I was out to dinner with friends discussing our latest Netflix binges—mostly reality TV and dating shows—when my boyfriend, Brian, asked a simple question: How much time do you actually spend watching those trashy shows? They sheepishly admitted to watching at least two hour-long episodes a night and more on the weekends. Brian responded, “I hate to point out the obvious but you’re wasting 15 hours per week, minimum, watching bad Netflix shows.”
I almost spit my drink out. Fifteen hours! I couldn’t believe it. I immediately started thinking about time management and how much time I’m devoting to other things in my life. Work is probably 45 hours a week, maybe 50 since my recent promotion. Add another seven hours or so for cooking, six hours at the gym, plus the commute.
Oh my gosh – the 30-minute commute. I didn’t realize how tedious it was getting back and forth to the gym. While 30 minutes didn’t seem like that big of a deal, it was taking up more than three hours of my week …12 hours of my month …156 hours of my year. Then I got into the real nitty-gritty: 156 hours is about 6 and a half days, but we spend a third of our lives sleeping, so it actually equates to 10 DAYS A YEAR, just to get to and from the gym!
I couldn’t believe it, and thought about my day-to-day schedule. I’m already working long hours since my recent promotion. Some weeks I’m in the office at the crack of dawn or I’m one of the last to leave at night. Even when I’m able to work from home, it feels like I’m chained to my desk. In just the past two weeks, I’ve already missed three days of my usual morning yoga classes.
I needed to find a way to get those hours back while making sure I was on top of my fitness goals, so I started looking at home gym options. The advantage of working out from home is twofold: no commute to the gym and the ability to have my laptop nearby if something was urgent. Unfortunately, the home gym selection was pretty underwhelming. Most devices were large, bulky, and full of attachments I couldn’t figure out. The last thing I wanted was for my Zoom background to look like a gym.
Then I saw MIRROR, and everything changed. At first, I didn’t think it would be as effective because it looked so much like a normal mirror but the reviews were all glowing. I dug deeper and read about the 10,000+ live and on-demand workouts, incredible instructors, and high-tech fitness experience. It also had a huge variety of workouts: Latin Dance, kickboxing, Pilates, strength, cardio, toning, meditation … the list goes on. But most importantly, it had the Yoga classes I’d been missing and the dance cardio classes that I’d always wanted to try!
After more research, I learned that MIRROR provides personalized class recommendations, weekly programs, progress tracking, and more. Best of all, it’s a mirror so you can watch yourself during the workout and perfect your form. There are even competitive classes and 1-on-1 Face-Offs so you can compete with friends, family, and other Mirror Members.
I couldn’t help but think about how sleek it would look in my apartment, and which wall I’d mount it to (it also comes with a stand if you prefer). Most of all, I loved the idea of being able to sweat from home without needing a bulky treadmill or bikes clogging up all my space.
The Mirror is $1,495 with a $39.95 monthly membership cost, so it is definitely an investment. But thinking about how much my time is worth to me, I decided to go ahead and order it. There’s a 30-day risk-free trial, so if I’m not satisfied, I can send it back for a full refund.
But I know I’m going to love it. And more importantly, I’m officially taking back those 10 days of my year and doing exactly what I want with them.