PART 8

SELF IMPROVEMENT. . . AND FUN!

PELO TIP 58: CALORIES

There are varying schools of thought, which you’ll see on social media and elsewhere, suggesting that the calorie counter on the Peloton Bike is not completely accurate. In fact, some Internet wags have been suggesting that each bike is calibrated slightly differently. For a rider like me, that is less of an issue, because I compete with myself on the same bike each time, so what I’m looking for is comparative metrics with other rides that I have done and will do. In other words, for me the question is: Am I burning off more or fewer calories than I did the day before, and what can I try to do tomorrow? Or, put another way, I am not trying to count individual calories so I can know if my latest ride has earned me an extra cookie at dessert. Instead, I am interested in improving on my personal best.

However, there is clearly a big appetite for calorie counting. Many people very much do want to know exactly how many cookies—or fractions of cookies—they may have earned during a workout. And that’s okay, too! If you are in this camp, I suggest that you get to know the calorie counter on your Peloton. If you have any doubts about its accuracy—as some users clearly do—a great solution is to simultaneously use another calorie-counting device while on your Peloton, and then compare the results. And, of course, there is always the bathroom scale to really see what is happening!

PELO TIP 59: WEIGHT LOSS

This is definitely not the first book to tell you that the weight-loss journey can be confusing and sometimes frustrating. When you’ve been working hard on your Peloton, pedaling away like you are in the Tour de France, it can be frustrating to then weigh yourself and realize that you haven’t lost a lot of weight . . . or, heaven forbid, find that you actually gained weight. But hey, it happens. Even to Peloton Bike users.

If your only goal is weight loss, I think it’s important to remember that while everyone is different, it is generally accepted wisdom that in order to lose weight, you need to exercise and eat healthy. Usually doing one without the other is not going to produce the results you want.

But there are other things to keep in mind. Peloton users tend to build muscle as they ride. So riders who begin losing fat, but gaining muscle, don’t always see a quick drop-off in their overall weight.

In addition, riding a Peloton tends to improve our endurance, which means we are utilizing the oxygen we take in in a better fashion. That oxygen is moving throughout the body, and this means we are moving better and performing better.

This is just a long way of saying that riding a Peloton will improve your body in a number of healthful ways, but it won’t only be weight loss. As for me, I’ll take it!

PELO TIP 60: GET CONNECTED

After the state-of-the art quality of the hardware, and the variety and excellence of the instructors offered, the biggest draw for owning a Peloton Bike is probably the sense of community that it builds.

Even though I initially bought my bike because I hated taking in-person classes and exercising in front of other people, I must confess that now, being part of this large group of fellow Peloton users motivates and empowers me—and makes me proud! I find that it definitely stirs up my competitive juices; I sometimes laugh at myself when I see on the Leaderboard that someone who started the ride around the time that I did is now slightly ahead—then I pedal faster or turn the resistance knob, and now I’m in the lead! I have to say, the first time I was really struggling during a ride, and, all of a sudden, someone sent me a virtual “high five,” I pushed myself harder just because of that little hand that had popped up on the screen.

Another aspect of being a Peloton rider that can be really gratifying is going on social media sites and reading other riders’ stories. The ones that really make me feel connected are those that make me laugh. Those cute dog photos (“Pelo Pups”) inspire me or pull at my heartstrings. Once in a while, I’ll read posts from people who have lost someone important in their lives, have a sick child, have a husband or wife deployed in a war zone, or used to be sickly or dangerously overweight. They are looking for company, validation, or a spiritual connection. And the responses they get are just beautiful—and the way that becoming a Peloton rider has helped them is remarkable—and they renew my faith in what humans can accomplish.

For me, this is one of the most priceless parts of becoming a rider. I hope that you’ll also take advantage of all these possible connections to other riders and the larger ridership community!

PELO TIP 61: IF THE SCREEN TILTS

Your delivery guys should have left you a little tool kit for your Peloton Bike. There are a number of situations in which this kit can come in handy, but perhaps none more useful that dealing with screen tilt.

