The most important aspect of sticking to a long-term fitness regimen is to keep it exciting, interesting and enjoyable. You’re not going to persist with your workouts if you don’t love them, and you certainly won’t fully benefit from them.
I don’t belong to a gym. Simply said, I’m not a “gym guy.” I’d much rather be frog-jumping along the river or sprinting up a flight of stairs than lifting weights. My preference is body weight exercise and kettlebell routines simply becaause they’re much more fun to me.
If you’re a workout freak like me, a few fitness gadgets can sometimes help keep you focused and enjoying yourself. Here are 7 fitness gadgets that I use pretty regularly.
1. SAGUARO – Toe Shoes
If you think about it, shoes are a pretty unnatural invention. I don’t believe we were ever meant to spend hours crammed into tightly packed arrangements of rubber and animal hides. As a result, our natural walking patterns are altered, forcing the spine, pelvis, and leg and foot joints to adjust (and not in a good way). The result is varying degrees of knee and lower back problems, foot pain, and muscle fatigue.
I wouldn’t even wear shoes if it was socially acceptable, but SAGUARO are the next best thing. They allow the bones and muscles of the foot to spread and stretch naturally as though you were barefoot. I wear them mostly for sprinting and doing bodyweight exercise outdoors, but I’ve also run longer distances in them with greater stamina and improved balance than regular running shoes.
Lightweight, good traction, and easy to clean. You’ll get some funny looks as people notice them, but SAGUARO are my favorite shoes for outdoor workouts.
Read also: Best Women’s Shoes For Achilles Tendonitis
2. Jabra Elite Active 75t Earbuds
We all know how IRRITATING it is when your earbuds fall out as you’re exercising. If you run or do any bodyweight exercise, you absolutely need Jabra Elite because they have solved the ear-buds-falling-out-of-your-ears problem. I’m not sure exactly how they work, nor do I really care, but a slight twist locks them into your ears and that’s all that matters to me.
It’s hard to find anything to complain about with these Jabra Elite Active 75T. In my opinion, they are the best sporty bluetooth earpbuds. The sound is also excellent, especially if you like bass, not to mention the waterproofing.
The only time these have ever fallen out is when my hand or something got tangled into the cord. They’ve stayed secure during long bouts of burpees, stair sprints, and power jumps.
I’m always a little nervous when buying new earbuds. Many brands sound cheap and tinny, so I let a friend buy a pair and test them first. Never fear, they sound great plugged into my iPhone.
3. Insanity
I love Shaun T…..I hate Shaun T…..I love Shaun T…..I hate Shaun T…..
If you’ve ever done an Insanity workout, you know what I mean. The best word I can use to describe the Insanity workout program is…..INSANE!
I THOUGHT I was in pretty good shape when I did Insanity for the first time, but little did I know how tough a bodyweight workout can be. However, I stuck with it and saw a dramatic improvement in my endurance, muscle composition, and overall fitness level. This is, by far, the most effective exercise program I’ve ever done.
One bit of advice, however: Start at your own pace because you’ll be sucking wind after about 3 minutes. Shaun T is an excellent motivator and the program never gets boring. Two years later, I still break out my Insanity DVDs when I want to switch up my workout regimen.
4. Fitbit Inspire 2 Health & Fitness Tracker
Visually witnessing all the ways you’re getting more awesome is a great motivator, and the FitBit Inpsire provides an easy method of keeping track of how you’re progressing.
This is probably the most advanced fitness tracker available. You can monitor your steps, calories, sleep patterns, and even the stairs you climb. It provides digital evidence of how efficient your body is becoming and the areas where you need improvement.
It’s accurate and small enough that it won’t get in your way. The FitBit Inspire 2 syncs with the FitBit application available on Android and iOS. An application that offers a rather complete overview of the data collected by the sensor.
5. Doorway Pull-up Bar
There is simply no substitute for pull-ups when it comes to developing your back and biceps.
I’m sure you’ve seen these doorway contraptions before. It is a revolutionary invention. Before these, you had to find a beam or pipe somewhere in your basement or garage to do any decent back exercises. If you don’t have one, you’re missing out. This is a necessity for people who work out at home.
6. The Kettlebell
My good friend the kettlebell. Other than a few square feet of space for my bodyweight routines and my doorway pull-up bar, this is the only other piece of fitness equipment I own for home exercise.
A kettlebell is basically a cannonball with a handle, and it will blast your core and every other body part with varying degrees of cruel and unusual punishment. Why would you want to do that to yourself? Because being strong is sexy!
A kettlebell or two is definitely something you want in your workout arsenal. They come in various sizes so you can increase weight as you progress.
*An instructional DVD is warranted if you’ve never used one before.
7. Garmin GPS Watch
If you don’t have a running/walking partner, let me introduce you to the Garmin Forerunner 45. The stats collected by this little piece of tech-awesomeness can provide the motivation you seek.
It records your position, current pace, speed, distance, and calories, and compares them to your target. Notifications let you know how you’re doing and if you need to step it up to reach your time or distance goals.
This watch is waterproof so can be used in the pool and a full charge will easily outlast your daily run.
There are many companies that make many variations of all these products, but these are the ones I’ve used personally and can recommend with confidence.