Is Peloton Exercise Or An Adult Video Game?

Adding exercise into my adult routine only works if I can score against myself.

thanks, reddit

In the Great Before, I attended one, and only one, barre class. At 7 a.m. in Midtown, my “classmates” rolled out mats and chatted, and I pretended to stretch on the floor. Each woman (no men) wore matching legging/bra sets. Not only was I the only person in a conservative tank top, worried about that wobbly bit where my arm meets my back, but when the instructor asked, “Who is new here?” I was the only one to raise my hand.

My imposter syndrome flared.

I spent the entire class checking the mirrors to see what other people were doing and giving up on pulsing when I thought no one was watching. At one point, as I faced a mirror and squatted holding onto a ballerina bar with my muscles ON FIRE, the instructor wrapped her body around mine like an octopus and made me squat LOWER. Essentially, I squatted right into her lap as she gyrated me up and down. I think she noticed I had given up on pulsing and decided to intervene. (Post-pandemic, I don’t think I would be as cool abou…