The connected fitness craze: Should you buy a Peloton?
This year has been a strange year for fitness. And a very profitable one for Peloton.
The connected fitness craze, most obviously illustrated by the willingness of spin class enthusiasts to part with over £2,000 for the first year with a Peloton bike, has only been accelerated by the Covid-19 outbreak.
This article isn’t going to be a full technical review of the Peloton Bike or Bike+. Rather, I want to give you a health coach’s insight into the key advantages and drawbacks to consider before you jump into bed with 2020’s hottest spin instructor.
As a brief overview, aside from the high price tag and annoying motivational mantras used by the instructors (they are from the States after all), the Peloton Bike does appear to be the leader if you’re in the market for a ‘connected’ spin bike at home.
So let’s assume you haven’t even blinked at the price tag, and are ready to turn your spare room into a shrine to Team Sky (hopefully with less doping), here are some things to consider.
The good
One of the key factors in the success of any health and fitness plan is that it needs to be as easy as possible to stick to.
To achieve any meaningful change in your health you have to play the long game, and anything that adds friction to the routine makes it more likely that you'll fall off the wagon.
A massive benefit of the Peloton Bike is that it couldn’t really be more convenient.
As the weather turns here in the UK, and many people still don’t feel comfortable in gyms, the benefit of convenience cannot be overstated.
Another big benefit is that it brings the element of competition and community to your training, at a time when we’re more socially distanced than ever.
You are able to compete against other riders for position on the leaderboards, as well as be part of a community of like-minded individuals by joining different groups to ride with.
One of the key factors in the success of any health and fitness plan is that it needs to be as easy as possible to stick to.
This is undoubtedly more fun and motivating than trying to run your own spin class to a Spotify playlist, which even for the most hardened fitness enthusiast, can become demotivating very quickly.
The not so good
The most obvious drawback is the price. This is an expensive piece of kit. For your first year you’re looking at around £2,400 with the bike, shoes and a 12 month subscription.
And if you’re considering cutting costs by buying the bike without the subscription, then you’d be losing one of the biggest benefits of going with Peloton in the first place - the classes themselves.
Exercise is no panacea
Whilst it’s incredible for both mind and body, don’t expect exercise alone to get you to where you want to be with your health.
You may have found yourself exercising hard in the past and not seeing the changes you were expecting. That’s more than likely because you didn’t have everything else dialled in properly. The Peloton will certainly help you to exercise, but it’s not going to fix bad sleep and a poor diet.
I think it’s fair to assume that a lot of potential Peloton customers will be trying to lose some weight. And it would also be fair to assume that they more than likely place an undue significance on exercise to help them solve that problem.
If your diet is not on point, then you really should start there if you’re trying to lose weight. If you’ve got that nailed down and are looking to burn some extra calories, improve your heart health and strengthen your mental wellbeing - then now we’re talking.
Is this just another shiny object?
This is a big consideration. And one that I urge you to take very seriously.
Much like when we buy a new car, or perhaps a new phone because of how we think it will make us feel, the novelty of the Peloton Bike will wear off after a short period and you may find yourself searching for the next shiny object.
Whilst it’s incredible for both mind and body, don’t expect exercise alone to get you to where you want to be with your health.
It is an exceptionally well marketed piece of kit, and so you may already be convincing yourself that it’s what you need. The reality however is that buying the bike is not going to turn you into the Instagram ready spin instructors that work for Peloton.
The harsh truth is that though we may convince ourselves that we’ll get in shape when we buy the latest gadget, more often than not it ends up on the pile with that gym membership that was bought in January.
Improving your health and sustaining it for the long term is hard. A shiny Peloton Bike will not do the exercise for you, nor put in the work required to improve your sleep, diet and lifestyle - all of which are necessary to make a sustainable change to the way you look and feel.
Final considerations
There is more to a well balanced health programme than a Peloton Bike - think weight training, nutrition, sleep, and other lifestyle factors.
But if you can honestly say that you’re willing to put in the work in all of those areas, and assuming the price tag doesn’t put you off, then I’d say the Peloton Bike would be a great purchase - one that will more than pay for itself in health benefits over the long run.
If you’d like to know about how online health coaching can help you lose weight and take back control of your health, all whilst balancing a hectic business schedule, you can apply for a free health blueprint session here.