Here at Esquire, we believe your living space should be a reflection of who you've worked so hard to become. All it takes are a few upgrades. These are the stylish (and functional) items worth buying to make your house a place you're proud to call home.
First up: an exercise bike that brings the studio home.
As everyone knows, the worst part of making any kind of New Year's fitness resolution is other people and their fitness resolutions. The one annual chance you get to start a regular gym routine falls apart when the place is so packed that you barely have room to stretch your legs. Here's an easier way to guarantee a workout, 365 days a year: Bring the gym home with a Peloton bike. If you order today, it'll be there in time for the eggnog.
You've probably heard of Peloton by now—maybe you said "bike" too closely to your phone one time and made its ads a permanent fixture on your Facebook feed—but if not, let us break it down for you. Peloton is a company that recreates the fitness studio experience in your home, minus the studio. The exercise bike is its bread-and-butter. More than just a nice pair of wheels, the bike comes equipped with a built-in screen that connects you to on-demand fitness classes that you can start and stop at any time. (Cycling geek trivia: "peloton" is a French word for the main group of riders in a race.)
This solves more than a few problems. Getting to the gym is hard enough as it is, and especially so in January, when there's ice to be scraped, sidewalks to be shoveled, and tundras to be navigated along the way. Or maybe your plans to hit the gym after work, ignoring the calls of happy hour, delivery food, and warm blankets to bury yourself under until June, keep falling through. Look, we get it. Peloton gets it too, which is why it designed the thing in the first place. You want to get healthy to feel good; adding more reminders on your calendar is no way to achieve that.
The workouts themselves are legit. Those who do want the community aspect can join live classes broadcast from Peloton's HQ in NYC. Those who want to set their own pace can select from over 10,000 on-demand workouts with a variety of trainers and options for length, style, and difficulty. And for those obsessed with keeping score, the bike records metrics like heart rate, output, and resistance over time, so you can keep aiming for better results.
Sure, the exercise bike is nothing new. Spin classes are nothing new. Even Peloton, launched in 2012, has been on the block for a minute now. But it's damn fun to use, and might be your best shot at getting into a real fitness routine that sticks. While the price point is a little steep, if you're already blowing hundreds a month on a gym pass that you don't even use, it'll pay for itself before you know it. Plus, that feeling of actually, finally getting yourself in shape? That's priceless.
If bikes aren't your thing, there's Tread, Peloton's take on the treadmill, or its digital app, which offers walking, yoga, strength, and cycling classes without the equipment. For something totally different, check out Tonal or Mirror, which give you a home gym experience that you can mount directly on the wall.
