Peloton’s Holiday Challenge Is a Great Cold-Weather Motivator
I can be motivated to do just about anything if an app offers me a badge or “streak”, which I’ve made clear in various reviews here on Lifehacker. When it comes to the apps I use to stay on top of my health and fitness, that’s true to some extent, although I also get at least a little satisfaction from working out. Even though I’m likely to get up and exercise on an average day, receiving some sort of digital reward makes me that much more excited, which has been true over the past four days when Peloton launched its Holiday 2025 challenge. It’s a simple challenge, but one that might interest you if you’re also encouraged by celebratory pixels or want to get a head start on your New Year’s goals.
What is the Holiday 2025 challenge on Peloton?
Peloton’s app is great overall because it offers a wide variety of class types, can be used to track non-Peloton workouts better than native workout trackers, and offers a multitude of ways to get the sweet bop of dopamine motivation, from daily streaks to Club Peloton status. (As of today, I’m on a streak of 263 consecutive days and sitting firmly in the Silver III tier of the Peloton Club.)
The app awards you badges and milestones for things like completing a certain number of meditation or strength classes, taking a class with music from a specific artist, or participating in a challenge. As of December 1, we’re in Holiday 2025 Challenge territory, which means if you take Holiday-branded classes through the app, either on your mobile device or on one of the brand’s proprietary gear, you earn a badge.
If you complete three holiday courses by December 31 you get a bronze badge, if you complete five you earn silver and 10 will get you a gold one. That’s good enough for me! The badge appears on your profile along with any others you may have earned.
While there’s not much more to it than that, there is something essential you need to know: Peloton members must choose to complete the challenge. You can do this on the app or by following this link. I haven’t done this until today, which means I just spent four days taking classes over vacation (simply typing “vacation” into the search bar) but not contributing to my ultimate badge. Fortunately, some of the ones I took were retroactively considered once I signed up. I have, strangely and inadvertently, earned a badge called “Vacation 2024”, which appeared on my profile today, I assume because I took some holiday courses that were released last year. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I’ll take the bonus badge and be grateful nonetheless.
Credit: Peloton
Once you’re signed up, do what I did and search for “vacation.” You’ll see courses as well as a “Vacation” collection, which also only shows you courses, but these are sorted by year of release. Taking any holiday course, regardless of the year, will help you earn your badges. There are holiday rides, holiday lifts, holiday yoga flows, holiday walks – you get the point. Like all Peloton offerings, they vary in intensity levels and duration, so you can find something that suits you no matter what you want to do and for how long.
What do you think of it so far?
Why I like this challenge
I’m easy to please, I admit, and I can be convinced to do anything even slightly fanciful or unique, but I think a challenge like this is solid for a number of reasons. First, it’s not intimidating. You have 31 days to complete just three courses and still earn a badge. Additionally, the collection contains many simple, low-commitment courses. For a beginner or someone with limited time, it’s not like you have to commit to a ton of very difficult classes.
Credit: Peloton
I also love anything new and appreciate that it provides a fun little way to prioritize movement during a time of year that is, at least for me, both busier and more neglected than the other 11 months. When it’s cold and there’s an abundance of baked goods around me, I’m not always inclined to choose a workout over some time in my pajamas and on the couch, but knowing that I have to stick to my routine to earn the gold badge can be a motivator.
Finally, I’m sort of in the middle of my own personal challenge: Last week I, for some reason, had the idea of spending a lot of money on a month-long unlimited Pilates membership, which I’m now determined to make every penny worth by taking a class every morning around 5:30 p.m. There’s something nice about finishing an intense reform session, walking home in the cold, and unwinding with some vacation-themed yoga or stretches. I can even play a holiday-themed ride on the way back to my apartment. At a time when I’m already going to great lengths, I appreciate the whimsy and fun of “10 min Backstreet Boys Holiday Stretch.” Remembering that moving is supposed to feel good – especially during a season known for irritating me with all its events, responsibilities and hassles – is grounding.
