How I Work Out and How I Recover

"It is worth it, and the warranty is a big part of why."

Why I like it:

This is the biggest purchase on my whole site, so let me be straight about why I think it earns it. You can get a warranty with it, and they'll come out to your house and fix it, which is the part nobody thinks about until something breaks. It comes with all the bells and whistles, and honestly that's what entices me to get my routine on every day. Workouts play right on the screen and guide you along. Brand new or a pro, walking or running, there's a class for you.

"For the days a real workout isn't happening."

Why I like it:

Some days a full workout just isn't going to happen, and this is what I do instead of nothing. You stand on it, it does the work and about ten minutes in you feel it in your legs. I use the bands that came with it for my arms while I'm standing there. It slides under the couch when I'm done, which is the only reason it's still in my living room and not in the basement with everything else.

"The bands can work any part of your body."

Why I like it:

I love using my bands. They work any part of the body, and I use them for everything from legs to arms. These are flat loops with no seam, in color-coded resistance levels, so you move up as you get stronger with the same set. A pack costs very little, they take up no space and I can use them with the kids in the room. Try that with a treadmill. If the price of a big machine scared you off, start here.

"Relief after staring at a screen all day."

Why I like it:

Between school all day and my phone the rest of the time, my eyes are on a screen way too much. This warms up and gently squeezes around your eyes and temples, and after about fifteen minutes they feel relaxed. It helps with the headache that creeps in from too much screen time too. Part of why it works is that the thing is sitting over your face, so you physically can't look at another screen while it runs.

"Philadelphia winters are dark and gray. This helps."

Why I like it:

It gets dark here at four thirty in the winter and stays gray for months, and that gets to me. I turn this on in the morning while I'm getting ready and it genuinely helps my mood. It's bright like daylight, with no UV. Seasonal depression is a real thing, and this is one of the few things I've tried where I noticed a difference.

"Twenty minutes on my lower back at the end of the day."

Why I like it:

I wrap this around my lower back at night, set the timer and sit down with it. I've used it on my knees too, after a long day on my feet at school. I'm not going to tell you it's a miracle. It's twenty quiet minutes that leave me feeling looser than I was, and that's worth it to me.

"Thirteen orders in the last year."

This is the electrolyte mix we keep stocked. Each stick has salt, potassium and magnesium, the stuff you lose when you sweat, and no sugar. You mix one into a big water bottle. Between the 12-count and the 18-count variety packs, we've ordered it 13 times in the last year.

Why I like it: No sugar, and the mixed flavors keep it from getting boring.

"The treat drawer, with protein in it."

These are the sweets we actually keep in the house. The peanut butter cups have 11 grams of protein and less than a gram of sugar. The chocolate chip cookie dough bars have 21 grams of protein and no added sugar. In the last year we've ordered the cups four times and the bars three times.

Why I like it: Something sweet that still counts toward my protein for the day.