I have a love-hate relationship with the smartwatch on my wrist. This relationship is no doubt shaped by the fact that I write about fitness tech for a living, but I know I'm not alone in succumbing to an obsession with numbers from my wearables. Did I hit 10,000 steps? What's my resting heart rate today? Is my sleep score better than yesterday's? When did progressive overload turn into screen time overload, too?
The fitness tech boom is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon—and with it, we consume a constant stream of promises that this data will make us healthier, stronger, and faster. With the sheer amount of health insights potentially available to us at any time, it's easy to get overwhelmed. I've watched my least health-anxious friends become consumed by metrics they'd never heard of two years ago. They're tracking bone density trends, obsessing over cortisol levels, panicking about stress scores that fluctuate for reasons no algorithm can fully explain. I can feel my fitness trackers pull me away from genuine wellness and into a mental health disaster. The good news: When I look up from my screens and start talking to real people, I see I'm not alone in wanting to unplug and push back against the overly quantified self.
A growing anti-tech fitness movement
When I put out a call on Instagram asking people about their relationship with posting workout data and fitness content, I received hundreds of responses from people exhausted by the performance of fitness. Even if your only audience is your own reflection, simply owning a wearable can create a real barrier between feeling good about your body and your fitness journey. Did I work out enough today? Will my friends see that I skipped a workout? Should I push through injury to maintain my streak?
For these reasons, celebrity trainer Lauren Kleban says she doesn't like to rely on wearables at all. "Counting steps or calories can quickly spiral into a bit of an obsession," says Kleban, and that "takes the joy out of movement and away from learning what's truly best for us." She says her clients want to focus on their mind and body connection, now more than ever. There's a real, growing desire to rebuild a sense of intuition that doesn't depend on feedback from a watch.
Similarly, Marshall Weber, a certified personal trainer and owner of Jack City Fitness, says that he's "definitely been surprised by the growing push towards unplugged fitness," but that he "totally gets it." Weber says he's had clients express feeling "overwhelmed with their Fitbit or Apple Watch micromanaging their training." When every workout becomes about numbers and keeping up with an average, it's all too easy to lose touch with your body. "The anti-tech movement is about taking back that personal connection," Weber says. After all, when was the last time you finished a workout and didn't immediately look at your stats, but instead just noticed how you felt?
This is the paradox at the heart of fitness technology. Tools designed to help us understand our bodies have created a new kind of illiteracy. Maybe you can tell me why you're aiming for Zone 2 workouts, but can't actually recognize what that effort feels like without a screen telling you. In a sense, you might be outsourcing your own intuition to algorithms.
If nothing else, the data risks are real. (Because if you think you own all your health data, think again.) Every heart rate spike, every missed workout, every late-night stress indicator gets recorded, stored, and potentially shared. Still, for me, the more insidious risk is psychological: the erosion of our ability to know ourselves without consulting a device first.
How to unplug and exercise intuitively
So what does unplugged fitness actually look like in practice? It's not about rejecting all technology or pretending GPS watches and heart rate monitors don't have value—I promise. Look, I crave data and answers as much as—and maybe more than—the average gym-goer. I'm simply not woo-woo enough to ditch my Garmin altogether.
Instead, I argue for re-establishing a hierarchy in which technology serves your training, not the other way around. "Sometimes, the best performance boost is just learning to listen to what your body is saying and feeling," says Weber. But what does "listening to your body" actually look like?
If you're like me, and need to rebuild a connection with your body from the ground-up, try these approaches:
Start with tech-free workouts. Designate certain runs, yoga sessions, or strength workouts as completely unplugged. No watch, no phone, no tracking. Notice what changes when there's no device to check.
Relearn your body's signals. Can you gauge your effort level without looking at a heart rate monitor? Do you actually know what "recovery pace" feels like for you, or are you just matching a number? Practice assessing fatigue, energy, soreness, and readiness without checking your watch.
Replace metrics with sensory awareness. Instead of tracking pace, notice your breathing pattern. Instead of counting calories burned, pay attention to how your muscles feel. Instead of obsessing over sleep scores, ask yourself a simple question in the morning: how do I actually feel?
Set goals that can't be gamified. Rather than chasing step counts or streak days, aim for qualitative improvements. Can you hold a plank with better form? Does that hill feel easier than last month? Are you enjoying your workouts more? These are the markers of real progress.
