Work Out Smarter with Smart Bells

Move over kettle bells. There’s a new weight in town. It’s called Smart Bells and it comes to you from a company called Balanced Body that for 40+ years has been combining state of the art engineering and technology with a modern understanding of the body’s biomechanics to manufacture Pilates exercise equipment – but with a new and improved twist.

I recently received an email from Balanced Body that read in part, “Wedding season is here, and brides-to-be are looking for ways to get into the shape they want before the big day.”  It’s not only brides-to-be who are looking for ways to get in shape. I won’t throw anyone under the bus, including myself, but almost everyone I know is interested in finding new, fun ways to get and stay in shape. Balanced Body offered to send me samples of Smart Bells but I had a better idea. It just so happens that I know of a beautiful bride-to-be who’s also a devoted practitioner of yoga and who is open to trying Pilates, another flow exercise.  Her name is Emily Riess and she’s my daughter. Of course she was game when I asked if she was interested in testing out Smart Bells for the readers of EverBeautiful.com and several days later, Balanced Body sent her an adorable tank top, a set of pink Smart Bells and a cute pink ring. Check out the photos below to see her and Smart Bells in action. Spoiler alert: She loved them and came up with a number of ways to use them. For a quick primer, view the short video on the Balanced Body website.

http://www.pilates.com/BBAPP/V/store/accessories/other/smartbells.html

You can find more videos online that show you many of the ways Smart Bells are used at YouTube.com. Just put “Smart Bells” into the YouTube search engine.

One of the benefits of Smart Bells’ is their unique, curved shape that can be easily held in two hands. This allows for a high level of control as you move the weights through space to stretch and tone your entire body or targeted muscle groups. Smart Bells are shaped to conform to your body making them easier to use than dumbbells when performing crunches, lunges or other exercises. Plus, they have multiple grips allowing you to use them in a variety of ways. Smart Bells are available in a variety of colors and weigh 1.5 pounds each except for the Red ones which weigh 4.6 pounds each. And because of their lighter weight, ergonomic shape and two-grip handle, Smart Bells  are especially useful for those who, for whatever reasons, can’t easily grip a kettle bell. (Always use caution when exercising with hand-held weights and check with your health care practitioner before you begin a program of exercise.)

Balanced Body is based in Sacramento, CA and their products are made in the U.S. Want to try Smart Bells yourself? They’re available for $49.95 on the company’s website which, by the way, is a terrific and inspirational resource for Pilates pros and for those who want to learn more about the technique. Check it out here:  https://www.pilates.com/BBAPP/V/index.html

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