52 Weeks of Peloton

Yay, I Got a Badge!

52 Week Peloton Badge

I recently completed 52 weeks of doing some kind of exercise via Peloton. It started with being on the treadmill using the app, then the Peloton bike was purchased so a lot of exercise was on the bike. There has also been a little bit of yoga and very little bit of strength stuff.

I know, I really should vary my workouts.

In any case, a year ago I weighed about 214 pounds. After one year of all that exercise you might think I would have hit my goal weight of 185.

Nope.

I know, now you’re thinking I must have just crushed 185 and gotten closer to my ideal weight of 160, right?

I mean, seriously, hitting 185 would mean only losing 29 pounds in a year, a tad above 1/2 pound a week to get to the 185. Heck, my ideal weight of around 160 equates to about a pound a week.

Am I even close to either of those?

Not a chance.

A Peloton Success Story?

Weight change over one year.

I am currently tipping the scales at 208 pounds.

That’s right, after one year and all of that exercise I’m down six pounds.  I have a feeling Peloton will not be contacting me to be one of their success stories.

The odd thing, though, is that those six pounds are a success story for me. How so? If I didn’t get hooked on those classes, starting my first “live” treadmill run with Selena Samuela, I would probably be up twenty to thirty pounds instead of down six.

See, I am a success!

BikeSoICanEatAllTheChocolateAndDrinkAllTheWineIWant!

So what is my difficulty in actually dropping the weight?

First, let me say I have no delusions that others seem to have. I’ve read people’s comments on the Facebook and the Reddit thinking just getting on a Peloton bike will cause one to lose tons of weight, get ripped, and be fit. They’ll post something like, “I’ve been riding the bike a week. When am I going to lose weight?”, while having a screen name of something like “BikeSoICanEatAllTheChocolateAndDrinkAllTheWineIWant!”

Exercise and weight loss seems to be a conundrum many people have trouble with, but not me. I know the ripped-ness only comes from dietary changes. You’ve got to get rid of the fat around those muscles, and while exercising does help a little, like six pounds in a year, it only helps a lot when you adjust your food intake as well.

In my further self-analysis, like many people these days, the stress of things, from the COVID to the election, has resulted in seeking comfort in the basic food groups of donuts, ice cream, and beer. Too much of those, and probably increasing my portion sizes of all things everything else, and, well, there probably isn’t enough exercise I could fit into my day to lose that weight.

The thing is, before the “Vid” hit, I almost had a plan to lose weight, the “It’s Really, Really Freakin’ Hard Diet Plan” that I wrote about back in February. I was even on a decent trajectory, nearing 200 pounds. Then thoughts turned to a virus, being upset at people not taking it seriously, who knows what was going on with the election, and reading, hmm, perplexing theories of nanotechnology being implanted into a vaccine. Through all of that I forgot about dieting being hard, in fact I pretty much forgot about dieting.

I didn’t, however, forget about exercise, and that’s probably what has saved me.

And right now I’m okay with that.

The Things That Have Changed

First live Peloton Run with Selena Samuela
My first “live” Peloton class with Selena Samuela!

Happily, even though my outer appearance hasn’t changed much, I’m fairly certain inside things have changed. One metric I saw change was resting heart rate. When I started the journey things were always hovering around 70, but post Peloton, and rather quickly I must say, things nicely dropped into the 50’s. I can also run with our dog outside, and actually keep up with him, not gasping for air and feeling like I was going to keel over.

The exercising has also given me a sense of connectedness with people, even if virtual. There I will be, high-fiving any #RedditRiders or #PelotonChicago folks that might be on a ride. You can also find me joining group rides when possible, and looking forward to the 5AM central time live rides that have finally been coming back as things have gotten a little more stable in this COVID world.

So, will I get back to the “It’s Really, Really Freakin’ Hard Diet Plan” and finally lose the weight? I’m trying, as in right now “I’m trying” to figure out which of the three basic food groups, donuts, ice cream, or beer, I should eliminate, or at least consume less of. That, I think is my first step.