Create tech boundaries. Maybe you use your GPS watch for long runs but leave it home for everything else. Perhaps you track workouts but delete the social features. Find the minimum effective dose of technology that serves your goals without dominating your headspace.
Reconnect with in-person community. The loss of shared gym culture—people actually talking to each other instead of staying plugged into individual screens—represents more than just nostalgia. There's real value in working out alongside others, in having conversations about training instead of just comparing data, in building knowledge through shared experience rather than algorithm-driven insights.
The bottom line
Unplugging is easier said than done, but you don't need to go cold turkey. Maybe in the new year, you can set "body literacy" as a worthwhile resolution. At the end of the day, exercise should add to your life, not become another source of performance anxiety. It should be energizing, not exhausting—and I don't just mean physically. The never-ending irony of modern fitness culture is that in our pursuit of optimal health, we keep inventing new forms of stress and anxiety. When all forms of wellness come with trackable metrics and social pressure, I think we've fundamentally missed the point.
The strength training mode in Garmin watches like the Forerunner 570 is a little confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's incredibly useful in the gym. Garmin handles rest timers better than any other wearable I've tried, and when combined with a third-party app called LiftTrack, you can even track your volume and PRs. I'll lead you through how I use this workout mode, and how it's helped me do more work in less time in the gym.
How to find strength workouts in Garmin Connect
Credit: Garmin
I’ll get into how to create workouts in a minute, but first I just want to let you know that there are some strength workouts already available for download, if you’d like to just select one and start doing it right now. Go to either your Garmin Connect app or to Garmin Connect on the web, tap Training & Planning, then Workouts, then Find a Workout.
You’ll be able to choose workouts from a library, and you can search by type (including weights, yoga, and bodyweight cardio). Most of the workouts are short, simple, and don’t use much equipment. If you’re experienced at strength training, you’ll probably want to create your own workouts or use the coach feature, but these will get you started in the meantime.
Credit: Garmin
As for that coach feature, it works much like the adaptive running coach plans. You can read more here from Garmin, but basically you set it up by selecting Garmin Coach and telling it your goals and schedule. Workouts will then appear for you each day. The image above shows a Push/Pull/Legs workout programmed by Garmin Coach. It let me choose which workout happens on which day, had me set my max lifts as benchmarks (this program uses percentages), and even let me edit the workouts to swap exercises before finally putting them on my calendar.
How to create strength workouts in Garmin Connect
Credit: Beth Skwarecki/Garmin
I’m going to walk you through this step-by-step, because I was so confused the first time I tried to build a workout. Again, you can do this either on your phone or on the web. I usually end up creating my workouts on the phone, and it’s not hard once you get the hang of it. One tip, though: you can skip this whole process if you're willing to install a third-party app. LiftTrack takes care of workout planning and syncs to your Garmin account, and you can read more about how to use that app here.
Go to the “More” menu on your phone (or the sidebar on web) and select Training & Planning, then Workouts, and then Create a Workout. From here, select Strength, and you’ll be given a skeleton of a workout with a warmup, cooldown, and one slot for an exercise.
To start adding exercises, tap Add Round, which will give you a workout card and a recovery card, both in a little box that says “2 Rounds” at the top. Here’s what you do to turn this into a traditional sets-and-reps format (in this example, we want to do four sets of five deadlifts at 200 pounds):
Tap the card that says workout.
Select an exercise (deadlift), a weight (200 pounds), and a target type. In this case, the target type will be Reps (five). Hit the arrow on the top left of the screen to return to the main workout editing page.
For the recovery card, you’ll want to change that to Rest rather than Recovery. For that one, the target type should be Time. Let’s set it to three minutes. Return to the main workout screen again.
Now, tap the dropdown at the top of the round and set it to the number of sets you want to do (four). If your watch supports it, you can select Skip Last Recovery to avoid the final rest period.
Before you add another set, go to the bottom of the screen and tap Add Step. Change this new step to Rest (it will be outside of the repeat) and set the target to Lap Button Press.
Now you have a repeat that will give you four sets of five deadlifts with a three-minute rest timer in between. After you finish that, there will be a rest period that lasts until you press the lap button. This is to give you as much time as you need to find your equipment and set up for the next exercise. Continue adding repeats and steps as desired, and make sure to save the workout when you’re done.
