OK, it's not "magic," but according to its fans, it might as well be. Created by the founder of Pilates, Joseph Pilates, the "magic circle" exercise ring is designed to provide resistance so you can tone targeted areas like your thighs, upper arms, chest and pelvic muscles. One reviewer uses Stamina's version to enhance her Pilates workout and "burn off extra energy while sitting." Other reviewers say that while it's not for the uncoordinated and it comes with a so-so DVD routine, "For core workouts, the Magic Circle can't be beat," and, "You'll be amazed!"
You may have seen this at a boot-camp class or on "The Biggest Loser." It sounds complicated but it's basically just a set of adjustable straps with handles attached to them. By anchoring the straps to something solid (a tree, a door, etc.) and pulling on the handles while assuming a variety of poses, you use gravity and your own weight to get better "strength, balance, flexibility and core stability." It's not the cheapest piece of equipment, but reviewers swear by it and are even surprised by it. One blogger says it's "a great choice for home exercisers" that's cheaper than a gym membership, and that it's good for "functional fitness types ... [and] folks who travel." Just beware of fakes that are shoddily made and potentially dangerous to use, other reviewers say.
Stop us if this sounds familiar: It's 2 AM, and despite your best efforts to stop today's to-do list from taking over your mind, you're wide-awake, staring at the TV. The concept of doing a sleep-inducing shoulder stand has lost its appeal to the thought of watching part of that movie you've seen 100 times while eating the scrumptious chocolate chip cookie dough you have stashed in the freezer. And just as you're stuffing a second, third, fourth spoonful in your mouth, you're momentarily mesmerized by a peppy, slim fitness instructor wearing a leotard and a Scrunchie, describing some overweight girl's amazing (and, uh, completely bogus) transformation story: "Kate lost 150 pounds after just two months of using the fat-blasting thingamajig. It was so easy! Buy one now and we'll send you free ankle weights and an instructional DVD."
Yeah. As if the body of your dreams really could be purchased in three installments of $29.99 ... plus shipping and handling.
Well, according to the reviews we've found, maybe it could. To our amazement, enough people out there have made the call, bought the fitness equipment and gave it a fair shot that they feel compelled to share which wacky devices are worth putting down the cookie dough. Their glowing feedback has us almost thinking, "Hey, maybe some of those fat-blasting fitness thingamajigs aren't completely bogus after all. Maybe they just look funny."
And P.S., while our enthusiasm is growing, we must confess, we're still wondering who named some of these things (you'll see what we mean).
Dying of curiosity? We were too. Check out the top 10 wacky fitness devices that women say actually work to help them lose weight, tone, improve balance and build strength. You'll be so glad you have something fun to do next time you're missing out on beauty sleep.
