My 12 Month Peloton App Review; Using the App without the Bike

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It’s been just over 12 months since I started using the Peloton App with my own bike and I thought it was time to share an update to my original review.

I am happy to report that with the Peloton App and my wonderful Sunny bike I have now lost 22 pounds, am fitter than I have been in years and am in a much better mood (according to my family)!  The variety of Peloton spin classes is awesome, the instructors are great and all the other options the Peloton app has added over the past year like weight training, bootcamp and ab workouts are simply amazing.  I even think the production value is great compared to some classes I have tried on YouTube.  Overall, super psyched.  They are seriously on to something here.

If you are a first time visitor, my comprehensive review and step-by-step guide to my Peloton App alternative can be found in my  original “Peloton for Less” blog post.   It chronicles how I pined for a Peloton bike but after seeing the price tag how I MacGyvered (yes, that is a word) an alternative with my Sunny 1509, some Wahoo sensors,  and  other bits & bobs that make my method not only an absolute money saver but also turns me into a sweaty mess.  This post is a scaled down summary of what has worked, what hasn’t and how everything is holding up after 12 months (and also includes my interview with ABC News!).

Have a I used the Peloton App every day for 12 months straight?  Heck no!  Life gets in the way (like sick children, boredom, work or deciding to stay in bed instead of working out).  There have even been stretches where I simply haven’t worked out for no reason in particular.  When there has been a lull in my routine I am happy that I am only spending $12.99 on the app and didn’t take the plunge and go all in with the expense of the actual bike and an additional $40 monthly subscription.  I can’t imagine the guilt!

My Year in Review – Using the Peloton App without the Peloton Bike

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Daily Burn; My Review

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Daily Burn

By now you know that I love cycling with my Peloton App (and if you don’t, here is my earlier review: My Peloton Bike Alternative). Despite the mad love, I wanted more variety so that I didn’t plateau on the bike.  Peloton’s “After the Ride” classes are great but I needed some more oomph.  After experimenting with some random classes on YouTube I signed up for a 30 day free trial of Daily Burn to supplement the Peloton and I am super glad that I did. Now what I do is alternate between Daily Burn and Peloton classes.

What is Daily Burn you ask?   I only just learned about it myself.

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Peloton App – My 6 Month Review

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Well, its been 6 months since I started my Peloton journey with my inexpensive Sunny bike and I could not be happier.  I cannot say enough good things about the Peloton App.

I have lost weight,  I am sleeping better than ever and I am much more energetic. The classes are interactive and communal but at the same time very intimate.  Also, the instructors rock – they are very motivational, although I like some better than others.

I get a lot of email asking about how all the components of my “Peloton App Setup” are holding up so I thought I would post a review about some of the items that I recommended in my original post “My Peloton Bike Alternative; A Great Money Saving Hack.”

Here is what has worked well and what you can skip:

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Painting Ugly Cabinets White; Money Saving Tips

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If you follow my blog, you know that we are budget DIY enthusiasts.  We created a DIY home-gym out of some empty storage space in the basement, provided tips about a DIY remedy for removing a “Stink in Your Sink” and of course, our DIY Peloton App experience.

Now it was time to turn our attention to our dated maple kitchen cabinets.  We knew when we bought the house that we wanted new cabinets but what we didn’t realize was just how expensive new cabinets could be.  Way outside of our budget.

After months of research, we decided to paint them ourselves.  It was much more work that we ever anticipated but the cabinets came out beautiful and it saved us heaps of money.  We owe it all to some old fashioned hard-work,  elbow grease, loads of patience and of course, this special cabinet paint, but more on that later.

Here is a recap of our journey.

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New Year’s Resolution; Get in Shape and Lose Some Weight

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New Year's Resolution; Get in Shape and Lose Some Weight 8

Now that the holidays are in full swing it won’t be long before we start making New Year Resolutions and  saying, “Right, its Jan. 1st. Time to get in shape and lose some of those holiday  pounds!”  I must say it every year…

I thought I would share some of my at home exercise hits and misses over the years.  (If you are looking for diet advice, move along…)

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Disney World; Things to Bring to the Magic Kingdom

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This is not your typical Walt Disney blog where the author tells you where to stay, where to eat and what rides to take.  There are thousands of those blogs.  This blog is all about what to BRING to Disney.  By buying in advance we saved a load of money and it was easier than having to go shopping once we landed or checked-in.  Have fun.  Like they say, Disney World is magical!  We had a great time!

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Peloton Cycle Financing; Is it Worth It?

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Peloton recently announced that you could now finance the purchase of a new Peloton bike.  Is it a good deal? Here are my thoughts:

Buy Without Financing:  As detailed in my earlier  Peloton App blog purchasing a Peloton bike without financing costs about $3,000 when you add in delivery, $468 class subscription fees for the first year ($39 per month), $125 for clip-in shoes, exercise mat, etc.  Way outside of my budget.

0% APR Financing:  While a 0% down APR sounds like a great detail, the devil is in the details.  For qualified buyers, Peloton allows  you to make 39 monthly payments of $58 for the bike.  This does not include the Peloton classes.  In addition to the cost of the bike, shoes, etc. to qualify for the 0% financing you need to commit to a 39-month class subscription of $39/mo. totaling $1,521.   By my math the grand total over the 39-month period will be almost a $4,053 commitment when you add all the extras.

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Our Basement Home Gym Basement; DIY

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My Peloton Bike Alternative; A Great Money Saving Hack 27

WARNING: What you are about to see is a budget friendly home gym that will not look anything like you have pinned on Pinterest.  You have been warned…

Last year we converted an unfinished area of our basement into our own mini-exercise room.  We put up one wall, installed a couple of doors, a dropped ceiling with recessed lights, a TV and interlocking rubber floor mats.  We painted the cement walls bright yellow and bingo – a home gym.  The only thing left is mirrors.  Here is a step-by-step (budget conscience) guide to how we did it.

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