I have to admit, I hate exercise. When I was in school, I hated PE class the most and looked for any excuse not to participate. The situation didn't change when I grew up. I even took up running to stay fit and trained hard to compete in a few 10k races. The problem was that as soon as the races were over, I lost interest again. Inexpensive fitness trackers didn't help either. Recently, however, something caught my interest.

For some reason, I was very attracted to the Peloton ads on TV. And although I don't cycle and the price was a bit steep, I took the plunge and bought a Bike+ model last week. What follows is my overall experience so far, including what I have learned and how things are going.

Since writing this article, it has been a month since I started Peloton with zero exercise.

It may seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I had actually been considering purchasing Peloton for several months. Ever since the pandemic hit and working from home became the norm, I felt like I was somehow becoming even more unhealthy. He tried hard to make time for daily walks and convinced himself to go for a couple of short jogs on the weekends, but found every reason to avoid it.

During this time, I saw that peloton sales were skyrocketing and I wanted to join in. In addition to cycling, I also loved the ability to twist the screen on the new Bike+ model to do yoga, Pilates, and meditation. However, there was a very long wait for delivery (13 weeks at the time) and I was put off.

By winter, it was getting dark earlier, the temperature was dropping, and I had stopped exercising altogether. Something had to change, I thought. Then Peloton's newest bike, the Bike+, appeared in the UK Black Friday sale for £1,995, £300 off. Still expensive by any measure, plus a monthly subscription fee of £40 ($39), but when my partner offered to share the cost and the bike, I jumped at the offer. After all, £20 each per month for unlimited classes seemed a lot cheaper than a gym membership.

The accessories we wanted were going to drive up the price, but I found a way to bring the price down. Instead of buying two pairs of cycling shoes (£119 a pair, $125), we ordered toe-clip adapters for £25 so we could ride in regular sneakers. I also bought a bike mat (£49 or $59) to put my bike on because I didn't want sweat dripping on the carpet, which technically could be done with another mat. You can also buy your own adjustable dumbbells and water bottles, so you don't have to pay a lot of money.

I was quite concerned about the installation because I had heard horror stories of bikes being left at the bottom of the stairs and having to be assembled by the buyer. However, I was very surprised. Delivery arrived on time as promised and the deliveryman called us 30 minutes before arrival. We live in a block of flats, and they took the bikes through 4 sets of doors and up the elevator to our spare room.

The whole assembly took about 20 minutes and they even moved the bikes around to see if I preferred a different position. I can't complain enough about the customer service. They installed the toe clip adapter, helped me set up the Wi-Fi connection, and guided me through navigating the system.

Starting Saturday night, I took three beginner cycling classes, two yoga classes, and one quick meditation class. I would have liked to do more cycling, but it was my first time and my muscles were straining; I felt ok after the first and second cycling class, but by the third class the aches and pains had settled down. That said, I cycled 13.4 miles, which is not bad for a first week. Plus, I can see my progress on the Peloton app, so I know I'm getting up to speed.

When looking for classes, it is helpful to be able to filter by my experience level, class length, music genre, and even instructor. It is also nice to be able to see a description of the class and the music that will be played before you begin. Additionally, there is a range of class lengths, and so far I have found 20 minutes to be just right. But cycling can range from 5 to 90 minutes.

I stuck to the beginner classes, so I wasn't pushed to the extreme, but I still found it to be more than enough. It is more than enough, especially for those who are sore before they start. This may be due to my inexperience with cycling, but I felt like there could have been more cushioning.

I expect I will get used to them over time. The instructor was very helpful in motivating me and explaining the on-screen stats and how to interact with other cyclists while cycling.

It was also nice to see people taking the same class at the same time. I am pretty competitive, so this helped me to work harder at cycling. It's also nice that you can get badges and awards for certain milestones, such as number of classes taken, consecutive days taken, etc. I have only taken recorded classes so far, but would definitely try a live class next time. If you book it, you can keep track of it in your notebook, and you are less likely to drop out in the middle of the class.

The other class options are not to be missed. I liked the ability to rotate the screen to conveniently select yoga and meditation classes. You can also tilt the screen down and view it from your yoga mat. It was great to join first thing in the morning before starting my day. It may be a little more complicated than cycling, especially if you are new to yoga. I was asked to do poses I had never heard of and was confused by the instructions. In downward dog pose, it's not easy to twist your head to look up at the screen. Nevertheless, they soon understand the pattern and are able to self-contain.

Overall, I think my first week on the Peloton Bike+ has been a success. I want to ride as much as my body will allow and I am definitely feeling it. Now I just need to keep this up and progress to the intermediate level. Boxercise has just been added and it looks interesting.