I bought my Peloton bike immediately following my last 6 week postpartum check, in August 2019. I had never even tried spinning before, but I was motivated by a growing sense that this moment in time I had otherwise been waiting for, in which I could exercise regularly as I was no longer pregnant, nursing, planning to become pregnant, or had small children interfering with carving out “me time”… was perhaps not coming. I invested hard, committing to the cost, buying into the idea of this kool-aid-style community, and embracing the idea of hyper-accessible, in-home, year-round, digital gym access.

Fast forward to my “milestone” 600th ride today: best money I have ever spent.

By the numbers:

• – 600 rides
• – 5,300 miles (distance equivalent of me biking to the Baja peninsula and back)
• – <$4/workout including the upfront cost of hardware, or $1.15 based solely on monthly membership (not including Dave’s metrics within the fixed cost)
• – 6 happy referrals (and many more recruits to the virtual “teams” I’ve loved joining based on seasonal cycling challenges)
• – 1 new answer to the classic question: what would you save in a fire? (Assuming all living creatures are safe and accounted for, & that said fire — while evidently threatening enough that we are all evacuating — is simultaneously not threatening enough that I have time to unplug, call Dave over to help lift, and gently roll the Peloton through the house safely to the outdoors.)
• – 25K minutes, or >17 full calendar days spent between then and now where my focus — whether in yoga, weight lifting, cardio, stretching, or simply a guided sleep meditation — was exclusively on me and taking care of my body

I have a virtual post-it note of all kinds of pump-up mantras spoken by various instructors (“Let discipline carry you when motivation won’t.” “Honor your hustle.” “Wake up, beauty; it’s time to beast.”). But especially since starting this latest pregnancy – and remaining the most physically active I’ve ever been while growing a human – I’ve shifted squarely into the core message many Peloton instructors embrace: “it is a privilege to be able to do this.”

My pace may have reduced the past few months, my handlebars may have risen, and my intensity may be substantially lower, but dang it, I feel great. Cheers to not just chasing 1,000, but for each and every ride along the way.