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This week I took my first in-home Peloton ride and afterwards thought “how can I share this experience with friends who don’t get it, are on a budget, or need an insiders opinion.
Lets start with the big elephant in the room - the cost. This is something I vacillated on for awhile trying to figure out the justification of a above average investment; not to mention during a time of uncertainty and a pandemic. The price tag on the website can be pretty intimidating and made me feel a bit ridiculous for even considering. But then I broke down the math. Over the last year, I have invested $60/session 2x a week for over 12 months with a trainer I credit my “return to myself” body commitment and the beginning of my journey back to health. It was exactly what I needed and would recommend Tara Keller (click link to go to IG profile) to anyone! I also support, and will always support, my local YMCA with a monthly gym membership. I know first hand this non-profit, Florida's First Coast YMCA, is a beacon of light for our community in so many ways, so it felt like I was cheating on them. I realized they will always be apart of my budget, so it wasn't cheating. But, it was a cost to consider. Then, I wasn’t getting the cardio I wanted and needed to reach my goals, so I started looking into adding a spin membership at a local franchise. (Running isn’t an option for me and my old knees any longer) Once you add ALL that up my monthly output for health was ranging between $600-750/mo or almost $8k annually. Sounds like a lot when you put numbers on paper. Once Covid19 hit, I had to put a pause on my training sessions due to unexpected pay reductions. With my pocket book was shrinking; it seemed like my pants were too (if you know what I mean). So, we built The B Gym in our garage and you know the rest of that Peloton purchasing story (see post here). What helped me justify the Peloton cost was understanding my budget, shuffling and reducing some costs, and learning there is a financing option (no money down, zero interest for 39 months) bringing my monthly fee to $60 per month. That felt digestible. I don’t usually finance; so I called my financial advisor for a second opinion, set up direct withdrawal to deduct without any interest at the end, and away we ride.
Next mountain to climb was this strange nervousness I felt before my first ride. It was kinda like a first date feeling - like, I really hope I like this or this better be "The One". I had taken a leap of faith and hoped it would live up to its expectation...or that I would live up to my commitment to my investment. What a curious feeling to encounter for something so insignificant. After a good healthy pep talk with myself that I do not need to prove anything to anyone and any additional pressure was silly, I set a game plan for my first ride. I walked through the Peloton set up, my shoes with clips fit perfectly, my room felt comfortable, I found a 30-min class with music I liked, and I began to peddle. As expected, I feel in love all over again. My inner voice was wrong, this WAS going to be a good investment! Sort of ridiculous when I think about it now, but its an honest account of how I felt, perhaps someone else will feel the same way and need that same reminder to push and just do it anyway.
For those that don’t get it; I guess you’ll just have to trust me. I save time in my day, sweat enough to be proud of my exercise, feel energized by competing against someone else (rider12345 or whoever is my target that ride), and get to jam to whatever music genre that’s moving me that day - from 90’s hip hop to the soundtrack of The Greatest Showman. My overall opinion is this is an easy to use machine to help me reach my goals; and enjoy it along the way. The screen interface is easy to work, the metrics help me stay at my optimal levels, the belt and wheels provide a smooth ride, and customer service chat is on point when needing assistance. The only issue I had was trying to clip in and out of the peddles, but perhaps those loosen up the more I use them...Another good measuring tool for my investment...and maybe yours too!
xoxo
sarah
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