How to send Garmin workouts to your watch
After creating a workout, it doesn’t automatically show up on your watch. You need to tap the “send to watch” icon that you’ll see on the top right of your screen when you’re looking at the workout.
You can also schedule a workout (which will automatically send it to your watch for the scheduled day) by using the three dots menu to add it to your calendar.
How to use a Garmin strength workout from your watch
There are a few ways to access the strength workouts, but here’s the easiest: When it’s gym time, hit the button that starts an activity, and rather than selecting Strength, scroll down until you find Workouts. Tap the one you want to do.
Pay attention here: You’ll need to select the workout, tell it you want to do the workout, and start the workout. (Just keep pressing the select button until the workout actually begins.)
The exact details of which buttons do what will vary from watch to watch, but on a Forerunner, your top right button starts and stops the workout, and your bottom right button is a lap button. (During a timed rest, you can press the lap button to skip to the end of that rest and start the next set.) From the top right button, you can also skip a group of sets (say, if the squat rack was busy, you can skip squats) and then use the same menu later to View Skipped and add it back in.
I love using the strength workout feature for one main reason: the customizable timed rests. Rest is important in the gym because you'll be able to lift more if you dial in the perfect rest time for each exercise. It’s easy to sit around scrolling on your phone between sets and realize too late that it’s been 10 minutes since you did your last deadlift. But when I program the workout as above, all I have to do is hit the lap button after my set. Three minutes later, my watch will buzz to let me know it’s time to do the next set.
Pro tip: Set your rest timer for the longest time you might want to rest between sets. If you’re aiming for three to five minutes, set it for five minutes. If you’re ready to go after three, just hit the lap button to skip the remainder of that rest.
You can also program exercises in other ways besides the traditional sets and reps. For example, set the Target Type to Time to do a five-minute density set. Or do EMOMs (every-minute-on-the-minute intervals) by putting just one card inside a repeat, and setting that card to a one-minute target time. You’ll get a beep at the top of each minute.
The Garmin strength features I don’t use
I don’t worry too much about the weights or reps in the app, to be honest. By default, the watch will ask you after each set how many reps you did and how heavy the weight was. I’ve turned that feature off, and I don’t even bother to set rep or weight targets in the app. I use the workouts for timing, not to log the details of my workout. (I have a notebook for that.)
I also haven’t found the automatic set detection or rep counting to be very useful. The watch is impressively good sometimes—how did it know I was doing pullups?!—but it’s just not good enough to be generally useful. It also doesn’t recognize a lot of the Olympic weightlifting exercises I do. And the rep counting? Sometimes OK, but more often useless. Again, I’d rather jot down my reps in that notebook than fiddle with selecting a number on my watch screen after each set.
Garmin has released an end-of-year summary of users’ stats, Spotify Wrapped-style. But it’s only available to people who pay for Garmin Connect+, the new paid subscription that Garmin has offered since March of this year. I’ll show you what’s inside the Year in Review, and give you my thoughts on how the subscription service has weathered its first almost-year. Spoiler: The more things Garmin adds, the less they seem to know what they're doing.
What’s in the Year in Review?
Credit: Beth Skwarecki/Garmin
Garmin’s Year in Review feature shows you a bunch of cute visuals of your activity throughout the year. For each metric, there is usually a summary or a total, followed by a graph showing that metric for each calendar month (January through December) with the “best” month for that metric highlighted. Sometimes a particular workout was called out for that metric, such as your longest run. The metrics included:
Total steps
Sleep score average
Body Battery average daily high
Number of activities, and your most common types
Total activity time
Total activity distance
Total activity ascent
Total activity calories (put in terms of “slices of chocolate cake” for some reason)
Badges earned
Personal records earned
There are shareable cards for each, so it’s certainly fulfilling the function of a yearly recap, but it’s a bit boring to page through. I’m not sure why I’m supposed to care about my average Body Battery, and it’s not exactly a revelation that I did more gym workouts than bike rides. Perhaps this will get more polished in future years.
Your Year in Review says more about Garmin than about you
More companies than ever are offering an annual summary this year, and it seems like each of them is having a little identity crisis. Is the summary meant to provide free marketing when you share the screenshots with your friends? Engage you more deeply with the algorithm, to encourage you to consume more content? Or is it just a reward for being a loyal customer?
Garmin, by making theirs a premium feature, doesn’t seem to be prioritizing any of the above. I see two things going on here: They're competing with Strava, and grappling with what it means to exist as a hardware company in a subscription-based world.
