Reflection
Taking Time to Reflect on the Past Two Years
Two years ago, I turned 50. It was October 2020 and we were of course right smack in the middle of the pandemic. We didn’t have vaccines yet and get togethers with large groups were not only frowned upon, but discouraged. We did manage to celebrate (outdoors of course) with around 30 friends and neighbors as my wife arranged for an Octoberfest themed party. For one night anyway, it was a return to relative normalcy.
A few months ago, I wrote about the privilege of working out. It was something that I picked up from one of the Peloton instructors and promptly dismissed at the time as just another attempt at motivation in the midst of a grueling workout. This was of course before the pandemic which has seen more than 1M people die from Covid-19, my youngest sister’s husband among them. Who among us would have thought that 2 weeks of staying home to “stop the spread” would turn into two plus years and take such an unimaginable toll on our lives. To say I’m grateful to be reflecting on the past 2 years is an understatement given what so many have been through.
Exercise is truly a privilege - One of the things that has helped me stay consistent is changing my mindset about exercise. I’m grateful for my health, which affords me the opportunity to workout. Plenty of people are willing but unable to exercise and I try to remind myself of that, especially on those days when it’s tough to find the motivation. And if that isn’t inspiration enough, consider the stories of these Peloton instructors. Bradley Rose suffered a stroke at age 33 caused by a birth defect and was told he may not be able to teach fitness classes again. Logan Aldridge lost his left arm in a boating accident at age 13 and now teaches strength classes on the platform, frequently throwing out one liners like, “use both hands if you’ve got ‘em.” And Kendall Toole suffers from clinical anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder and if you haven’t seen her Today Show interview, I encourage you to watch it.
Peloton is legit - Peloton has taken a beating recently and rightfully so. The demand for their products during the first year of the pandemic was incredibly high when people couldn’t go to the gym and they bet the company that the trend was here to stay. It turns out that people missed the gym and many have ditched their bikes and treads in favor of other types of activity. I was most definitely not on the Peloton bandwagon when my wife suggested we get one more than 3 years ago. I was not a fan of the stationary bike as frankly, I associated it with rehabbing from injury. After more than 2100 workouts however, I’ve become not just a fan, but a Peloton evangelist. The Peloton instructors are a big reason for that. They somehow manage to convey a sense of accountability through a 21.5 inch screen and they were there throughout the pandemic, including teaching classes from their homes. When I started on the platform, I only took cycling classes, but being forced to stay home allowed me to branch out to strength and stretching classes, allowing me to get the most from my membership fee. If I had a tread or their Apple Watch app was better, I’d probably use it for running as well. Peloton’s instructors are their competitive advantage and they keep me coming back for more. I just received the Peloton Guide as a birthday present and a friend of mine asked me what it did differently than the app. I’m going to write about my experience with it next week, so I don’t want to give too much away, but the biggest benefit of the Guide is accountability.
I take my health far more seriously - I got my annual checkups every year until I turned 41 and then stopped. Part of it was that I wasn’t working in the city anymore and just didn’t have a primary care physician. A poor excuse to be sure, but as the years passed, it got easier to ignore. When I turned 50, I made it a point to find a new doctor and get back to my annual checkups. It’s such an important aspect of your health and fitness journey and I’m annoyed with myself for not taking it seriously sooner. I had a colonoscopy recently where they discovered a precancerous polyp, which was removed and biopsied. Had I continued to not visit the doctor, who knows what that could have turned into. Perhaps turning 50 made me realize that I’m not actually immortal. I’ve been blessed with a loving wife and two incredible boys and I owe it to them to keep myself active and healthy.
Home Sweet Home - Our homes became our offices, our classrooms, our gyms and our safety nets. Yes, of course we occasionally used our homes for these purposes prior to the pandemic, but in the Spring of 2020, they became these things full-time. Delivery folks, grocery workers and teachers just to name a few were essential and allowed people like me to stay safe in my home. I’m not sure I could ever repay them for all they did to allow my family to stay safe.
Science and Medicine - Perhaps nothing was debated more fiercely over the past 2 years than vaccines. The Covid-19 vaccine was hotly debated, with no shortage of conspiracy theories and questions about the motives and efficacy of the vaccine. I’m certainly not going to stir the pot or bring politics into the discussion. What I will say is I believe in science and medicine. I get a flu shot every year. I’ve received a Covid vaccine, a booster and the Omicron booster. I know the vaccines are not going to prevent you from getting the flu or Covid, but I also know that I could become gravely ill by not being vaccinated. The speed in which the Covid-19 vaccine was produced was nothing short of miraculous and gave people their lives back.
As I mentioned, I’ll cover the Peloton Guide in my next post. It’s a surprisingly capable device and more than I was expecting. At $295, it’s easily the least expensive kit Peloton offers and to me, a great gateway into the world of Peloton. I frankly think that Peloton does a terrible job marketing the device, though admittedly, that might be by design as they look to sell higher ticket hardware. To find out why, be sure to read HITTN50 on Saturday.