Personally, I don’t love
the paraphernalia of workouts. I want to
be able to show up and get going rather than spend a bunch of time setting stuff
up and tracking down equipment or tools.
This is the appeal of body weight workouts and yoga and running, for
example, because, hey, no stuff to lug around!
That said, equipment and tools can make a big difference in how we feel
about working out. Here are some things
that make my workouts better:
• Music. Cardio can get boring very fast. Unless we are very new at working out, most
of us can’t get enough of a workout while reading, so we have to find other
ways to occupy our brains. Some people
like audio books. A lot of people swear by
watching television. (Before I broke up
with football, I used to justify some of my viewing habits by watching from the
spin bike, doing high intensity intervals during the commercials and seated
pedaling during the game itself…)
• Protective stuff. For me, that means elbow and wrist straps for
biking and lifting. Those of us who have
knee or ankle issues may have a bond with our braces. We may prefer squishy mats for our knees or
backs during floor exercises. And yes,
we all need to wear our helmets when we bike, skateboard, and scooter.
• The right clothes. I used to work out in any old t-shirt. That works fine. But once I realized that I could get all
sweaty and not have an extra 30 pounds of wet cotton on my back, I was finally
sold on all the cool swanky fitness fabrics.
Also, the person who invented the small-of-the-back pocket on bike
shirts is an absolute genius; those pockets should be standard on all clothing.
What’s on your list of
stuff that makes a workout better?
No comments:
Post a Comment