The Strava part is easiest to understand. Strava offers a premium subscription, and the main draw is that it comes with mapping tools and training analytics. People may gripe about having to pay to see their spot on a leaderboard or build a running route, but this model fundamentally works because people like and want those features. Strava’s “Year in Sport” is a premium feature as well, but people don’t subscribe just to get Year in Sport. It’s a little perk, not the whole point.
Comparing Garmin’s recap to Strava’s, Strava’s feels more cohesive. There are fewer cards in the carousel, and they’re more relevant to things I care about. I get my activities and distance in the same card, find out how long I’ve kept my weekly streak (over a year!), see the days I was active, get reminded of one highlight run (definitely a memorable one), see my PRs for all the major distances, and get a shout-out on the one QOM and couple of Local Legend titles I earned. It’s easier for Strava to do this well because their platform is tailored to people with specific goals: to run or bike more and faster. Garmin tries harder to be everything to everybody.
And then there’s the question of what Garmin is doing here. It’s always been a hardware company, starting out with GPS devices (back when “GPS device” was a standalone product category) and eventually becoming a maker of sports watches as well as gadgets like bike computers and boat navigation systems. The company seems to be having trouble finding its place in today's subscription-based world. I appreciate that it isn't removing features from existing products, but that makes me wonder what the point of Connect+ is supposed to be.
Garmin’s Connect+ subscription doesn’t seem to be the paywall people are afraid of (or the cash cow Garmin is probably hoping for)
Garmin has always been a hardware company at heart, but that model has been harder and harder to fit with the modern wearables market. Now that we all have smartphones, many of the features we expect from a Garmin watch are really features of a phone app. So to keep selling watches in different pricing tiers, Garmin ties specific features to the hardware you’ve bought. You’ll only get a “training status” in the app if you’ve paired a training status-capable watch, for example. (The Forerunner 265 counts, but not the 165.)
I have to imagine Garmin execs wish they could start over, make just a few physical devices, and sell software features as subscription tiers. Everything in 2025 seems to be sold on a subscription basis or with some features paywalled behind a premium tier. So of course Garmin tried to move into that space.
Garmin has long sold subscriptions for some devices, but those were always specific things like satellite messaging or high-definition marine charts, where the purpose and the cost made sense. Garmin Connect+, which launched this year, is basically a subscription for software features of the phone app, not a device.
That’s good for Garmin users—no actual features of the watches get paywalled this way. Whatever features your Forerunner 265 had when you bought it, you get to keep those. New watches don’t seem to be missing any features (yet)—if anything, new releases like the Forerunner 570 and the Venu 4 seem to be adding features to justify their higher prices.
But that leaves the Connect+ subscription without anything vital to offer. I’ve gone through and listed all the features you get, and I think the only one that’s really worthwhile is mirroring data to your phone, which both Apple and Coros will give you for free. The rest are all “huh?” features, like unlocking special badges or gaining access to an AI feature that is surely the least useful of all fitness apps’ AI features (and that’s really saying something).
Garmin seems to be hoping that people will upgrade to the subscription because of its cool amazing attractive features, while carefully avoiding putting anything useful or essential in the subscription. That doesn’t seem to be a tightrope they can actually walk, unless they come up with new app features that don’t fit into their hardware models, but are actually useful and interesting. Features worth paying for are expensive to build, which explains why Garmin Trails is a dud so far—it’s just an empty shell of a service that users are supposed to fill with data, eventually, I guess.
Year in Review must have been easy to build, but it doesn’t give us anything worth paying for. Garmin has been advertising the Year in Review to non-subscribers, suggesting that we pay for a subscription to access it. I just don’t think it’s working, Garmin.
The latest Apple Watch costs $429. A basic Peloton Bike is $1,395, plus a $49.99 monthly subscription. Throw in a WHOOP membership at $149 annually, maybe an Oura Ring for another $349, and suddenly you're looking at thousands of dollars to participate in what's become the standard way many Americans approach their health. For some, that price tag is steep. For others, it's a non-starter.
I'm no stranger to the appeal of the latest, greatest wearables and smart health devices. But as all this wellness technology become the norm, what does this mean for people who don't strap a smartwatch onto their wrists? If comprehensive health data—and the insights it provides—becomes a luxury good, the existing digital health divide will only get worse.
