The benefits of indoor cycling
Since about August 2020, I had been toying with the idea of purchasing an indoor exercise bike for my kitchen. After months of not exercising properly and staying at home during the pandemic, I thought that an indoor bike would be both convenient and motivate me to incorporate more exercise into my routine. I’m not the type of person who goes out for walks at the best of times, so the ‘daily walk’ during lockdown was so not my thing. On January 4 2021, I purchased a Peloton bike, however the earliest available delivery date was March 20 2021, so it was a long wait!
When researching the different brands and customer reviews out there, the one thing that really stood out to me was how much people were raving about Peloton. I had seen their TV adverts that play in the UK and thought they looked pretty interesting - a spin instructor motivating you during a live class broadcast straight to your home, all your metrics displayed on a 27 inch monitor, a leaderboard to track your progress.. the list goes on. The gym I had been a member of since 2011, in various locations, permanently closed in October 2020 and I don’t think there’s a comparable one in my current home city, so this was another contributing factor to wanting to have a home gym setup available. March 20 2021 came and I felt like I’d been waiting a lifetime for the bike to arrive. Sure enough, that wait wasn’t over as there was a technical fault with the bike monitor so another one was delivered (by hand, all the way from Edinburgh) and installed, thankfully later that same day. After the delivery personnel had all left my house, I immediately jumped on the bike and took a class.
Having had the bike for over a month now, I don’t want to be dramatic but, I think it’s changed me. The vast array of classes available on the Peloton platform range from cycling to strength, meditation to walking. If I do become that person who goes out for walks, I can stick a Peloton instructor’s voice in my ears and complete a walking class. Your week can be scheduled if you want to do live classes, or if it suits your schedule to complete a class on demand there are literally hundreds to choose from. These can all be filtered by difficulty, length, instructor, music genre, type of class.. again, the list goes on. Having the bike right there in my kitchen gives me no excuse to not exercise. A short climb ride can easily burn a couple of hundred calories, and it’s fun whilst you’re doing it! Scheduling my week has allowed me to easily fit a few classes in amongst my other commitments, and I don’t need to drive 10 miles to get to the gym to do a spin class which is also a bonus! I had done the odd spin class at my old gym, but the convenience of having a bike available in my house is really unparalleled. If you are in the market for any type of indoor bike (or a converter to allow you to train indoors on your outdoor bike!) I would highly recommend it. Email me if you have any questions!
