I Tried Peloton For 30 Days — Is It Really Worth The Hype?
As a new mama, finding time to work out seemed like a losing battle. Trying to coordinate a good time and place was an exhausting task that always resulted in me doing absolutely nothing. I needed something convenient, challenging and exciting to keep me focused. Enter Peloton.
With a little convincing, I sold my husband on investing in the purchase. In exchange, I promised myself that I would consistently use the Peloton bike and app for 30 days. Turns out, it was worth every red cent.
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I immediately bought into the energy of the instructors. Each of them has their own flavor mixed with the same encouraging message of discipline and perseverance. I finished one class excited about the next opportunity to hop back on my bike. Even from the comfort of my home, I felt a part of a community – a special club of overachievers who worked daily towards becoming better.
"Come on baby! Let discipline carry you when motivation won't!"
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These were cornerstone words from my instructor Alex as I jammed out in a 30-minute Hip Hop Spin class. Through my breathlessness, I found the wherewithal to type his words in my phone as a steady reminder when I wanted to skip a workout. I've had Peloton Church about 76 times since then. Nearly each time, I've thought of Alex screaming that phrase as I put on my shoes to take a ride.
Thankfully, Peloton has a way of enticing me to come back time after time. There's something about the fire playlists and the way each class burns so good that keeps me engaged. Users around the world send virtual high-fives across my screen to acknowledge milestones as the leaderboard encourages me to beat my personal record.
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Metrics calculate everything from distance to heart rate, giving me the stats I need to feel like a superstar. Badges acknowledge my accomplishments, giving me reminders to be proud of my progress while the calendar of active days encourages me not to break my streak.
On days when I'd like a change in pace, I head over to the Peloton app for strength, cardio or guided outdoor audio classes. Filters help me pick workouts according to length so I can squeeze in 15 minutes on days when being mama makes it tough to carve out more time. Turns out, even small spurts of effort add up.
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At the end of my first 30 days, I had 26 active days and dropped nearly 10 pounds. Yet these perks aren't the tip of the iceberg.
What no one tells you when you purchase your bike is that you'll gain access to thousands of black women who will motivate, inspire, and cheer for you daily.
Luckily for me, my cousin saw my post about getting a Peloton bike. She immediately messaged me an invite to join Black Girl Magic Peloton Edition on Facebook (affectionately called BGM for short). Joining has literally changed my life.
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Black women from all walks of life are there with daily inspo that motivates me to step it up. The group includes #BGM challenges, a mentorship program, and dialogue among like-minded women. We follow each other on Peloton taking classes together as a sign of solidarity, celebration, or praise depending on the occasion.
Pre-COVID-19, BGM members participated in meet ups and travel groups to places all around the world. Doctors, lawyers, financial advisors and stay-at-home moms have a space of solitude – somewhere we go for that extra push to keep going both on and off the bike.
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Each time I enter the group, I imagine the roar of cheers from my team. The energy is magnetic and powerful. In fact, BGM is more than a group, it is a sisterhood.
Every black woman who has the Peloton App, Bike, or Tread should get in on this serendipitous treat.
It's worth it.
If you are thinking about purchasing a Peloton, get $100 off your accessories on us by clicking here.
Featured image by Kandice Guice
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Kandice Guice is a lifestyle and beauty writer who doubles as an attorney and entrepreneur. She prides herself on helping multidimensional women discover personal and professional fulfillment by encouraging them to live with ambition, sass, and a whole lot of pizzazz. When Kandice isn't closing corporate transactions or writing blog posts, she is usually cheering on her husband as a football coach or looking for new travel adventures with friends and family. Check her out at kandiceguice.com and follow her on all things social @kandiceguice.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images