It happens to us all. You know when you decide to change up a routine with a killer workout and admire how much inspiration it brings? You get so pumped that your blood just rages through your veins! You know that feeling! Then, the alarm goes off the next morning and you dread getting out of your warm bed to brace the mountain ahead. We all are guilty of that inner voice winning that battle. Then the next day arrives and same story. We end up squeezing in the workout when it’s convenient; when we have done everything else in our day, then we decide to go do “something.”

I have been active my entire life. I was always an active kid – I was that outdoor tomboy. I loved playing softball with the neighborhood kids, doing a million cartwheels in my front yard, doing sprint competitions on the hills in our neighborhood. I started a more fitness-focused routine my freshman year in high school when I began my volleyball journey. I found a sport that I loved before knowing the skillset. I was used to basketball, kickball and softball, so volleyball was a new challenge. I had to learn how to use my hands and upper body strength to succeed. Once I was recruited as a Setter, I had to learn how to move like lightening within a short distance. I loved training for this sport – I found my passion. I played until college when I coached the travel ball team at my University.

As I grew older, I relied on the gym. I was never a lover of group fitness, so I fell to my own devices as my own trainer. I did it as a routine. It grew monotonous. I never quit though. I always found a routine that worked for me to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The only group fitness I ever enjoyed was with my trainer and cycling. The issue I faced was getting off of work, sitting in additional traffic, being held to a specific time in the afternoon for the class, paying whatever money each month, worrying about Milo (my pup) being home alone for 12+ hours, rushing home in additional traffic to take him out, eat a well-planned healthy meal, THEN find time for relationships, go to bed, then repeat the next day. It’s a lot to realistically maintain. As an adult, I have had to learn to fit it in with my crazy life – a career, a dog mom, a soon-to-be spouse, a Daughter, a friend, you name it. Life is demanding. Life will beat you to the freaking ground and kick you in the stomach. But, I have always found the love and importance of keeping fitness in my life – to some capacity. That is MY time to recollect and rebuild myself. Even with my own motivation and inner voice to keep me going, I fell into this strange, lonely world in the gym. I would go and get in my time, but I didn’t feel complete. Something was missing. I felt good after lifting weights but there was something else not present, until…

Peloton showed up in the market. “That’s it,” I told myself. Cycling. In my own home. With others! I have been riding in Robin Arzon’s classes for the past 6 weeks and damn, I can’t tell you how much I love it. I found cardio that I actually enjoy. In the past, I had always lifted weights, but had done very little cardio. I’m not a runner or elliptical chick; just not my style. I burned my calories with the weights, but I felt the need to burn more. Robin’s classes kick my ass! My legs have never felt stronger and my cardiovascular health hasn’t felt better. Robin is a strong, badass chick. She motivates me, inspires me and creates the most enlightening environment where your focus is not on the time, but the milestones you accomplish within each ride. I love women who are self-assure, strong, outspoken and influential. Women who have enough self-confidence for all of us! Robin spills her energy all over you for that 45 minute ride and pushes you do go beyond your self-destructive thoughts (we all have them). I begin my days with Robin and she gives me the armor I need to get through my crazy days! I go to work feeling accomplished and motivated to lead my team and accept all of the challenges that I will most definitely encounter. There is no better feeling than to have my workout accomplished before I begin my days. I don’t have to commute anywhere. I make the time in my home office (where we have our Peloton), then take on my day. Days that I do a 20-minute class, I get my weights in. It’s absolutely perfect.

I found it – I found the perfect routine to give me everything that I need and I haven’t felt this good in my fitness in a long time. I found how to marry weights with my cardio and I have already noticed a significant difference in my physical, mental and emotional health. Since I wear my FitBit each day, I monitor my performance almost as if it were a game. I’ll start my day with “let’s try to burn 50 more calories than yesterday” or “I’m going to burn 1,200 calories before noon today!” I have become a calorie-burning monster. I have also been monitoring my heart rate and working to get my resting heart rate down. It’s been 6 weeks and my resting heart rate has decreased by 10 beats per minute. I feel more toned and physically strong. I feel mentally stronger to take on my daily stressors with grace. When an idiot driver honks at me when I slow down to let another driver know that their taillight is out, I just wave. When someone hits me with some controversial crap at work, I just breathe and say “they pay me the big bucks to handle these situations.” I just love the passion I found with my Peloton family and cannot thank them enough for the positivity they have gifted me. My goal was to just add cardio to my fitness routine twice a week. Little did I know I would find a niche that I am proud of – a community of strong, energetic, inspirational women. I live each day aspiring to be a strong, graceful, high-energy, but fierce woman. This is who I am. This is Nicole, a member of the Peloton community.