You know I love me my Peloton.
Well before pandemic life necessitated it, this glorious piece of equipment and technology, as well as the community it offered, was a staple in my life.
There are a lot of things I love about Peloton as a consumer, and a lot of things I love as a fitness professional and coach too. I’m also critical of Peloton in each of those perspectives too, but for the most part, I’m a Pelo-for-lifer, if only for the joy that is Cody Rigsby. (And the apparel credits if you get your own bike using my referral code.)
My husband knows all this too, so he always sends me Peloton stories when he comes across them in his news apps. Usually, we have a laugh or an eye roll or some other kind of interesting conversation about the story. (Like, remember the Peloton holiday ad a couple years ago that sent everyone off their respective edges?) The most recent one he sent me really took the conversation to the next level.
Did you see this too? Jess Sims actually stopped a live class early, strictly to listen to her body.
This is a big deal. For quite a few reasons.
First off, keep in mind, these instructors make as much as some people make in a month in one class. Not an exaggeration. Most of them make about half a million bucks a year, some of them more than that, closer to a mill. This is basically the equivalent of Bill Gates walking off the stage of a speaking engagement ten minutes early. There’s a lot on the table here, a lot at stake as far as employment goes. As strong of a culture Peloton seems to have on the outside, I’ll forever be curious what actually happened behind the scenes for Jess.
Secondly, this is a really acute expression of the pressure that a lot of fitness professionals, group exercise instructors, and personal trainers feel. Not only do we have to have a certain body type forever and ever amen, not only do we have to be perfectly inspirational and motivational every single day, not only do we have to be experts at our technical craft – we also have to be ON. All the time. No matter what. If we’re not, we risk losing clients, followers, credibility, and livelihood. Or, especially in the case of more public figures like Peloton instructors, but still relevant for basically anyone on social media, we risk a huge invasion into our personal life if we ever happen to change or aren’t ON for one second.
Third, this is a person who most people no longer think of as an actual person showing she is one. She’s still a human being, with a human body like anyone else, a human story and history just like you and me, human emotions and feelings and thoughts, and human struggles with all of those things. With all of the stuff I just mentioned at stake, she risked it all to take care of herself. To actually put into practice everything she preaches, not just talk about it publicly while she continued to beat the crap out of herself privately.
Would you have done the same?
Follow up: could you have done the same?
As in, are you in a place where you know how to listen to your body and act on the messages it gives you?
In my experience, it’s a probable no. Most of us can hardly put ourselves first in small things in our small lives with small stakes. The scale at which Jess Sims did this, the risk she took, is hugely impressive. But it’s also not something that should just be lauded as inspirational woo-woo stuff, it’s something I really want to emphasize we all take seriously and internalize, putting it into practice in our own lives.
“Listen to your body” is definitely a refrain in the world of wellness today. But that doesn’t mean that we automatically know how to do it. In fact, for the vast majority of people I work with, it’s more frustrating advice than it is helpful.
We have been taught for a very, very long time that we have no idea what’s good for our own bodies, that someone else does and we should listen to them instead.
Over time, we learn to listen to those external voices more regularly, doing what we’re told. And gradually, we simply, and regrettably, lose our ability to tune into our bodies’ innate needs, wants, and messages.
So, basically, we just keep rolling along, getting more confused and frustrated as we listen and do all the stuff we hear we should be doing that still doesn’t lead to feeling any better. We then try to listen to our bodies by doing yoga instead of running, eating vegan instead of paleo, deadlifting instead of going to aerobics class. But it’s all just trading one thing for another, extending the cycle of avoiding self-reflection and trust in the name of “health.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m with Jess. Time for a break. Time for a reset.
One of her lessons from taking a break – which, by the way, she did prior to the cutting short of her live class, and then actually put her lessons learned into practice in real-time – was this:
“Listen to your body. Your body is not just an ear to listen to you and what you want it to do. It has a mouth, too. Listen. You’re in a relationship. Learn its love language.”
An accomplished, celebrity instructor took the time to learn this lesson in such a way she could actually apply, and I invite you to do the same.
By the same token, I understand her celebrity status allows her to do that more easily than some of the rest of us. It’s not just a switch that can be flipped, so follow another one of her lessons learned – “You don’t need to do everything by yourself, for yourself. Life is tough. Ask for help.” – and learn to listen to your body by taking the Fitness Unraveled course.
A hefty portion of the course lessons are devoted to tuning into your body’s signals, to uncovering the external messages and cycles you may be stuck in, and to identifying your true wants and needs. Throughout the course, you’ll learn all kinds of tools to cultivate a better, more authentic, kinder, and ultimately, healthier, relationship with your body.
In Fitness Unraveled, you will learn how to listen to your body, and how to act on its messages. A crucial skill we could all stand to develop and practice a little better, a little more often.
Enroll in the course today, start listening today. And do it for a steal – 30% off, just for you, just for the next week. When you check out, use code 30FORYOU on any payment plan. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
If you have questions about the course, email me and let me know.
If not, jump in and start learning, listening, and loving a little more.
If you’re not sold on the importance of learning to better listen to your body, think about how much effort you put into learning how to actively listen to other people at work or at home or anywhere else in your life. Don’t you think you deserve the same effort? I think you do. Learn the skills in FU.
