Many of you will know that during the last few months I have found exercising outside of my home quite difficult.
At first, it was pure logistics…trying to get a 7 year old to exercise at the rate you need, when you want to go out is almost impossible.
Then came the anxiety attacks every time I left the house.
I did some exercising at home, some yoga and strength sessions, and I even did some running in my underground carpark…but the truth still remained I was spending far too much time sedentary…even if I did feel like I was running around my apartment 24 hours a day.
Exercise keeps me sane.
It has always helped me to manage my weight….which has pretty much been stable the last 6 years or so.
Gaining weight, not leaving the house, homeschooling while trying to keep my business afloat has been tough to say the least.
I missed running, I missed races, I missed parkrun, I missed Crossfit, “I missed open water swimming, I missed walking to the shops…and yes I know walking was allowed, but I really did find it hard to get out of the door.
The borough I live in had one of the highest infection rates, and my fear levels were super high.
So what was the solution?
We had been running our Thrive Inside initiative, with guest experts, daily dance-offs, and the brilliant Elle Linton as our resident PT…and when I could I would join a session.
The only session I joined religiously though was our Wednesday early evening indoor bike session. I had a turbo trainer and my trusty bike…and so I’d sweat it out with a small group of loyal participants…and those sessions were seriously the only ones where I actually got my sweat on enough to feel the physical and mental health benefits.
But as much as I tried to do sessions by myself I failed.
That’s when someone suggested downloading the Peloton App
And looking back thats when it started to happen….the sordid affair.
I’d get up before Rose woke up to get my sweat on, I’d jump on while she was busy watching crafting videos on YouTube in the afternoon…I was hooked.
But there were still a few things missing
- Community
- Metrics
I knew I’d have to got the whole hog and buy a Peloton bike for that.
But surely that would be the death of my running, no?
With there being no indication of things going back to normal, my Crossfit membership indefinitely paused…it made sense in my mind. You can’t put a price on health right?
And so I purchased my bike.
I have had it for 4 weeks now…and I have done more than 40 sessions.
I am in love.
I have found my exercise mojo again.
I am doing a power zone programme to build my confidence and fitness levels on the bike…but have also been going off-plan and doing Dolly Parton and 80’s pop rides too when the mood hits me.
I am still finding my way around all of the peloton Facebook communities to find my Tribe…and I’ve literally got 14 friends so far haha (I’m @juliecreff if you wanna find me)
I had an unfortunate interaction yesterday with someone in one of the groups who basically fat-shamed be without knowing anything about who I am or my story…telling me, “You need to have a serious word with yourself about food” and this was completely unsolicited.
This makes me so grateful that my Too Fat to Run community is a diet free zone. We welcome anyone in the group, no matter where they are with weight loss, plus size views, health at every size like whatever…we just don’t tolerate excessive weight loss chat…because to be fair the internet is awash with that and it’s nice to escape it and just focus on health and fitness.
So there you have it.
I haven’t completely gone over to the dark side. I know I will be back to running when my fitness and childcare situations improve. I even did a HITT training run session outside my flat a few weekends ago using the peloton app…so there is hope.
But for now, this really is a great solution to my situation.
I am hoping a few months of regular training on my peloton bike combined with less stress, more consistent nutrition, and the old Julie will be back…raring to go with some running stuff again.
Look out next week for an update on what my plans for the Too Fat to Run community are for the summer, and if you haven’t joined our FREE fitness community yet, please do…and then you’ll get all the info via email.
Oh and we still have some Thrive Inside Tshirts in stock…, particularly in our larger sizes. Check out our online shop here
Please note this blog is not sponsored in any way. If you would like to purchase a Peloton bike (you won’t regret it) you can use the code SW68WH for £100 off accessories…gifting me £100 of accessories too…I have my eye on a cute little crop top ha haa
You can also explore the app
https://www.onepeloton.co.uk/