In an uncustomary act of gifting, Kevin surprised me with the Peloton Bike for Christmas! I was SHOCKED. Like, literally more surprised than the day he proposed. I had been, not so subtly, dropping hints for months about wanting one but he never seemed all that interested in the Peloton hype.
Around November, I downloaded the Peloton App out of sheer frustration by my lack of workout options. It was starting to get cold in Chicago to the point where I no longer enjoyed running outside; studios and gyms, when/if open, required masks and I didn’t want to invest in a ton of at home workout equipment in order to complete a workout. All that combined with being pregnant made working out regularly a challenge.
After doing some research, I found that Peloton seemed to offer exactly what I was looking for – a wide range of classes that could be completed at home with minimal equipment. That plus the free one month trial pretty much sealed the deal for me. I ended up loving it so much that I kept my membership even after the free trial ended in December.
Getting the Peloton Bike opened up a whole new cardio world for me that I’d been desperately missing. I typically try to do cardio 2x a week but had pretty much cut it out of my workout routine as of late. It was a source of anxiety for me because it’s always been important to me to remain active during pregnancy. I know that “active” looks different for every person and every pregnancy but cardio has always been part of my life and was key to my mental and emotional health during and after my first pregnancy.
All this to say, I was super excited after I “received” my gift on Christmas morning. Sadly, we then had to wait until early February for it to be delivered. Since then though, I think we’ve been on the Peloton Bike or App every single day between the two of us. It’s honestly been a game changer for both of us and below is our honest first impression of the Peloton Bike and App.
1 PRO // Class options and range. This is big for me and one of the number one reasons I initially fell in love with using the Peloton App. You can pretty much find a class for any ability, length or style. They have beginner classes, prenatal, pilates, strength, stretching, cools downs and many more that range in length anywhere from 5 minutes to 90 minutes with a variety of instructors and class themes. And it’s a great workout! I’ve tried countless apps, classes and studios and this is as good, if not better. Some of my favorite Peloton instructors so far are: Adrian Williams [strength], Emma Lovewell [cycling] and Ally Love [cycling].
2 PRO // Convenience. Literally there is no excuse not to work out now. Even on days when you’re short on time, you can hop on the Peloton Bike or App and finish a quick workout first thing in the morning, while on a work call, during lunch/nap time, before dinner, literally whenever! This is KEY with kids because you’re able to get your sweat on without leaving the house.
3 PRO // Quality. Yes, the Peloton Bike is a high price point but you get what you pay for. It’s a solid, nicely built, good looking piece of equipment The screen is large and all the functionality is turnkey. It’s super intuitive to use, easy to adjust and has great features including bluetooth connectivity, water bottle holder, adjustable screen, bike brake, and more!
4 PRO // Strong community aspect. People say Peloton users are obsessive and cult like – and I totally get it now. I never take live classes but I love the social/community aspect of the membership. You can encourage fellow riders, take live classes with friends and be acknowledged by the instructor. In my opinion, you get a studio atmosphere from the comfort of your own home.
5 PRO // Complete workout solution. The Peloton Bike alone is awesome, even the most basic package includes everything you need to complete a solid workout. I’ve tried countless apps where I start a class only to realize I don’t own a bench, medicine ball or some other item I need in order to complete my workout. I love that the Peloton Bike is the total package complete with the shoes, weights and headphones.
6 PRO // Tracking. We love that the Peloton App tracks your completed classes, output data, calories and more! Not only does it hold you accountable, it motives you to do better. It’s also helpful to see some of the data for fellow users which serves as another source of motivation. But, if you’re not into that, you can turn it off too and just ride which is sometimes exactly what you need.
7 CON // Delivery delays. Probably our only negative experience with Peloton thus far has been the delivery delays. We were originally given a delivery date in early January only to have it pushed back the day before by an entire month. Then as we approached that date, it got delayed another week due to bad weather in Chicago. If you’ve been following Peloton for awhile now, none of this is a surprise. In a sense, I think it’s simply a matter of mismanaging expectations. I think most people understand how/why things are so backordered but it’s frustrating as a consumer to receive a miscalculated deliver date by more than a month.
Overall, we’ve had a great experience and definitely think it’s worth the hefty price tag. We would recommend it to anyone who thinks fitness a priority and is currently considering Peloton. As long as you possess the self motivation to use it, have the space to fit it in your home and see it as a long term workout solution [post COVID with gyms/studios reopening], I promise you won’t regret it!
xo
Kara
KARA VALLARI 