I did 15,000 minutes of Peloton classes in 7 months, and here’s what I learned

This year, Peloton came up with an expanded version of previous years’ challenges — this time, the top ‘badge’ you could earn for their 2021 challenge involves completing a whopping 15,000 minutes — or 250 hours — of Peloton classes (I guess it maxed out at 10,000 or so last year, but Pelo-fans wanted more!). This challenge can incorporate anything in their offering, from cycling to strength, yoga to meditation. I added this to my bucket list because I want to be strong, fit and healthy and… let’s face it… who doesn’t love earning a badge, especially one that’s challenging to attain?! And for that matter, it did sound especially challenging… 15,000 minutes is a really, really long time when you break it down into intense cycling classes and lifting heavy weights!

Time went by quickly

I was expecting this to take me 9 or 10 months, so I was pleasantly surprised when in July this badge seemed to magically appear after one of my workouts. Already?! I thought to myself. For me, consistency was key; it was committing to following a prescribed calendar, and knocking it out even on days where I’d rather lie in bed and play Candy Crush. It was making sure that I listened to my body on days where I really did need a break over and above what my fitness routine prescribed to me, and it was being creative — did my ankle hurt a little? Okay, skip the ride today, but an arms and light weights or a barre exercise seem just perfect. Keep going, and trust the process.

Progress is real

Sure, I had been working out a lot, but I feel good rather than run down or exhausted. Most of all, I feel strong. I can see abs forming, my back and shoulders are more defined than they ever have been, and I’m ready to buy a third set of heavier weights since starting this routine. Speaking of routine, I’m also really enjoying the ritual of getting up first thing in the morning, and knocking out my workout. It feels like my own time, something to accomplish before I need to start thinking about work (okay, sometimes my mind wanders during my workouts, but I really try to focus on this invaluable ‘me’ time, and getting fitter and stronger).

Mix things up!

I personally think it would be really boring to do one type of exercise for 15,000 minutes, unless maybe I was a professional athlete training for an event; that said, from what I understand, most professionals benefit from some form of crosstraining. Personally, I enjoyed a variety of workout modalities to keep me engaged — I participated in Power Zone Pack challenges which emphasized cardio fitness and endurance, and I followed the infamous HardCORE calendar, which focuses on a variety of strength routines and different target areas each day of the week — heavy weights, light weights, barre, pilates, yoga, even walking classes really kept me interested and appreciative of the variety.

It’s okay — and beneficial — to take breaks.

I think one key benefit for me is that this milestone did come around so quickly. I didn’t check my minutes daily or weekly, they just ticked on by. A couple of months ago, I went on a week-long vacation and encouraged myself not to work out everyday. Instead, I did so some leisurely walking and swimming (and okay I did include a couple of on-demand core and yoga classes), but I didn’t force myself into a rigid routine while I was on vacation. My body thanked me for this, and I was able to come back better and stronger than pre-vacation, enjoying my fitness routine more than ever before.

Nutrition and hydration are important.

Occasionally, I played around with different calorie intake — tracking macros, trying keto, different levels of water consumption. Ultimately, I could tell a difference in my performance and enjoyment (and not feeling run down!) when I ate a decent amount of calories (primarily healthy, colorful foods although a cheese-filled keto diet worked for me as well and was actually quite enjoyable after the keto flu wore off), and drank a fair amount of water each day. What this means is different for everyone, so no diet advice here, but just make sure you’re eating enough to give your workouts your all and actually look forward to them!!

I feel accomplished.

More than anything, I feel strong and proud of my accomplishment. I didn’t grow up as a ‘fitness person’, although I was involved in sports. I went for years as an adult without having proper fitness as part of my wellness and self-care ritual. But here I am, 15,000 minutes in, and excited to see how my strength, mental and physical health continue to benefit from the next 15,000.