The 'Peloton Husband' Gave His Actual Girlfriend A Peloton For Christmas

Brittany Wong

The guy who played the husband in exercise bike company Peloton’s much-mocked viral holiday ad is really committed to its products.

Sean Hunter, the Canadian actor and teacher who played the husband in the polarizing holiday ad, gave his real-life partner, Cassidy Baras, an actual Peloton exercise bike for Christmas. (Some guys never learn.)

“Here’s hoping this goes over better the second time.... Merry Christmas to my actual girlfriend (pls don’t leave me),” he joked on Instagram on Christmas Day, alongside a photo of him and Baras, both with big smiles on their faces.

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The ad for the bike was ruthlessly mocked on social media earlier this month. The 30-second ad features a man, played by Hunter, gifting his wife a Peloton for the holidays.

Then, we see the fictional wife’s yearlong fitness journey, which she anxiously documents via selfie videos. At the end of the year, she makes a compilation video of all the clips as a gift to her husband and thanks him for transforming her life.

Some noted that the ad had a horror film or “Black Mirror” episode quality to it ― the actress does have a worried look on her face throughout most of the commercial ― while others pegged it as sexist. The ad was so controversial, the exercise equipment company’s stock fell almost 10% in the immediate aftermath of its release.

Both actors were quick to address the controversy. Hunter defended the ad on “Good Morning America” and said he felt wrongly villainized for his involvement in the spot.

“People turned down a pretty dark path and it turned into a nasty thing,” he said. “Once something goes viral, and it turns viral, people jump on that negative bandwagon and start to create any dialogue they want.”

Monica Ruiz, who starred as the wife, shared her thoughts on why the commercial hit a nerve for so many people in an interview with the “Today” show.

“Honestly, I think it was just my face,” she said.

When asked to elaborate by host Hoda Kotb, Ruiz replied: “My fault! My eyebrows look worried, I guess?”

The actress, who has since landed a role on the soap “The Bold and the Beautiful,” said that ultimately, she wants to move on from the viral moment.

“I hope that people can kind of just see me as an actress, cause that’s what I am,” Ruiz added. “I hope people can remember that I’m not actually the Peloton lady and let me work other jobs.”

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A still from the Peloton ad. (Photo: TODAY)
A still from the Peloton ad. (Photo: TODAY)

Ruiz also had a little fun with her role in the bike ad brouhaha. Actor Ryan Reynolds tapped her to appear in a playful “sequel” ad promoting his Aviation American Gin brand.

In the commercial, Ruiz’s character meets up with a few girlfriends at a bar. “You’re safe here,” one says, while Ruiz’s character gets her drink on. After all that controversy, the Peloton wife definitely deserves a drink or two.

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Set Minimal Goals

Good intentions often lead to unrealistic plans. Instead, for a week or month, choose a doable number of days to work out and stick to it. "Exercising 15 or 16 days a month will do you a ton of good, and it's really just every other day," says Baumeister. "If you aim for 15 but actually manage 20, you can feel great about how you're surpassing your goals."

Keep A Record

Baumeister suggests writing down each day whether or not you exercised, or keeping an online log of your workouts. If you struggle with accountability, engage social pressure: Enlist friends or online workout buddies to share your goal with and report to.
Baumeister suggests writing down each day whether or not you exercised, or keeping an online log of your workouts. If you struggle with accountability, engage social pressure: Enlist friends or online workout buddies to share your goal with and report to.

Beware Of Willpower Drains

Sedentary tasks like making decisions or focusing on listening to a speaker can drain the same willpower reserves that exercise taps, Baumeister reports. This is why forcing yourself to go for a jog will likely be more difficult after sitting through a boring presentation, even if you aren't physically tired. Try to schedule workouts for times when your willpower hasn't already been tested.

Value Initiation Instead Of Endurance

"As you exercise day after day," Baumeister says, "it gradually gets easier to sustain the practice." Making yourself work out even a few minutes one day means you're more likely to do it again the next day, and the next. "Starting a habit is the most difficult part," says Segerstrom, but the initial frustrations are temporary. "Once established, habits are near-automatic."

Forget Failure

Segerstrom advises an optimistic outlook. This will help you see your inevitable mistakes not as deal breakers but as expected rites of passage on the way to reaching your goal.
Segerstrom advises an optimistic outlook. This will help you see your inevitable mistakes not as deal breakers but as expected rites of passage on the way to reaching your goal.

Leverage Your Lifestyle

Segerstrom suggests tailoring your workout to an established aspect of your life. If you pride yourself on being an involved parent, forms of exercise like family bike rides or coaching your child's sports team may be easier to stick with. If you're an animal lover, try going for a run with your dog. Baumeister can vouch for pet-induced motivation: "I'd get home at the end of the day and feel tired, but the run was the highlight of the dog's day, so he would be indignant at the prospect of skipping it!"

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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