Welcome and congratulations on your bike! Here's
a list of accessories to consider. Yes, there are live classes every day and thousands on demand. If you haven't taken a class yet, if you take a live class for your first, you will likely get a "shout out" from the instructor.
Here are some tips:
-Make sure your bike is adjusted properly for you - seat, handlebars, etc. Here's a
short video on it.
-Start with "beginner" classes which show you the basics and explain proper form (relaxed shoulders, no bouncing, elbows bent, etc.). Also try the "welcome to Peloton" series in collections to try out different instructors.
-Try to ride (or workout) every day. This is a good time to create a new positive habit. If you do something else active like a bike ride outside, hike, run, etc. that's a great substitute.
-Although I suggest making it a daily habit, don't push yourself too hard every day. Some days, just do low impact rides or recovery rides and if you're sore, hungover or not feeling great even 5 or 10 minutes is good. Since you have this awesome new toy, you'll want to ride it a lot but you don't want to overdo it and burn out. I'd suggest pushing it to the max no more than twice a week.
-Stretch after every ride. 5 minute post ride stretches are fine - you can do them on the bike, from a phone, tablet, computer, smart TV or streaming device.
-Whenever you're doing a hard ride, start with a 5 or 10 minute warm up ride and end with a 5 or 10 minute cool down ride. There is a warmup section of each ride but they're not long enough and they usually only cool down for 1 minute at the end. When I cool down I want my heard rate back to 90 or below before I get off the bike. Warming up and cooling down will help your body recover and you'll be less sore.
-If you can't match the cadence and resistance that is suggested, try to just do the cadence and lower the resistance to what you can do. Work up to the resistance range over time.
-If you have trouble pedaling while standing up don't do it at first or do it for shorter amounts of time.
-You mentioned wanting to lose weight. The most efficient classes for that will be intervals so HIIT and Tabata classes although don't do them before your ready and/or start with short classes.
-Try the other exercises on the app like strength, meditation, yoga, etc. These are good and help to mix it up.
Let me know if you have any questions. Welcome to the cult of Peloton!