You might recall a few weeks ago that we took a trip to Bash, The Foschini Group’s one-stop online website for everything under its various rooftops. At the time, we mentioned that the products from that store were acquired with a very specific purpose in mind. That purpose was to help get ready for summer, in that whole ‘we’d like to wander around the beach without feeling self-conscious’ sort of way.
The key thing about making a summer body is that you can’t wait until summer to start making it. It takes time for winter food to get out of your system. The old creaking muscle groups also need a runup before that fabled ‘memory’ really kicks in. So you could wait until November to really get rolling but that just means you’ll hit your ideal shape sometime around March. You know, when the long sleeves come out of the cupboard again? Nobody wants to make all that effort for nothing so here’s a set of tech and gadgets that’ll have you beach-shaped* while there’s still enough sunlight to enjoy it.
Eat better
An Instant Pot isn’t just a fancy gadget that’s two-thirds pressure cooker and one-third calculator. It’s also perfect for creating single-pot meals that combine vast quantities of vegetables and protein in a very short amount of time. Since South Africa is in the grip of load shedding with no end in sight, the ability to prepare an entire (and perfect) beef stew in about an hour is worth paying for. You can also explore the rice-making (meh), yoghurt-making (decent), saute (essential), and steaming (wonderful) functions, or upskill to one that’ll make cake as well. Hey, it’s your body.
R2,500 | Buy
@home Cast Iron Square Grill
There a several ways to cook beef and broccoli but banging some steak and cruciferous vegetables onto a cast-iron grill and stuffing it into an over for thirty minutes (with just a splash of olive oil and a little turmeric and black pepper) will do wonderful things for your gains and workout recovery, all at the same time. We’re sure you’ll find a few other uses for it too.
R1,200 | Buy
Creative Cooking Mini Measuring Jug
Whether it’s olive oil or a healthy mix of black pepper and turmeric, ensure your healthy meals have just the right amount of additives — while reminding yourself of the good old days when you were using a shot glass for measuring Jaeger instead of anti-inflammatory spices.
R70 | Buy
Move better
It’s not summer (yet) but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to sweat. Under Armour’s Isochill headwear will assist in keeping your melon cool so you’re more likely to complete that five-kilometre run (which is totally just a warmup for that fifteen, right?). Its lightweight material has advanced wicking properties that’ll maintain coolness in the head region. If you have the cash, an entire Isochill outfit… wouldn’t be a terrible idea.
R400 | Buy
TS 20kg Weighted Filled Sand Bag
Running and weights both have their place but don’t underestimate the value of a good sandbag when it comes to building functional muscle. They’re a bugger to lift properly and will probably cause aches in places you’re not expecting but that’s sort of the whole point. The only downside? You’re unlikely to find them in sizes above twenty kilos, so you’ll have to content yourself with being able to throw the equivalent of a small child unless you also take up caber tossing.
R600 | Buy
Under Armour Locker IV Black/White Slide
Not every bit of workout gear has to be about pain. These slip-on shoes are designed to help with recovery but you can also buy them while promising that you’ll use them after workouts and then never leave the couch. That’s the great thing about these. They work for gym showers or just lounging around the house.
R400 | Buy
Track better
This is the summer when you’ll definitely get on the road and start setting some personal bests, right? In case you’re actually serious about this, the Garmin Forerunning 45 is a very decent starter entry that won’t bankrupt you in the event you don’t make full use of it. It’s about the same price as a Fitbit but is dedicated to running. You’ll have lap times, training tips, and advanced coaching on your wrist for just long enough to want to buy the 9-series. If you’re going to do that, you’ll also need some new running shoes. Just saying.
R3,400 | Buy
Samsung Galaxy A54
Catalogue everything from your meals to workouts with this powerful, yet affordable, Samsung smartphone. The 32MP selfie camera might just become your social media feed’s new best friend but you’ll also find yourself making use of the 50MP rear sensor. Come on, there are actually serious reasons to film yourself in the gym that have nothing to do with Instagram or TikTok fame. Speaking of which…
R10,000 | Buy
Volkano Insta Series Mobile Phone Tripod
What good is a physical transformation if you can’t show people your progress? This little gadget makes taking food (and progress) pics a simple task, plus you can set it up to film your form. Which is the serious reason to film yourself in the guy. If anything awesome happens worth posting to social media, well that’s a happy bonus.
R100 | Buy
Anker 711 Nano II USB-C Wall Charger
Keep your mobile phone and other tech fully charged for those trips to Workout Central. This 30W charger will get your Samsung up to speed quicker than the block that isn’t in the box any more and it’ll also handle keeping your laptop charged, in the event that you’re actually there for the social media clout and not the body transformation. You do you, we guess.
R500 | Buy
*Technically, any shape you are on the beach is ‘beach-shaped’ but we’re specifically talking about the kind of shape that isn’t going to lead to someone notifying Greenpeace about our presence there.