Work While You Work Out With This Peloton Desk
Did you know the Apple Watch only measures your VO2 Max when you’re walking or running? I don’t check my Apple Watch fitness stats that often, but a month or two ago I happened to look, and saw that my VO2 Max went from “above average” to “below average.” Why did I never hit “average?!” Rude. I looked into it more (eventually my VO2 Max disappeared altogether), and that’s when I found out it only measures it during walking or running workouts. All those Peloton rides didn’t count (WTF?!). Then I realized I hadn’t recorded a walking workout since August. Since my dog died. (I realize I could take a walk by myself, but a walk without a dog is of no interest to me.) Having your heart broken and then having your Apple Watch tell you your heart is broken? It’s a little too Black Mirror for my taste.
This is all to say, I am moving less than I used to, and sometimes closing all the rings on my watch is a challenge. I decided to try working (or watching tv, or reading) while doing a “Just Ride” on the Peloton. I would just move my legs a bit, with no suggestions for cadence or resistance, and I’d get in some activity. There are a lot of Peloton desk attachments out there, but I went with the one from Aerow, because it was the most affordable one for sale, and because they very kindly sent me Comfort Grip, which I love.
You do have to remove the Comfort Grip to put the desk on the bike, but the whole switcheroo process takes about 30 seconds. Then, you’re ready to ride. I would recommend not putting a drink or anything super fragile on the desk until you are ON the bike, or are experienced in getting on the bike with the desk there. I have a windowsill next to my bike, and I set any potentially perilous items there during mount/dismount.
The first time I used the desk, I was trying to edit some photos on my laptop, and I realized I move my face super close to the screen when I’m editing, and the desk is much lower than I’m used to. I have some some typing, and that’s alright, but mostly I watch TV. I don’t have a TV where the bike is, and I don’t want to try any of the hacks to get Netflix on the Peloton screen (I want to track my bike stats! I’m not exercising for zero credit!). I usually just ride with the desk for 30-45 minutes, enough to close my exercise ring and watch a show. It’s a great way to add some movement to my day, while not going all-out on a workout or forgoing precious veg-out time watching TikToks.
