After a Car Crash Led to Depression, Indoor Cycling Brought Joy Back Into Her Life
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Name: Brooke Petska
Age: 28
Hometown: Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Occupation: Business development/marketing director for a commercial construction company; part-time cycling/strength instructor for the Chippewa Falls YMCA
Time Cycling: 3 years
Reason for Cycling: Cycling gave me my life back. It’s my why and my purpose for how I now choose to live my life to the fullest.
Growing up I was always the “fat kid.” I was raised in an incredibly loving and supportive household, but nutrition, serving size, portion control, and exercise were never talked about. I spent my entire adolescence being bullied for what size pants I wore. Thankfully, I was blessed with a stubborn Norwegian mindset and thick skin, so I ignored the bullies.
When I was a freshman in college I did the reverse “freshman 15” and lost about 25 pounds by eating salads at almost every meal. That didn’t last long though, as I discovered all the joys of being in college and quickly gained the weight back—and then some. By this point, I had hit my heaviest weight, at around 200 pounds. Post-graduation, I continued to live a lifestyle of eating what I wanted when I wanted with zero focus on my mental, physical, or emotional health.
Fast forward to 2017, when I was in a car accident that left me with a concussion and sustained back and neck injuries. I sunk into a deep depression and gained roughly 30 pounds between 2016 and 2019. I used the accident as an emotional crutch to justify eating, and my physical injuries as an excuse to become even less active than I already was.
Full transparency, I gave up on myself, and often wondered if this life was worth living anymore. When I hit the age of 25, something finally clicked and I knew I needed to change. At 5’7” and 230 pounds at 25 years old, my health was a ticking time bomb for sure.
I’ll never forget the moment I knew I needed to change. It was a morning in early July 2019, and I turned to get out of bed. As I put my feet on the floor, my ankles cracked—and as I stood up my knees gave out at the ripe age of 25. That was the moment I knew I needed to make changes, and make them fast.
I didn’t know what getting healthy meant or how I would do it, but I figured joining a local gym would be a great starting point. So I told my husband I was going to be joining the YMCA with or without him, but I had to do this for myself. We both joined that morning and committed to this lifestyle change together.
The first year of being members at the Y, nothing changed for me because I wasn’t taking my workouts seriously and my diet was horrendous. It wasn’t until my husband suffered a diet-related medical emergency in December of 2019 that was the kick in the pants moment that truly jumpstarted my health journey. What started as “I should get in shape” changed quickly to “I need to."
I finally was brave enough to try an indoor cycling class in 2019. I remember always walking by the classroom and feeling energy radiating into the hallway. The dark room, the loud energizing music, and seeing this glorious in-sync rhythm of people going up and down on the bike seat was absolutely mesmerizing. I was scared to try it, but I was having no luck making progress on my own—so I took the leap and hopped on a bike. I made it 10 minutes into my first class before I went out into the hallway and threw up. I walked back into class, suffered through and promised myself to keep going back. I soon became a regular and found my love of cycling.
With all other workouts, I often found myself watching the clock praying for the minutes to go faster. I never once (and still to this day) don’t feel that way while cycling. Usually I’m sad when it’s over because the adrenaline rush I get on the bike is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. When I first started out, it’s possible I was too distracted by the thought of not dying or falling off the bike. But the best way I can describe indoor cycling is freeing, euphoric, and empowering.
My husband took note of my new obsession with cycling and bought me an indoor bike for my birthday in January 2020. It was a $300 indoor cycling bike he had done extensive research about. He paired it with a Peloton online membership and added a cadence tracker that attached to a pedal–I was thrilled! Little did we know this would be a game changer when COVID-19 forced gyms to close in Wisconsin.
After I took my first Peloton ride, I was hooked. I wanted to take all of the classes right away, but I quickly found that not having an actual Peloton bike was limiting. So after a month of trying out Peloton, I took the plunge and ordered the Peloton Bike+.
If you ask someone who’s been through a significant weight loss journey, they will probably tell you losing weight is 80% what you eat and 20% what you do. The reality is, you can’t outwork a bad diet. If I’m being honest, I feel like my diet is still an area that is ever-evolving because as my workouts change, how I eat changes. I now eat to fuel my body instead of punishing or rewarding it. I tried the keto thing for a while but I found success for me has been a modified keto lifestyle of being mindful of my sugar and carb intakes. I still eat dessert and treats but it’s exactly that, a treat.
When I discovered Peloton, it became part of my everyday routine and I felt like I was missing out by not taking classes. I was used to taking 45-minute classes at the YMCA so those were the classes I stuck to on Peloton. I fluctuated between three to five days a week but knew if I wanted to really see physical changes I had to commit to five to seven days a week.
As the weather changes in Wisconsin, I enjoy incorporating outdoor running and other cardio workouts into my routine so I cycle less, but I still try to make it on my Peloton two to three days a week. My long-term goal is to participate in a triathlon.
When I was at my darkest point, cycling and Peloton gave me my life back. It provides me purpose, it provides an outlet to channel my energy, it has connected me to my local community and the Peloton community, and it has allowed me to influence other people to incorporate cycling into their own lives. If I had to pick one word for how cycling makes me feel, it would be joy.
These three tips have made my cycling journey a success:
1. Remember your ‘why’
In order for something to be meaningful, there has to be a ‘why’ behind it. Before I start each workout, I remind myself why I’m getting on my bike. That ‘why’ helps me to remain focused and committed, especially when the ride gets challenging. Your ‘why’ doesn’t have to be a deep, insightful thought—it can be something as simple as “today I just feel like getting in a good sweat.”
2. Stay the course
Your body isn’t Amazon Prime, so you aren’t going to see the results you want in two to three days just because you started cycling. You have to stay the course knowing that each day is a mini finish line and tomorrow is a new day for a new finish line to conquer. Celebrate each journey and progression along the way, but keep your eyes on the prize and stay the course.
3. Hit restart at any point
No one is perfect, and we all hit roadblocks, speed bumps, and pot holes along the way. Some weeks you will absolutely crush your cycling goals, and the next week you might not be feeling it. That is okay! Instead of hitting quit in these moments, hit restart and adjust where adjustments are necessary to keep working toward your goals.
Brooke’s Must-Have Gear
→Peloton Bike+: The Peloton Bike+ is the ultimate indoor cycling bike. From the world class instructors to the variety in cycling classes, it is worth every penny.
→ Zyia Bomber Bra: A good sports bra is a game changer and the Zyia Bomber Bra checks every box. It provides support where support is needed, but it’s not suffocating. The mesh in the back provides a stylish touch that makes you feel and look good.
→ Koda BlenderBottle: BlenderBottle didn’t mess around with this one! The Koda is 74 ounces and it’s a beast that keeps you hydrated for your full workout. When you have a great session going, it can be annoying to have to go refill a smaller bottle so this solves that problem.
We want to hear how cycling changed you! Send your story and submit your photos to us via this web form. We’ll pick one each week to highlight on the site.
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