Our covered patio/outdoor living room in our Florida Airbnb! Snapped these photos outside and then got caught in a downpour (see raindrops on my shorts. Whoops!)

Shorts: Old Navy bike shorts (run true to size, on sale for $15! So comfortable! I got this pair in light pink as well if you want some that are slightly longer!), my shirt is old, Shirt: From last year but found a couple sizes still available here, similar short sleeve version here and here, and I also have this sweatshirt in similar colors that I love! 

Hello hello from my Florida backyard! 

How is your week going? LOTTA SNOW in most of the country, I know. How are you hanging in there? (Especially those in Texas! I’m thinking of you!) 

My Bala Bangles Review

Neal and I were saying last night we feel legitimately guilty that we escaped in the nick of time and that everyone else is stuck in the snow and cold! In a perfect universe, I would be able to fit all of you in my suitcase to come with us! I have been getting a lot of DM’s asking for LOTS of warm weather content so you can at least enjoy the Florida weather virtually, so that is the plan! 

I’ve also been getting a lot of questions about whether we feel safe down here–to be honest we haven’t really been anywhere near people other than stopping at a couple of gas stations along the way (we tried to stop at small ones, not huge rest stops! I was almost always the only person in the bathroom–and double-masked, I felt fine!) We got groceries delivered when we got to the house, but Neal did stop in a liquor store and said everyone in there was masked and socially distanced! Almost all the (few) people we passed on our walk yesterday were also wearing masks, so we feel very safe so far! I will continue to keep you posted! Luckily I am coming to the conclusion that not all of Florida is what you see on the news! 

Anyway–today we are talking about one of my latest “little joy” purchases I’ve been loving: Bala weighted bangles!

Turns out a LOT of you were curious about them too! I started doing Melissa Wood Health’s videos a month or two ago and have been loving them so much, and in many of her videos she uses these cute little wrist/ankle weights called “Bala Bangles.” I have been seeing them on Instagram and I wondered if they were worth the hype! 

For a long time, I wavered because I have existing ankle/wrist weights that are perfectly fine! (They came with my P.Volve starter set!) However, I don’t LOVE how bulky they are, and obviously, the Bala ones are much cuter. ????Apparently a lot of you feel the same way about your ankle/wrist weights, and wanted me to report back if, indeed, I did end up investing in the Bala version. 

So…here we are! My Bala review! 

Quick-shop Bala Bangles: 

What are Bala Bangles? 

First thing’s first, what ARE they exactly? 

Essentially, they are kind of like thick stretchy velcro straps with small weighted rectangles slid onto them. You can wear them on your wrists or your ankles for a little bit of added intensity and resistance to your workouts–whether that’s yoga, pilates or other low impact workouts! (I suppose you can also use them for HIIT workouts, I just don’t have the motivation to do those at home. ????) 

Do they do the exact same thing as REGULAR ankle/wrist weight? Yes. Yes they do. But they’re easier to wear, easier to use (not clunky!) and way cuter. So therefore, way more fun. ????

Like many things, these absolutely fall into the “not necessary, but will bring you joy” category. 

[one-half-first][/one-half-first][one-half]

[/one-half]

Uses for Bala Bangles: 

I use my Bala bangles for my Melissa Wood Health workouts. Even the workouts where she uses only her own body weight, I will usually add the weights to make it more challenging! I also love wearing them to go for walks. It doesn’t seem like they would make much of a difference, but I’ve found they really help get your heart rate up! 

Wear on your wrist/hands:

I either wear them fully on my wrist (if I’m going for a walk) or I’ll just slip them halfway over my hand if I’m switching back and forth between hand/leg workout moves. It’s really just a personal preference whether you do the hand or wrist thing, but I found I like wearing them over my hands more for arm specific workouts! I do like that when I’m slipping them over my wrists, I don’t have to undo the velcro every time (like I would regular wrist weights) because of the stretchy aspect of the band! (I have found that I clearly have a hatred for velcro? ????) 

Wear on your ankles: 

To get the bala bands on your ankles you do in fact have to undo the velcro IF you had them tight on your wrist before. However, if you were just wearing them loosely (i.e. slipping halfway onto your hands like the above) then you can just slip them on your ankle (as they do stretch!) 

Another thing, there will be some gap space and the little weight rectangles won’t go all the way around your ankle so it does still look a little clunky (another thing I didn’t anticipate) but not as much as regular ankle weights! (See the photo to see what I’m talking about, again, not a big deal, it just wasn’t something I was expecting!) I thought they would be uniform around all over, like a scrunchie, if that makes sense?) 

Do you have to undo the velcro every time?

Again, it depends on how tight/loose they are! If I have them tight enough to wear they are tight on my wrists, they won’t slip on over my ankles, but if I have them on a looser setting, yes, they’ll slip right over my feet, and then if I want to quickly pull them off and switch them to my arms, I’ll just slide them over my hands (like above). However, if I wanted them super snug to my wrists, I would have to re-adjust. 

1 LB vs. 2 LB Bala Bangles: 

This was the biggest mystery to me–do I get the 1LB (that seems so light!) or the 2LB. I’m glad a reader DMed me and told me to avoid the 2LB ones if I didn’t want them to feel clunky–so I went with the 1LB and am super happy with my choice. 

I know 1LB seems like nothing, but the added resistance really intensifies the burn when you’re doing small, repetitive movements like in barre or pilates (or Melissa Wood Health, P.Volve, etc) and they’re definitely minimal enough to wear on a walk, run or other recreational activity without feeling silly. I also think the 2LB would start to feel really heavy really fast based on the kind of at-home workouts I like to do! However, that’s just my preference! 

Where to buy Bala Bangles: 

There are lots of places you can buy them, but here are my favorites: 

Shopbop: Where I got mine! They have free 3 day shipping OR Amazon Prime shipping! They have all the classic colors here and the fun colorful rainbow Pride version here! 

Amazon: No explanation needed here. Have them in pink, black or blue. 

Nordstrom: One of my favorite retailers ever. If you want the best return policy, look no further. They have all the classic colors in stock! 

Bandier: Bandier has a ton of selection in terms of colors and lots of colors in the 2LB weight option as well. 

Are Bala Bangles worth it? 

Overall, yes, I love these little bangles! Kind of like having cute workout clothes to motivate you to workout, they make working out a little more fun, more challenging, and they’re super easy to use! If you have them in your budget and want to treat yourself, absolutely go for it, but also–regular weights are JUST FINE and work just as well! 

I hope this was helpful! Speak of the devil, I’m off to do a little workout with my Bala bands right now! Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!