The Power of @PelotonMed
Author: Deanna Behrens, MD
Keywords: community, social media, exercise, support
Like many others during the initial stages of the pandemic, I craved something to replace the community that I normally found in person at work and church, with friends and family. I also realized that I wanted to use the time to do something positive and meaningful for myself during what was an exceedingly difficult and uncertain time.
Luckily, I had previously turned to social media, specifically Twitter, in late 2016 and early 2017 after the 2016 presidential election. This period of transition was in some ways similar to the time in the spring and summer of 2020. I needed an outlet to connect with other health care providers and to achieve a sense of purpose by advocating for my vulnerable patient population. I formed genuine relationships with people in #WomenInMedicine, #tweetiatrician, and #PedsICU. They provided invaluable support and mentorship.
At the start of 2020, I knew that I needed an outlet for all my energy and anxiety during that upcoming spring, and I wanted to use it to become healthier and stronger. Peloton was something vague to me. Friends and colleagues at work had talked about the value they received from a community formed around exercise; it was more than a bike to them.
Getting a peloton is a big commitment financially. Would I use it? Would I like it? How would it help me get through the pandemic? I started to notice #PelotonMedTwitter around that time and followed a few friends who had one. I decided to start with the app, which is something I recommend to anyone who is contemplating the bike. I loved the instructors, and I loved the energy. I was ready for the bike. Out of an overabundance of optimism, I decided to join Dr. Gretchen Winter on a ride. It was my first and her 200th.
One of the hallmarks of Peloton is the social aspect. You can have friends and give high fives. You celebrate milestone rides and exercise streaks. You can train using the same program as those around you and get badges for completing them. There is a leaderboard. The instructors say that the most important thing about the leaderboard is showing up, and some people do compete only against themselves. But for some, there is a friendly rivalry that pushes everyone to do better.
I did not create the hashtag #PelotonMedTwitter – all the credit goes to Nicole Salvatore for that. But I did start a peloton med challenge, and thus @PelotonMed was created. Someone asked me later if I was surprised how the account grew. During that specific time (early pandemic) and with that specific demographic (anyone even tangentially related to healthcare who was interested in Peloton), it felt like an organic continuation of the community that had already been established. It made sense that there is a significant overlap in the Venn diagram between people who turn to social exercise groups like Peloton and health care providers who turn to social media to connect, learn, and educate.
Shortly after starting the account, I asked Gretchen if she would be interested in co-leading it with me. Though it is a lighthearted account, we do take it seriously. It means something to the people who are part of it. We want to offer a place that is supportive and inclusive. We are deeply aware that the cost can be prohibitive, and so we always emphasize that you do not need the equipment to participate; while we call ourselves @PelotonMed, any form of exercise counts. A big rule – our only rule, really – is that we do not tolerate people who disrespect or put down others. Everyone is welcome, and we have doctors, nurses, dieticians, therapists, child life specialists, statisticians, medical librarians, and even a financial specialist who works with physicians.
Every person who participates in @PelotonMed enriches it. Sometimes we interact with @onepeloton, sometimes with instructors, and memorably, John Foley himself once helped us. However, we are mostly a self-sufficient group. We have our own traditions and our own shorthand methods of communication. Dr. Ken Tegtmeyer is famous for his #FBHi5 (fly by high fives). We celebrate each other’s professional accomplishments. We rooted for Gabby Brauner Librizzi during her journey through medical school and running her first marathon. We amplify and join in with @PelotonPHM, the pediatric hospital medicine group. We do Peak Your Power Zones, Tunde arm challenges, and Floor Bootcamp. We lift each other up and we hold each other accountable. We were even on an episode of Dr. Mark Shapiro’s podcast, Explore the Space
Though I have not met the vast majority of those on @PelotonMed, I have made real friends through this experience. It has been an unexpected pleasure to meet #PelotonMedTwitter members at various conferences – though I was secretly jealous of those who got to meet in person at last year’s Women in Medicine Summit. Dr. Jessie Allan came by and gave me a real-life #FBHi5 at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting. It was a great delight to finally meet Gretchen in person when we were asked to be on a panel together at the Society of Critical Care Medicine conference.
I am so grateful to Avital O’Glasser and the WIMS Blog for being patient with me while I processed what I wanted to say about this group that has come to mean so much to me. It was fitting that I met Gretchen on a panel about wellness and wellbeing, because being a member of a community, of this community, has been healing for me. It has helped me deal with complex emotions and to prioritize my own mental and physical health during the most challenging time in my career. Thank you.
About the author: Dr. Deanna Behrens is a pediatric critical care physician in Chicago. She runs the @PelotonMed account with Dr. Gretchen Winter (Twitter: @DeannaMarie208)
