By David Freeze
The most unusual “outrage” came last week over a stationary bicycle commercial. Outrage is one of those words that I hate to hear, especially since it is so overused amid political comments recently. Retiring the word would suit me just fine.
Here’s what happened. I saw the commercial depicting a husband who gave his wife one of the finest stationary bikes available on the market. Peloton is the brand name and that word too made all kinds of media for the next few days. One report said that the video had over 700,000 comments within a few days and the actor playing the dad was often ridiculed. After all, did people forget that he was an actor playing a role?
The thought of a husband giving his wife an exercise bike riled the women of The View and Jenna Bush Hager told Hoda Kotb, “My husband better not ever give me a gift like that!” Another word, sexist, was often used to denigrate the commercial.
Why not give the gift of possibly the best home stationary bike in the world, one that can quickly connect the rider to an online spin cycling class at will? The gift of exercise, not the gift to shame a seemingly normal body size mother as suggested by so many on TV. I polled a few of my exercise clients and some other long time runners and they all agreed. Include me in joining the long list of folks who would love to receive this specific Peloton bike. I have often thought of how cool it would be to have a high quality bike like this upstairs to use whenever I wanted, just as the mom in the commercial could now do. Spin classes are often filled to capacity at local gyms, usually on bikes not as high quality and realistic as this one. One other commercial for a similar bike shows a woman pushing herself hard while watching a winter snowstorm falling outside her window.
Why does this matter so much to me? How could that gift give back many times over to the wife, husband and the rest of his family? Well past my best efforts on the sports fields and the roads of running, I am old enough now to appreciate good health. I remember my own story from years ago of wanting to get healthier with an idea of looking ahead to a long life with my loved ones. I was successful and one of the major tools along the way was a form of cycling, both stationary and road.
As the days of the week went by, the opinion somewhat shifted away from all the “outrage” to one of understanding and support. Here is exactly why I agree with that shift. I have said it often and will continue to say this for the rest of my life. The one single biggest gift we can give to others is the gift of our time. It doesn’t have to cost anything and can take many forms.
As an example, I love it when my daughters come to visit, and we can just talk with no other pressures or expectations. I would rather do that than go out for the nicest meal available or some type of entertainment. And friends too, old and new, I am going to make the gift of time for them just as I hope they will.
Now back to the guy who gave the Peloton bike for Christmas. My first thought when seeing the commercial was that the actor portrayed a young husband who gave a gift from the heart, one that his wife could use at home. Simply in hopes that his wife would enjoy herself and also be around to have lots of time with him and their family. What could be better than that?
