How Peloton Drove a 149% Increase in My Workouts
A visual story of how the cycle is saving my knees
The Tableau data visualizations in this story use my personal fitness data from iPhone apps Apple Health, Peloton, and Symple. I’m a data geek and a big fan of the quantitative health movement. For over five years I have been tracking my workouts, steps, meditations, sleep, weight, net carbs, heart rate, blood pressure, symptoms, supplements, journal notes and how I spend my time daily. I’ve used this data as a continuous monitoring tool to balance my health and build awareness of these connected factors.
I only have 75% of my meniscus left in each knee. My left knee meniscectomy in 2006 was followed by the same surgery on my right knee in 2019. Decades of running on pavement took its toll (I’m now 51 years old). I now know that running exerts over 1,000 pounds of force to my knee, with the meniscus absorbing up to 80% of that. After my second knee went, I decided to learn my lesson and never to run again. I feared I was doomed to traditional “low-impact” cardio exercise forever.
The 2020 Peloton Experiment
In the years leading up to my September 2019 surgery, my workout routine was anchored by running as my primary form of cardio. Running was my way to destress and jump-start my…
