To Vest or Not to Vest: a few initial thoughts

In case you haven’t noticed, I jumped on the weighted vest “band wagon” recently.

I know, I know. Like I really needed one more fitness accessory in the arsenal. But, who am I kidding? The more, the merrier! 

After hearing so many good things about this fairly new fitness trend, I wanted to give it a try as well. After all, I’m a huge advocate for walking, why not UP the intensity a bit?

The vest I went with is the APEXUP 15-pound option (thanks for rec, Deborah!). Their weighted vests range from five pounds up to 30 pounds, and there’s a huge variety of colors to choose from. 

Let’s be honest, I’m a color freak. That goes for all things…my home decor, my clothing, my workout gear, and even most of my workout accessories and equipment. As mentioned, there were several options for color, so I went with pink. Why not?

Anyways, here’s some thoughts on this new acquisition:

My first impression was the bulkiness of the vest. After all, I went with the 15-pound weight, so that's (sort of) on me (literally, LOL). Hoisting it over my shoulders, and sliding my arms through the openings, takes a bit of finesse. It felt very awkward the first few times I used it, and I was a bit frustrated  that it wasn’t more “dainty.”  Thankfully, it got easier each time I summoned it for a power walk. 

Since it’s weighted, it emits an unpleasant “essence of lead” fragrance. Ugh. My bionic sense of smell is not pleased with that feature. That’s definitely not a deal-breaker, though, and I am slowly getting used to it.

I’ve only had the vest a few weeks, and already I have noticed it doesn’t seem to affect my walking pace. Truthfully, once I’m strapped-in and walking, I really don’t notice the extra weight. I was initially concerned it might affect my posture, fearing it could cause me to “slump” from the extra weight. I think it actually encourages better posture, though, because it forces one to stand more upright to bear the weight.

Thus far, most of my walks with the vest have been in cool (and windy) weather. I feel like the Michelein Man with the bulky vest under a jacket or puffer vest, LOL. I am looking forward to not having the added bulk of top layers as the temps warm-up.

This vest arrived just as I was finishing my training  for the Fight for Air Climb, so I didn’t get a chance to test it out on the stairway (but I plan to soon!). I have worn it for several power walks, though, and have done some planking with it. 

Overall, I’m very happy with it, and I think I will grow to love it after I’ve had more time to use it. BTW, I still have not given it a name…

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post; these are my own personal thoughts and opinions on  a fitness/wellness product. I do not receive any commissions nor have I been paid for sharing this information.

Have you ever worn a weighted vest? What color would you choose…something bright or something more basic?

I'm  linking this with Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.

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