Three Fun (Promise!) Ways to Work Out at Work
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Working out at work sounds like…a lot of work. But I’m not talking about bringing an extra set of clothes and heading to the company gym at noon, or finding a spare room for a Pilates break when you hit the afternoon slump. With these three gadgets, you don’t even have to stop scrolling through DailyMail to feel and look better.
1) Cubii Desk Elliptical. It won’t replace your Spin class, but this mini, under-the-desk elliptical (best used after taking off your heels) is an easy and discreet way to get your cardio in while sitting on conference calls, answering emails and eating lunch. You aren’t likely to break a sweat, but you will be sore if you dial the resistance up all the way. Connect it to the app, and you can track calories burned, strides and distance.
Cubii desk elliptical, $347, mycubii.com.
2) Slendertone Abdominal Muscle Toner. Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) sounds scary-and I’ll be honest, I was nervous to experience the sensation after seeing a woman squeal and twitch a little after putting this belt around her stomach-but it’s actually fun (really) once you get used to it. Here’s how it works: Secure three electrode pads to a wide belt and wrap it around your lower abdominal muscles, then sync it to the app on your phone with Bluetooth. You’ll enter in your stats, like fitness level and goals, for a customized regimen, then begin your session and dial up the intensity of the electric impulses that force your stomach muscles to contract as high as you can comfortably stand from 1 to 100. At low levels, it feels like a light tingling, almost ticklish, sensation; at the level I was comfortable at (30 to 33), it was a heavy, very noticeable pulse; and when I accidentally scrolled up to the 40s, well, that’s what I imagine a defibrillator might be like. You can wear it while working out or just hanging around the house, but you do need to eat well and be fit to see toning results (no instant six-pack if you just wear it while drinking wine and watching Housewives, unfortunately). I did three 25-minute sessions in a day and woke up feeling as sore as if I’d done 500 crunches, so I have a good feeling about my 4th of July body.
Slendertone Abdominal Muscle Toner, $230, slendertone.com.
3) Facial Fitness Pao. Alicia Yoon, the founder of Korean beauty destination Peach & Lily, told me about this facial sculpting tool, which is supposedly all the rage in Japan, that works to strengthen and define your jawline. It’s a flexible, arm-length bar with weighted ends (it comes with three levels of weights to build up to) and a mouthpiece in the center. The goal is to create a waving vibration on either side using your jaw muscles and slight nodding of the head for 30 seconds twice a day. The jury’s still out on just how much it can really chisel your face (and if it’s appropriate to use at the office), but there’s no doubt it works out some underused muscles. Plus, Cristiano Ronaldo is the face of it, so staring at the package while using it is good motivation for men and women alike to hit the gym after.
Facial Fitness Pao, $140, amazon.com.
