My Fitness Journey | I Love My Peloton Dupe (Part 1)

This post was originally published in the spring of 2021. It’s now the spring of 2023 and I’m STILL obsessed with my Peloton “Dupe” Bike! So, I wanted to update a few things and re-share this post!

**As of January 2024, Peloton has changed their app and how it operates. I wrote an entire update HERE**

Something I rarely talk about is my own health (it sounds so weird to call it a “fitness journey” – gag – but whatever).
Part of the reason I don’t really talk about it is because I don’t feel like I know enough to share anything (I’m still learning, after all).

The Jinx

And part of the reason I don’t really talk about it is because I’m afraid of jinxing my progress and the discipline I’ve acquired.
Deep down, I think this thought stems back to – in the months leading up to Derrick and I’s wedding, I really wanted to get in better shape, so I dedicated myself to walking/jogging on the treadmill in my parent’s basement every morning before work. I hated it, but I had such a strong end goal in mind that I did it. A few weeks before our wedding, while I was chatting with someone, it came up in conversation that I was exercising every morning. She kind of chuckled at me and replied, “You might be doing that now, but once the wedding is over, you’ll definitely stop.”
In the moment, I remember thinking: “Why would you say that? I’ve built this into a habit – why would I stop?”

Of course: lo and behold, we had our wedding and even though I did exercise a few times post-wedding day, I had lost that super strong end goal and thus the habit faded away and I quit.
And so, to this day, I hesitate to share anything about my own “fitness journey” with anyone, because deep down, I feel like that person jinxed me. They didn’t – it’s all in my head – but that’s a huge reason why I really don’t talk about it.

But – here we are!
I decided to write this post mostly because I always see other ladies/Moms in Facebook groups I’m in, looking for advice/help when it comes to exercising. So, I thought, what better way to share my own thoughts and experiences than to write a blog post about it.

The Beginning

Over the 12 years that Derrick and I have been married, I have started and fallen off of a “fitness regime” many many times. We bought a treadmill when we were newly married and I would go through spurts of using it: a few weeks here, a few weeks there – but nothing super consistent.
In mid-January of 2020, I decided it was time to start regularly exercising again. I was 30 years old and my greatest desire was (and is) to be healthy for my kids. I want to live a long, healthy life so I can be there for them as long as I’m given on this earth. So, without too much thought, I started exercising every morning – Monday thru Friday.

From mid-January thru June, I was super disciplined. I completed the Couch to 5K program (which is a plan that teaches people who don’t know how to run, how to run – and spoiler-alert: I hated it). I completed a DVD workout series, and I watched a ton of YouTube fitness videos (these guys were my favorite).

The problem was: I really struggled to find something I truly loved. By the beginning of June, I found myself in a rut. I had built this 5 months of discipline into my life, but I was frustrated. I was doing the same routines over and over and they had become boring. And, because it was summer and busy-season kicked in (with traveling to ride roller coasters and photographing weddings) I simply fell off the bandwagon.

I always knew that I would come back to exercising again – I did enjoy how it made me feel (even if I didn’t enjoy the exercises themselves – read as: running = blah). But I needed a new plan – something I would actually enjoy.

Trying Something New

Fast forward to December of 2020. Derrick and I were talking about wanting to get healthier and lose some weight and I mentioned that I had always wondered if I would like an exercise bike. I always loved biking as a kid, and I just knew that running was not my thing. To my surprise, Derrick said: “That sounds great! How much do they cost?”

I started doing some research. Obviously PELOTON is the name of the exercise-bike-game! I mean, they’re synonyms, right? There was just one problem: I could not bring myself to pay just shy of $2,000 for an exercise bike. I didn’t even know if I would like it!
When I looked into Peloton though, what I really loved was the plethora of live and recorded classes they offered (not just cycling, but yoga, strength-training, stretching classes etc.) plus the community you could build within the Peloton system.

That’s what I really wanted: variety to keep me engaged and never bored and community to keep me locked in and dedicated.

My research led me to find a delightful spot of middle ground. I could buy a less expensive non-Peloton exercise bike – but still utilize the Peloton app – and DING I was sold.

So, here’s what we ended up buying!
The Sunny Health and Fitness Magnetic Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Bike with 44 lb Flywheel and Large Device Holder, Black, Model Number: SF-B1805
Additionally, we purchased (for underneath our bike):
This Supermats Heavy Duty Equipment Mat 13GS Made in U.S.A. for Indoor Cycles Recumbent Bikes Upright Exercise Bikes and Steppers (2.5 Feet x 5 Feet) (30-Inch x 60-Inch) (76.2 cm x 152.4 cm)
And lastly, we grabbed this to guide my rides within the Peloton app (more on this in a minute):
Wahoo RPM Cycling Cadence Sensor

You can purchase specific biking shoes and replace the pedals that come on this bike with pedals that your biking shoes would “clip in” to, but I’ve never felt like I needed that. Maybe if I was training for something super serious (like the Tour De France) I would upgrade, but so far, I’ve been satisfied with just wearing my Adidas tennis shoes and sliding into the straps that are built into the pedals already on the bike.

So! We got our bike at the beginning of December! We put it together and started using it. I knew that ultimately I wanted to “graduate” to the Peloton app, but since I had literally zero experience with cycling, I wanted to get my feet wet first.

YouTube Fitness

I found Kaleigh Cohen Cycling on YouTube and I fell in love. She has a set of beginner classes that taught the basics of resistance, cadence, and positions, as well as how to properly set up your bike. Her attitude was infectious and I felt more and more excited every single time I got on the bike. Every single workout was totally different from the last (meaning, no endless repetitions that just leave your mind to count them down before you’re done) and I loved the “dance party” atmosphere cycling provided.
By mid-January, I felt like I was beginning to exhaust the videos Kaleigh had on her channel. I’d done almost all of them and was starting to repeat classes I’d already taken. I attempted to find another YouTube channel with cycling classes – but none were as professional and high quality as Kaleigh’s channel.

The Peloton App

Which simply meant that I was ready to “graduate” to the Peloton app! I created my account, started my free-trial, and set about finding my way around Peloton. Some of the terminology the Peloton instructors used was a smidge different than what Kaleigh used, but I was able to quickly catch on and know exactly what they were saying.

And guess what? I loved it.
And I still love it.
I love the plethora of instructors and the huge amount of variety in the classes – from super intense and challenging, to different styles of music (80’s! Rock and Roll! EDM! Broadway!), to low intensity rides (that still get you sweating). And that’s just the cycling classes! When I first started out, I just did cycling classes 5 days a week, but then I began switching it up (because, why not?) I began taking some strength classes and have loved taking some yoga classes in between days when I ride the bike (which, by the way, if we’re talking about exercising – yoga is my most favorite – I love yoga).

This Is Not The End

So – that’s my story! It’s now mid-March 2023, so I’ve been on the “regular exercising train” for OVER TWO YEARS now. I’ve lost over 30 pounds – and I just feel better. I have more energy and I feel more prepared to tackle my day.

I have some tips and tricks and advice to share from my experiences over the last 2 years, but I’ll save that for another post. I invite you to continue on this journey with me HERE (I’m sharing all the practical things I can think of in this Part 2 post!)

If you have any questions I can answer for you – feel free to drop them in the comment box below!
And if you join Peloton (or are already a loyal Peloton user) – find me and let’s be friends! My username is karabbey.

*This post contains affiliate links. Making a purchase from a link within this post will not add anything to your purchase, but it will provide me a small kickback!