The Easiest Way To Boost Your Workout & Tone Up Faster
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Working out can be kinda tedious! While you know you’ll feel amazing post-workout, the prospect of getting on your gym gear when you could crash on the sofa and binge-watch Cheer on Netflix is a difficult choice to make. Well, that tough life decision still remains, but we’ve discovered something pretty awesome that will elevate your workout and tone your body up faster, and it doesn’t involve extra time sweating it. In fact, it actually makes us more excited to work out…
Introducing the cutest workout accessory since leg warmers in the 90s: Bala Bangles, $49, aka weighted wrist and ankle bands that you’ll probably want to wear 24/7.
These super cute weighted wristbands are just 1LB each (just under 0.5kg), and add a little resistance to intensify absolutely any type of workout – whether you’re walking to work, doing yoga, playing tennis or spinning. The weights come with two bands in each pack, and the weights are attached to a velcro strip, so you can adjust the tightness and move the weights along the strip to find what’s comfortable.
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We reached out to the Co-Founder of Bala Bangles, Natalie Holloway, also a professional yoga instructor, to get all the inside tea on the benefits of adding weights to your workout.
What’s the benefit of working out with weighted wristbands?
“When you add weight or resistance to a workout, you have to exert more energy. When you use more energy, you increase heart-rate, burn fat, and build muscle. It’s science!” Natalie told us.
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What’s the best way to use Bala Bangles?
“Bala Bangles intensify just about any workout – from yoga to running, from boxing to dance. We all reach a plateau. We all look for ways to make our workouts more fun, more challenging. Bala Bangles are comfortable and fashionable. But, more importantly, they’ll make you work harder without interrupting your flow, run, or routine.” In fact, it was Natalie’s need for a harder workout that inspired Bala Bangles, she told us that after a yoga class with her (now) husband, she felt unsatisfied and so they made it their mission to find a way to intensify workouts whether you’re a beginner or pro.
What we thought of Bala Bangles
Of course, we had to try Bala Bangles out ourselves. We chose the super cute pink ‘Blush’ shade for our wrists and opted for the Black color for our ankles so they’d blend with our leggings – they are gorgeous! We can confirm that the weights 100% intensified our workouts! We loved using the bangles for yoga and pilates, and while it doesn’t feel like a lot of weight when you first put them on, after a few repetitive moves you really notice a difference – especially toward the end of a workout.
Probably our biggest mistake was wearing these on our wrists for a boxing session – we died!! After about 20 minutes we had to take them off, but if you’re a bit stronger these will be amazing for you. We were so impressed with the difference these made and we love the idea that if you want to focus on your arms, wearing these on your wrists while you exercise will have major toning benefits, and essentially you can spend less time on the same exercises and reap better results.
We even put these on while we spent an hour spring cleaning and sorting out our apartment, and we loved that we were able to turn a pretty tedious task into a tone-up session. You can also get heavier versions that weigh 2LB (1kg), which are great for legs or if you do more lightweight exercise, and therefore are able to take heavier weights. However, we did find the weights a little tight around the ankles, so if you have broad calves, they might not be a comfortable fit.
Finally, we wore Bala Bangles on our legs and wrists while we walked our dog and went for a run, and we were majorly impressed with the difference the 1LB weights made to the intensity. You can literally wear these anywhere…
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Who we recommend Bala Bangles to
Basically anyone! If you’re a gym pro or yoga newbie, just starting to get into exercise or you love a good hike at the weekend, these weights are the easiest way to do more without putting more time in – and we’re all for that! If exercising isn’t your thing but you want to start being more active, wear these while you go for a brisk walk, go grocery shopping, cook dinner or dance around your room.
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We also love the sleek design and gorgeous colors (there are tons to choose from), which means you really can wear them anywhere! They also basically cost the same as a new sports bra, and you can wear them anytime you work out, so we really feel like they’re at a reasonable price point.
Would you guys try these? Let us know in the comments.
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