Keeping Your Eye on the Prize
And a calendar full of gold stars.
I’m a data junkie. I love keeping track of stats on just about everything. From baseball to how many words I write a day, I keep track of it all.
I’m not always on top of it, there are times when I’ll take a break. But, if I’m honest, I don’t always do as well in pursuit of my goal when I’m not keeping track of my daily accomplishments.
Keeping track of what I’ve done keeps me on track as I move forward.
A 21 Week Streak
Twenty-one weeks ago, my brand new Peloton cycle arrived at my house. I’ve never owned a piece of equipment like this. I’ve always been an outdoor runner, an outdoor person. Living next to a 22,000-acre preserve, with a 3 million-acre national forest just down the road and all kinds of hills to climb, I have all the room I need to run trails every day and never be bored.
Sidelined by injury, the Peloton gave me a challenge I could handle. I started with the scenic rides, cruising through Venice, (Italy, really!), cruising up the California coast or the beautiful mountains of New Zeland, I got familiar with the bike, how it worked and more importantly, how my body was able to use it.
It took some getting used to, the shoes, standing up. I had to work into it. When I stepped up and started taking the instructor-led classes, I knew I was going to be hooked.
I’ve been on that bike at least once every week during the last 21-weeks.
31 days ago, I started a 100 days challenge. The Peloton app is a big part of this challenge.
The bike has a tablet that connects me to their live and on-demand classes. Not all the classes are centered around the bike. They offer stretching, yoga, strength training and now running classes (!!!!) too. It looks like Peloton is coming out with a treadmill, which would be awesome to own if I had the room.
Peloton coolness: They must’ve known not everyone wants to run inside, so they’ve created outdoor run classes too. Pretty cool, Peloton!
And the best part? They keep the stats.
I love looking at my dashboard and seeing all the calendar dates shaded in blue — which means I worked out on that day. It doesn’t mean I got on the bike every day. It means I opened up the Peloton app and completed a class. Stretching, yoga, maybe some upper bodywork, or a whole-body strength class.
This keeps me motivated. I don’t want to break my streak — I’ve got achievements to earn! I’ve got ‘badges’ now for the number of rides I’ve taken. how many ‘beyond the ride’ classes, how many days in a row, weeks in a row, and how many people I’ve worked out with — who are miles and miles away.
Another pat on the back to the Peloton people, way to play to the hearts of the stats keeper.
Creating the life of my dreams, one story at a time. www.nanciwrites.com
