Want to get serious about fitness? Here's what you need to get started.
Ah, fitness Instagram.
One day we all blinked, and suddenly all of these exercise bloggers with fancy routines and expensive workout clothes appeared. Of course, we'd all love to be in shape, but how is anyone (who doesn't have a celebrity trainer) supposed to get started — and actually stick with it past one week?
While motivation is one thing you can't purchase, these items can make getting started seem a whole lot more inviting.
Years ago, workout clothes were nothing more than an old pair of sweatpants and a stained shirt from college with the sleeves cut off. However, the recent trend is that exercising is supposed to be...stylish? These workout clothes have some technology embedded into them to make burning calories as comfortable as possible, and they look cool.
Workout wear by Tasc Performance is made with their Bamboo Performance Technology, which allows their clothes to be comfortable and moisture wicking, plus they have UPF 50 protection without using chemically-enhanced fabric. But guess what: it's still machine washable. A few wardrobe staples are linked below, but you can find a full selection on Amazon.
Not only are the socks moisture wicking, but use temperature regulation technology and anti-odor technology to prevent slimy, smelly feet.
Working out or running is 100x more bearable when you're listening to music. But there's nothing more annoying than constantly having to stop your flow to adjust headphones that keep falling out. These highly rated Bluetooth headphones are your solution. With three sizes and silicon ear hooks, you can be sure that they'll fit comfortably in your ear and stay there for up to nine hours of playtime.
But you need somewhere to put your phone to make sure you don't lose it or get it sweaty, right? This 2-in-1 phone storage water bottle ensures that you're hydrating enough and that your phone is with you at all times.
Another bottle that many fitness gurus won't leave home without is a blender bottle. Healthy smoothies and protein shakes are important for steady energy and muscle building. The Oster My Blend is a personal smoothie maker where the blending compartment is actually a grab-n-go bottle, so you don't have to mess with multiple parts if you're in a hurry to get to the gym.
If you're not psyched on the gym quite yet (or don't feel like going out in public) these resistance bands offer convenient strength training from the comfort of home, a hotel room, or even the office — Netflix and stretch, anyone? The set comes with five bands, instructions, carrying bag, eBook, and online workout videos.
Speaking of at-home training, an exercise ball is also a convenient way to train basically anywhere. Use it at home or in the office in place of a desk chair, or get involved in yoga classes. This sturdy anti-burst fitness ball offers stability for weight and core training, as well as for flexibility stretches.
The fitness tracking market has blown up. While our fitness tracker roundup outlines features of the best trackers out there, might we suggest the Fitbit Charge 2, or as we like to call it, the mother of Fitbits. With heart rate, calorie, sleep, and distance tracking, a personalized cardio score, and phone notifications, the Charge 2 is the best bang for your buck.
These best-selling books can give you some insights into strength training and general fitness. Both the men's and women's books are super highly rated, with reviews outlining inspiring transformation stories from beginners.
Topics Fitness Trackers Health
Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.
