood Family Practice in Coeur d’Alene.  Exercise Explorer MD will appear every other week in The Press and Dr. Emry can be contacted via email exercisexplorermd@gmail.com. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license.