I’m here to report that I am a CHANGED woman. The gal who hadn’t taken a spin class in 6-plus years bought a Peloton bike and hasn’t looked back once. In short? I am straight-up obsessed with the energy of the instructors, efficiency of the classes, and ease of doing a killer workout from my home, usually in just 20 minutes.
This bike is worth its weight in gold, friends. And then some. So today, I wanted to share my love of this spin bike and share all the goodness it’s brought into my life over the past few months of having it. (And Drew loves it, too, for a quick-but-definitely-not-easy at-home workout!)
Why I chose to get a Peloton
It was a while ago when tested one out at the Andaz in Maui, and although I had thought about getting one, I did have my reservations about it. Like, how much better or different could it REALLY be from other spin bikes? Can you actually bring the energy of a buzzing spin class into your home with a solo workout? Plus, I hadn’t taken a spin class in several years and wasn’t even sure I liked it all that much. But I’d heard great things from friends, so I sat my booty on the saddle in Maui to give it a spin (literally), and was pretty much immediately sold.
If you haven’t heard of it, Peloton is a workout company that sells high-quality spin bikes with built-in monitors where you can stream spin classes from the comfort of your home. If you sign up, you also have access to their app, which has even more workout classes, like yoga, strength classes, stretching, and cardio. They also recently came out with a Peloton treadmill that streams running classes that I’ve heard is the bomb.com, too.
The thing about it that I LOVE the most is it’s not just a workout. It’s so inspiring and motivating, and the music is so dang good. The instructors are all so different, but each of their attitudes and energy is so captivating and high vibing. They’re there to encourage and push you in a good way — it never feels too pushy or judge-y. I think we’ve all had THOSE kinds of workout instructors before, but they don’t exist at Peloton. My favorite instructors are Ally Love and Robin Arzon — their energy is just pure confidence and joy and badassery, and it’s contagious.
3 reasons it’s worth the money
My biggest hesitation (and the biggest one I hear from others) was: Is Peloton really worth the cost? The bike itself is $2,245, including delivery, and there’s a $39 monthly membership fee for the app and streaming the classes. So yep, it’s a hefty chunk coming out of your wallet to get all set up and to have access to the classes over time. But I honestly do think it’s worth it for a few reasons.
01. It saves me time.
It’s no secret that time is my biggest currency, and I protect mine fiercely. So, driving to the gym, doing a so-so self-guided workout on my own for 30 to 45 minutes, driving home, showering, and then starting my day is just a time suck. And not to mention, kind of boring.
With the Peloton, I’ve committed to doing 3 days a week for 20 to 30 minutes a day, but usually it ends up being longer because I just LOVE these classes and the way they make me feel. I roll out of bed, hop on the bike, and am done in no time and ready to start my day, without ever having to leave my house. Plus these workouts are EFFICIENT. I can burn more calories in one 20-minute Peloton class than an hour of doing my own thing at the gym.
02. It keeps me accountable.
Because I’m paying for it on an ongoing basis, I feel more accountable to show up. I’ve never missed a week since investing in my Peloton because there’s literally no excuse to not make it on the bike for 20 minutes out of my day.
All I have to do is get up, get on it, and I’m done for the day. On the days that I do my Peloton workouts, Drew usually gets Coco up and dressed, and by the time I’m done, I can meet them in the kitchen for breakfast. It’s perfect for our family in this season!
03. It challenges me.
The Enneagram 3 (the achiever) in me is all about Peloton and the number tracking that comes with it. They automatically set you up for success with encouragement and trackable information, and I love seeing how many days I’ve completed, the leaderboard numbers, my total output (or effort number) from a workout, and even the timer countdown for the class until it’s finished.
Not motivated by numbers? You can totally ignore them! If you tap on the time tracker for the class or the leaderboard tracker, they simply go away and you can enjoy the class sans all the competition. But for me, I sort of live and breathe for this sort of competition, so I am allllll about it and you know I’m chasing those names above mine on the leaderboard! (PS, if you have a Peloton, add me! My username is jennakutcher.)
Peloton on a budget
If the cost is a little too freaky or too much of an investment right now, I have a couple of friends who got around it by purchasing a regular spin bike and then getting the Peloton app ($12.49 a month) to stream on their phone or iPad.
My friend Sarah did a whole blog post about which bike she got and why (girlfriend did her RESEARCH), the cadence tracker she uses, and the cost breakdown. It ended up costing significantly less than the official Peloton set-up, and she loves it!
Either way, whether you do the full shebang or the budget version, I have a feeling you will fall head over heels for this workout situation like I have — especially if you love efficiency and ease when it comes to getting your sweat on. See you on the leaderboard!
I’m considering this, now that I’m at home with the kids and my gym is closed! Are there any must have accessories you bought (like softer bike seat or shoes) that you think are required to make this worth my time??