The start of a new year always brings new exercise routines — or at least the intentions to start them.
If you’re anything like me, though, you might need a little encouragement and inspiration to get going.
So Business Insider spoke with successful women who make time for fitness regimens each week. They shared the workouts they love, and the gym essentials they swear by.
Here are their favorites.
The cofounder of a marketing agency uses Bala wrist weights to make the most of her workouts.
Janel Barden, 27, is a cofounder of the talent and marketing agency LuxeHaus Management.
Ideally, she likes to exercise between three and five times a week. When her schedule is extra busy, though, she uses a simple piece of equipment to enhance shorter exercises: $65 Bala Bangles.
Each bracelet weighs two pounds and attaches with elastic straps.
“I love wearing them on walks, and when I’m at home doing a five to 10-minute arm workout I found on YouTube,” Barden said.
She also swears by classic pieces from Alo and Lululemon.
Barden uses ClassPass to vary her workouts. Sometimes, she does Pilates. Other times, she visits the gym, and most recently, she started working with a personal trainer.
No matter the workout, she’s almost always wearing Alo Yoga clothes. She said its pieces are cute and comfortable.
Barden specifically loves the brand’s $138 sweatpants and $148 quarter-zip pullover from its Accolade collection, as well as the $78 bra and $134 leggings from its Airlift line.
Occasionally, though, she’ll swap her Alo pants for Lululemon’s $108 Align leggings.
Another marketing professional carries a Stanley tumbler with her every day.
Victoria Villanueva, 25, cofounded LuxeHaus Management with Barden. She said that exercise is vital to staying active and boosting her mental health while working from home.
“I’ve been really into bike riding lately,” she said. “I used to go all the time with my dad when I was little, and getting back into it now as an adult is healing something inside me. It’s better than taking walks.”
To hydrate before and after those rides, she relies on her $40 Stanley 1913 tumbler.
A ring helps her focus on her fitness, even when she’s not exercising.
Villanueva told Business Insider that her exercise wardrobe includes a mix of Halara leggings, Fabletics sets, and one accessory: the $349 Ultrahuman Ring Air in bionic gold.
“It’s a dupe for the Oura Ring, but you don’t have to pay for a monthly subscription,” she said.
It helps her track her steps, heart rate, sleep, and more.
One entrepreneur says hydration with electrolytes is key.
Sabrina Guler is the 32-year-old founder of Intuitive CEO, an advisory studio that helps new brands grow and raise capital.
Her exercise regimen starts before she really gets moving each day.
“Drinking electrolytes before coffee every morning has completely changed my energy levels and hydration,” she said. “I avoid sugar-based options and use Ultima electrolytes.”
The brand sells packets in sets for around $20.99 per bag.
For more than seven years, she’s been wearing fan-favorite athleisure brands while taking morning walks.
“My 45-minute morning walk helps with insulin regulation, cortisol balance, and mental clarity,” Guler told Business Insider. “Hormones are everything.”
The specific clothing pieces she wears on those walks might vary, but the brands don’t.
“If I want to be seen and look cute, I am wearing Alo Yoga,” she said. “If I want to be comfortable, Lululemon has functional pieces. The butter-soft leggings still have me in a chokehold years later.”
A founder and CEO says Hoka sneakers make all the difference when she exercises.
Nikki Seaman, 30, is the founder and CEO of Freestyle Snacks. Her brand, which recently appeared on “Shark Tank,” offers premium olives and pickles in to-go pouches.
“I do strength training two or three times a week, and I try to walk outside on the other days,” she told Business Insider. “I started strength training after my first son was born, and it has totally changed me physically and mentally.”
During those workouts, she wears $110 performance joggers from Vuori and $155 Clifton 10 sneakers from Hoka.
She described both as comfortable, durable, and easy to throw on before heading outside.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post Successful women say exercise is a core part of their routines. Their essentials include Alo Yoga clothes and an Oura Ring dupe. appeared first on Business Insider.
