I feel myself start to get restless around this same time every year. By now the holidays are a distant memory, snow storms have thoroughly wreaked havoc on one too many morning commutes, and no amount of lotion can seem to keep my knuckles from cracking into unrecognizable red monsters.
Yes, it is about this time every year that cabin fever most certainly sets in, hunkering down and threatening to set up shop for the long haul. The hump from January to mid March can certainly be a tough one to slump through: Seasonal affective disorder sets in, and it becomes easier and easier to let ourselves into winter’s cruel embrace.
And yet, this slump, these “winter blues” can be avoided.
What if I told you there was a drug for your doldrums, an antidote for your apathy? Act now, and your melancholy can be cured with one little word…
L
…is for the way you look at me.
O
…is for the only one I see.
V
…is very, very, extraordinary.
E
…is even more than anyone that you adore can…
LOVE.
Yes, I am here to tell you that LOVE is the answer to your winter wearies. And while it is Valentine’s Day, I am not speaking of romantic love that harkens decadent boxes of chocolate, blooming buds, and arrow slinging-cupids[1]. Rather, I speak of a different type of Love altogether, a type of Love that is so potent it can eradicate even the most stubborn of winter funks.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:
Ally Love.
If you aren’t familiar, Ally Love[2] is a model, dancer, philanthropist, motivational guru, and, perhaps most famously, a Peloton cycling instructor. Ally Love does it all and encourages others to do the same, no matter the blood, sweat, tears, and sweat[3] it will most certainly take to achieve success.
Frankly, the woman is a BOSS[4].
And frankly, I have a major girl power girl crush on her.
I started working out with Peloton shortly after our move. Peloton is a fitness company most popularly known for its spin bike that helps busy workout addicts get their daily fix with rigorous fitness classes—both live and on-demand—all from the comfort of their own home. By bringing rigorous, heart-thumping workouts to consumers, Peloton has quickly grown into a $4 billion business with a cult following, and in only a few months I have become a proud member of that “cult.”
I have always been passionate about fitness, and, with my new city and new routine I was looking for a powerful workout that would push me to my limits without breaking the bank. Cam’s aunt has been a huge Peloton junkie for as long as he can remember, and while I was intrigued by the Peloton platform, I wasn’t ready to cash out and purchase my own bike[5]. However, Cam had recently heard his aunt talk of the company’s app—Peloton Digital—that allows users to “feel the rush of the Peloton studio anytime, anywhere”—all for a modest monthly subscription. I was intrigued, to say the least, and quickly started my two-month trial.
Two workouts deep, and
I. Was. Hooked.
Not only is Peloton extremely convenient, but its workouts are also exceedingly difficult and tortuously gratifying. The app hosts a variety of workout genres—from cycling to running, to boot camp to yoga—intended to challenge clients to transcend limitations and surpass fitness goals. Ingeniously, the company uses competition—some might call it peer pressure, but tomatoes tomatoes… it is equally effective—to motivate its athletes to achieve personal records while still maintaining a strong sense of encouragement and community support. Its motto, One Peloton, is aptly—even surprisingly—fitting for a fitness bike founded on the premise of working out in isolation. When you ride, you ride together, and even in the most trying of moments you are never alone[6].
The company’s fitness instructors are a pivotal piece of this thriving equation, and, within the app, each instructor is known for his or her own personal fitness “brand.” As I experimented with my first couple spin classes, I quickly learned each instructor approaches workouts with his or her own unique flavor while still maintaining the rigorous workouts that foster immense amounts of rider stamina and grit. I took a few classes with various spin instructors, but as soon as I joined my first class with Ally, I knew I had found my girl. It was love at first sight[7].
Ally is the perfect combination of spunk, sass, inspiration, and stamina, and she delivers challenging content while upholding a fun, community-based experience. While Ally meets riders where they are at and caters to diverse needs, she firmly holds all “bosses” to the same standard of excellence. Ally gives her riders two simple options when asked to increase resistance, double cadence, or maintain a steady climb up a strenuous hill: “Yes or yes?” In other words, “no,” simply isn’t on the docket. In Love’s class, failure is not an option because the only thing getting in the way of your success is your own self-doubt.
I started riding with Ally because I realized I could get a killer workout while pouring my heart out to a phenomenal playlist (she just came out with a ride exclusively devoted to Diana Ross…what?!), but I continue to ride with Ally because of the way she makes me feel. Ally encourages her riders to “boss up” and creates confidence that speaks to her loyal following both “on and off the bike.” Indeed, anything you do while on the bike is simply fuel and motivation to “go out and be the bosses you were meant to be in the world.” The parallels between cycling and life are not lost on Love, and she challenges you to “fill yourself up” so you can pay it forward and “fill up others” in your daily endeavors once you leave the bike behind.
Ally urges her riders to push boundaries and transcend the fear that renders us stagnant and prevents us from being the “bosses” we were meant to be. As someone who is naturally attracted to hard work and motivated by grit, I particularly identify with Love’s encouragement to excel even when it means leaning in to discomfort. For it is in the moments of intense challenge that we ultimately grow, and when we start to grow we quickly recognize that anything is possible.
When I am on the bike I am a mess. My heart is pounding, my lungs are screaming for oxygen, and a little voice in my head is daring me to quit, to slow my leg speed, to lower my resistance, to pause for a precious reprieve. But Ally encourages me to “be present,” and I have taken her classes too many times not to know what comes next: It gets harder before it gets better. So what do I do? I push harder, I pedal faster[8], I lean in, I let the magic happen.
And I absolutely love[9] it.
When Ally tells you you’re awesome, you believe it. And by believing you are awesome, you become awesome. So if you are feeling tired or downtrodden by winter’s blues, LOVE yourself, eliminate fear from your vocabulary, and embrace the seemingly impossible possibility that awaits you.
Boss up. You won’t regret it.
[1] Who ever thought it was a good idea to arm babies with lethal weapons? Not to mention, do babies even have the hand-eye coordination and developmental motor skills necessary to successfully take aim and fire a bow and arrow? That’s some bad parenting right there.
[2] Yes, “Love” is her real last name. Jealous? I am!
[3] Man, that girl’s workouts make me SWEAT!
[4] Her words, not mine! (But rightfully earned!)
[5] Although this is bound to change in the near future. My resistance is quickly weakening…
[6] Rather, you ride with a community of badasses. Unconvinced? This recent commercial gives me goose bumps every time I see it: Clearly their marketing department is speaking my language.
[7] Pun most certainly intended.
[8] …I max out the volume on my music and mutter a few expletives under my breath…
[9] Again, pun most certainly intended. “This thing called love, I just can’t handle it.” Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be here all night.
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