The Peloton Effect

We All Know Exercise is Important but That’s Often Not Enough

At least since our awkward middle school PE classes, the importance of physical exercise has been hammered into us. We know that exercise helps keep us fit by burning calories, building muscle and raising our metabolism. In addition, we’re learning of its positive impact of our brain health. Recent studies have pointed to the impact of exercise – even short, low intense workouts – on improving memory. At a Lake Nona Impact Forum, an annual convening of global health leaders and innovators, three prior US Surgeon Generals summarized their advice for aging well in one word: move.

Unfortunately, knowing that physical exercise is important is often not enough. We need established routines that work for us given our interest levels, abilities and limitations. In other words, we’re most successful when we create a custom training program that can evolve with us.

World Class Athletes Not Required

Exercise should not strictly be the domain of people who call themselves “athletes.” It’s important that all of us see exercise as attainable and desirable. That’s not to stay that there aren’t challenges getting involved for those who have not historically been active but there are many onramps and stories for inspiration.

Take Madonna Buder, perhaps better known as the “Iron Nun”. A Roman Catholic religious sister, she decided to try triathlons in mid-life in an effort to help sharpen her mind, body and spirit. She completed her first triathlon at 52, Ironman at 55 and has subsequently completed over 40 Ironman races. Now 88, she holds the Ironman record in the 80+ age category and is the subject of a Nike ad.

Exercise is an opportunity for anyone at any age.

We’re More Likely to Do It if We Have a Human Connection

Exercising with others can help. We’re simply more likely to exercise if we have others that hold us accountable. Or, it can be a convenient excuse to spend time with those we enjoy. In fact, recent studies indicated that sports that are inherently collaborative – such as tennis – as compared to others that tend to be more individualistic – such as running – can lead to greater gains in longevity.

Getting connected to others to exercise has never been easier. Word of mouth and access to friends of friends can uncover opportunities. Online tools like Facebook and MeetUp can help find like-minded people close by. Of course, joining a local gym and working with a trainer is an option; you can get the benefit of a human connection with an expertise to help set up a routine appropriate for you. Exercise classes can be a successful route, too. Curves can be a great option for women and is available in many places across the U.S. with over 10,000 locations.

Building a sense of community through exercise is a growing trend. According to Casper ter Kuille, a researcher at Harvard Divinity School and Executive Director at On Being’s Impact Lab, more people are turning to exercise groups, such as SoulCycle and CrossFit, as their form of church. In her research, she found that people are longing for relationships that have meaning and the experience of belonging rather than just surface-level relationships. She states “going through an experience that tests you to your limits, especially if you’re doing partner or team-based fitness routines, there’s an inevitable bonding that comes from experiencing hardship together.” These connections are keeping people coming back.

New Models Emerging: The Peloton Bike and Innovative Home Fitness Systems

Making it to the gym can be a challenge. A high-quality gym-like experience at home is becoming an interest to many people. That’s one of the reasons why innovative home fitness systems are growing in popularity.

With over one million subscribers, Peloton has garnered lots of attention. Peloton is a well-capitalized exercise and media company that has blended intense workouts, initially cycling, with fitness tracking and access to world-class instructors. Some classes are live streamed from their NYC cycling studios while hundreds are available on-demand. Instructors for the live classes can see usernames of participants and often make specific shout outs to those participating virtually as a way to help everyone feel like they are part of one, larger community and experience.

People love it. Some claim they are addicted, often cycling at least twice a day. Peloton’s success has spawned a slew of other home fitness solutions, such as Mirror (personal training, yoga), Crew (rowing) and Tonal (weight lifting), that promise to be far more engaging than the NordicTrack from the ‘80s.

Combining Exercise with Doing Good – Back On My Feet

There are also opportunities of combining exercise with doing good. Of course, there are many examples of running fundraisers – I have a friend who is a proud repeat winner for his age group of the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children Turkey Trot in Avalon, NJ – but there are also opportunities to do much more. For example, there’s a not-for-profit called Back On My Feet that helps homeless people in about a dozen cities. This program combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. A key part of the program is a commitment by volunteers to run with homeless individuals three mornings a week at 5:30am. It requires a commitment for all involved, but the program has been enormously successful. It is hard to not show up when someone’s life is on the line.

What’s Your First Step?

If you have an exercise routine that works for you, keep at it. However, if you don’t, make 2019 the year to figure it out. Our awareness of the importance of exercise on our bodies and minds has never been greater and the options, particularly with MeetUp groups, running clubs and home fitness systems, continues to grow.

The key is to take that first step. What’s will be yours?