If the screen on your Peloton should start to tilt over time, take the biggest Allen wrench they provided in your kit and use it to rotate the entire screen left or right. The spot to rotate is located where the arm that holds the tablet attaches to the bike.

Don’t worry if your screen begins to rotate; you’re not the only rider it has happened to, and the problem is easily fixed with the tools provided!

PELO TIP 62: IS IT ME OR IS IT A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM?

As a Peloton rider, sometimes you’re going to experience a problem with your bike, and you may be tempted to assume it is only happening on your bike. But is this really the case? Probably, the answer will be no.

Peloton has a way for you to check on all operational systems related to your bike and to verify if your problem is an isolated one.

Go to status.onepeloton.com; there, you can easily see if it is a systems-wide problem. Going to this site will also give you a status from Peloton relating to the problem, such as “Investigating” or “Resolved.”

So when and if you do have problems, you’ll at least know that you’re not the only one!

PELO TIP 63: PELOTON CACHE

Like all the other hardware and software in your technological life, your Peloton tablet has a cache used to store data temporarily, and this is found under your Wi-Fi setting. These caches of data take up storage space and are essentially just junk files. As a rider, you should be aware that if needed, they can be deleted to free up storage space. If you decide to delete them, my personal advice is to call Peloton Support and have somebody walk you through it just to play it safe. Your Peloton Support rep should be happy to help you.

PELO TIP 64: THE PELOTON BRAKE

As much as I am a big believer in total devotion to your exercise routine—without any interruptions whatsoever—emergencies do happen . . . even if it is just the call of nature. Because of this, you’re going to want to know about the Peloton brake.

To stop the flywheel from spinning so you can jump off quickly, simply push down on the big orange resistance knob. (Clipping out of your pedal has been dealt with in a different section.) This will allow you to quickly stop the bike and do what you need to do.

PELO TIP 65: ADJUSTING FOR PAIN

Not to sound like a broken record, but before exercising, you should always consult with a doctor. We are said to live in a “no pain/no gain” world, and for too many of us, therein lies the problem. We push ourselves during our workouts and sometimes ignore serious pain at our own peril. Having said that, there might be things you’re doing while riding that are causing the problem. It can be helpful to rule these out to make sure your pain is not caused by something more serious. If you feel any pain or discomfort in your chest, do not assume it is a muscular problem. Go directly to your doctor or the ER.

With that out of the way, there are other types of painful things that can be avoided. As many instructors will tell you, the first thing to do is make sure your butt is positioned on the widest part of the saddle. You’ll also want to keep your hips back, your spine and back straight, and your shoulders down away from your ears (no shrugging!).

With regard to your knees, if you are feeling pain in the front of your knee, try raising your saddle and sliding it away from the handlebars. If the pain originates from the back of the knee, do the opposite: lower the saddle and slide the seat toward the handlebars.

If you are experiencing foot or arch pain, the problem may be with your cleats. My suggestion would be to find a local bicycle shop to see if they can help you adjust the cleats.

I cannot say this enough, but there are three other words that are key to minimizing pain when riding: stretch, stretch, and stretch.

And if taking these steps doesn’t correct your pain? By all means, check with a medical professional!

PELO TIP 66: CHECK OUT YOUR PROFILE

Many Peloton riders choose not to engage with their apps. While this is, of course, fine to do, I feel it risks the user missing out on a really crucial aspect of the Peloton experience. Keep in mind that with your monthly Peloton subscription, you’ll get a lot more than just the ride itself! There are all sorts of activities and metrics contained on the app or available through your tablet.

For the remainder of this book, I want to highlight some of the things you might not know about . . .

When using the Peloton app, I recommend that you check out your “profile” on the lower tool bar. There, you will get a snapshot of your total workouts. By accessing this information, you will immediately see your accomplishments, but, equally important, you will also notice gaps in your routine. Tapping each category (cycling, stretching, meditation, boot camp, cardio, running, strength, walking, yoga), you will be reminded of which instructor you worked out with and be able to see at a glance whether you liked the class or not.