A New Kind of Poster Child

While Peloton has helped me navigate the past year, and I suppose I am not their poster child of “Look at how much weight I lost!”, maybe they should show the success stories of the person who is able to shout, “I made it through the year and lost six pounds!” I have a feeling there are a lot of potential users who don’t really care about being fit. Heck most people might just want something to help them not completely let themselves fall apart right now.

Yes, I really like the Peloton universe (If you’re a Pelotoner, feel free to follow me, “InspireMyAwesom”, or at hashtags of #InspireMyAwesome or #MakeMeSmile), and while Peloton might not be for you, do your life a favor and find something to at least balance out the stress of these days which might be leading to a few extra food choices you know you shouldn’t be making.

I have a feeling things aren’t going to get easier as quickly as some people want us to think. It might be best to have something that’s a healthy win every day, heck, do one push-up a day if that’s your win. Me, I’ll try to report back in 52 weeks when I should be down at least another six pounds. Heck, I’ll shoot for twelve pounds so that I’m under 200. The question is will it be twelve pounds of donuts, ice cream, or beer?

Give All a Helping Hand

Picture of a person offering food to a duck.

All creatures, human and otherwise, can sometimes use a helping hand. So, go ahead and set up that bird feeder, maybe throw a few nuts out for the squirrel, and if you see someone who might need some kindness be the person you know you can be.

Thanks for stopping by! Keep being awesome and inspired!

(Picture is from the Anderson Japanese Gardens, Rockford, IL)

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Labor – Thank You!

Picture of a person scooping up garbage and a note thanking those who labor.

Usually on Labor Day I poke fun at the name of the holiday and celebrate women who are pregnant. Get it, labor day, women who are pregnant and going into labor?

This year, though, with the coronavirus, those who labor are more important than ever, especially those out there in situations that lend themselves to being around the virus.

So, this year, to all of those who labor, whether the heroes in the emergency room, the checkout person at the store, those picking up garbage, or those who continue to build our world, thank you!

Thanks for stopping by! Keep being awesome and inspired!

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Stay Colorful

Picture of a girl in bright clothing near crashing waves, with the phrase "Stay colorful no matter the danger."

The Black Sand beach at The Big Island, Hawaii, is a surreal place. It’s like staring at a black and white picture in real life.

The key to life there is to stand out, like the little girl, who wasn’t afraid of crashing waves while wearing her colors!

Thanks for stopping by! Keep being awesome and inspired!

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At Sunset

Picture of a sunset with the comment "As the sun sets, did you live your day or someone else's?"

It’s easy to live your life being led around by others. As you go through your day, make sure you are living the day you want, not someone else’s.

Your goal at the end of your life is to live more days for you.

Thanks for stopping by! Keep being awesome and inspired!

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Scary Climb

A scary looking staircase picture.

I snuck into a bell tower one time. The stairs looked old and rickety, and I chickened out from climbing up them to the top of the tower.

Sure, I might have fallen to my death, which might have seemed odd seeing as I snuck into the bell tower at a funeral, but odds are the stairs were strong enough to get me to the top.

Not climbing those stairs has always been a slight regret of mine as I’m betting the view from the top was fairly awesome.

Sure, be cautious, but don’t let a scary climb get you to the victory at the top.

Thanks for stopping by! Keep being awesome and inspired!

(Picture is from St. Augustine Catholic Church, Breese, IL)

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An Anchor

Picture of a statue of Mary with an anchor nearby.

While taking a chair lift to Monte Solaro in Anacapri, Italy, I noticed a hodgepodge or interesting items in yards along the ride.

One such interesting mix of items was a shrine to Mary with an anchor hanging from a tree.

Sometimes everyone needs an anchor, and if Mary needed an anchor she had one nearby.

Thanks for stopping by! Keep being awesome and inspired!

(Picture is from Chair lift to Monte Salaro, Anacapri, Italy.)

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