When Robin Tillman, 51, received her bike in June 2015, she finished four rides the day it was delivered.
“I was on a mission to complete the Summer Solstice which was 140 miles by that Monday,” says Tillman, a Clovis, CA, resident. “I ended up completing the challenge in three days and have never looked back.”
Her younger daughter has the same affinity for the bike. She is approaching her 700th ride, the majority of them logged during the summer when school is out.
“Exercise in our house is ever-evolving,” says Tillman. “We have used the strength classes and are incorporating more of those into our exercise regimens. We take yoga classes and stretching. My younger daughter recently finished Matt's Power Zone challenge and really enjoyed the process. She saw an improvement in her riding and physical fitness. My oldest recently tried the Tread and loved it so much she took two classes in the showroom!”
The Tillmans are just one of scores of families who make regular use of not only the Peloton Bike, but the classes available on the digital app as well. It makes sense. That’s because, despite our screen-filled, over-scheduled days, when kids see their parents exercising, they are more apt to adopt similar behaviors, research shows.
“Working out with other people improves social connectivity and the ability to interact with others,” says Adrian Cotton, MD, chief of medical operations at Loma Linda University Health. “It also significantly increases the likelihood that you will continue to exercise. Humans crave social interaction, so working out with other people can certainly have benefits.”
This is what’s happening in the Glazer household. After buying the bike two years ago, Plainview, NY-based Andrea, 52, began riding avidly. Her college-aged sons use the bike when they are home, and the app to squeeze in workouts while at school.
What surprised her was when her daughter Julia, 24, began riding.
“Julia is on the autism spectrum and has some developmental disabilities which affect her motor skills and her mood,” says Glazer. “She struggles with social anxiety and has difficulty making friends. She has tried traditional gyms and classes in the past but would often become anxious and unable to keep up. When we purchased the Peloton as a family holiday gift in December of 2017, I figured she would try it occasionally and only if I pushed her. Little did I know that she would ride almost every day!”
This type of crossover extends to spouses, too. In 2014, then-44-year-old Westchester native Jason Rosenberg convinced his wife Shari that they needed the bike after having a heart stent inserted to prevent blockages.
“The doctor's orders, following my recovery, was that I had to ‘get the blood pumping around my body again and lose some weight,’" he says. They had an elliptical which went unused, leading Jason to search out the Peloton. "’Two thousand dollars? Are you kidding me?’ was her reaction when I eagerly told her of my find,” he says.
Fast forward to 2019.
“Shari now has over 1500 rides and I've recently celebrated my 1000th,” he says. “I don't know for certain, but I think we're only one of a handful of couples who have each eclipsed that one thousand milestone, which is pretty neat. Considering Shari was too intimidated by the bike to even ride in the first few months, she's more than made up for it.”
Even kids who are too young to fit on the bike are finding inspiration in seeing their parents commit to their workouts.
“We have a four-year-old and a six-year-old who have a toy spin bike that they’ve decked out with Peloton stickers,” says Sarah Hamer, 39, who bought the bike in April for her home in The Woodlands, Texas. “As a matter of fact, sometimes, when I’m finishing up my ride, the four-year-old comes in and asks if I’ll do another ride with him. He rides beside me and I start another class, even when I thought I was done.”
Though improved fitness and connection is a huge driver for these families, Rosenberg says a byproduct of their avid use of the bike is what’s happening off it.
“Like so many others, the bike has expanded our group of friends and we are far, far richer for having these people in our lives,” he says. “We travel to them; they come to us. And the connections are more than superficial as we've all shared life's highs and lows together.”
*All “Peloton Family” classes must be taken using an adult’s Peloton member login and under adult supervision.
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