The digital health divide
The issue starts well before anyone considers buying a fitness tracker. Digital equity in healthcare is already a fundamental access issue. "In many ways, access to healthcare means access to technology," says Amy Gonzales, an associate professor in UC Santa Barbara's Department of Communication. "Especially since [the COVID-19 pandemic], the healthcare industry relies heavily on technology for their services. Text reminders about your appointment, scanning a QR code to check in, needing an e-health account to see your test results, or some providers only being available via telehealth, and so on."
The basic infrastructure of modern healthcare—patient portals, appointment scheduling apps, prescription management systems—demands a level of digital literacy and access that not everyone can meet. Seniors may struggle with smartphone interfaces. Low-income families might rely on limited mobile data or shared devices. People with certain disabilities may find standard health apps difficult or impossible to navigate. And the problem compounds: Gonzales notes the populations most likely to face barriers with technology are often the same groups who may need that healthcare the most.
Fitness trackers are becoming the norm—for some
Against this backdrop of baseline digital inequity, fitness trackers and wearables have gotten more and more popular. These aren't essential medical devices in the traditional sense—nobody's life support depends on their Fitbit—but they've become cultural markers of health optimization. More concerning, they're increasingly becoming tools that provide genuinely useful health information that simply isn't available to people without the resources to buy in. Heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, sleep stages, stress levels, and more: We're living in a time of unprecedented insight into what our bodies are doing, if you can afford it.
While this is promising for those who can afford it, others get left behind. "The digital divide is even more problematic with 'bonus devices,' or health 'accoutrements,' like smart wearables," says Gonzales. If at-risk health populations are already at-risk for digital access, it tracks that this access gap is only getting wider.
The problem with ubquitous fitness tech
The creation of a two-tiered information system is perhaps the most insidious aspect of fitness tech inequality. A person with an Apple Watch receives detailed daily reports about their cardiovascular health, activity levels, and sleep quality. They get alerts when their heart rate becomes irregular, or they can share comprehensive data with their physician that provides context for symptoms and conditions. Someone without these devices? They're left with subjective assessments and whatever gets captured during periodic doctor visits.
"If you don't have the same resources to track your blood pressure, blood pressure, or physical activity," says Gonzales, "you are certainly being left behind on useful healthcare." Consider two people with similar cardiovascular risk factors. The one with a wearable device might receive an alert and seek immediate treatment, potentially preventing a stroke. The other person might not notice symptoms until a serious cardiac event occurs. Both deserved that potentially life-saving alert, but only one could afford the device that provided it.
As more people in higher-income brackets adopt these technologies and share data with healthcare providers, medical understanding itself may become skewed toward populations who can afford comprehensive self-monitoring. If research studies increasingly incorporate wearable data, but if that data predominantly comes from affluent, educated users, the resulting insights may not apply equally across all demographics.
Another perspective
Access isn't the only lens through which to view this fitness tech. "There's this implicit assumption that wearables are inherently good," says Gonzales. "What about privacy risks?" After all, if you think you own all your health data, think again.
Think of the history of the healthcare industry's relationship with marginalized communities. The Tuskegee syphilis study, forced sterilizations, and ongoing disparities in pain management and maternal mortality have created a pretty understandable skepticism toward giving up data, to say the least. "Given the history of experimentation and exploitation of certain low-income populations, there's a natural distrust in these sub-groups," Gonzales says. "Maybe these demographics intentionally avoid third parties collecting their data."
So, the same communities that might benefit most from health monitoring technology may also have the most legitimate reasons to be wary of it. As I've previously covered, data privacy protections remain inconsistent, and the long-term implications of sharing detailed biometric data with corporations are still unclear. For populations that have historically been surveilled, exploited, or discriminated against, choosing not to participate in constant data collection might be a rational decision, rather than simply a matter of access. There's something to be said for health approaches that don't involve third-party corporations accumulating detailed records of your body's functions.
Finding solutions
Naturally, budget options for fitness tech do exist, and these options can help some people access these technologies. But even "affordable" options still cost money that many families simply don't have for what remains, technically speaking, optional equipment. When you're choosing between a $50 fitness tracker and groceries, the choice isn't really a choice at all.
All of this is to say that the fitness tech inequality problem can't be solved by individual purchasing decisions or corporate discount programs. It's embedded in broader questions about healthcare access, digital equity, and what we consider essential versus optional in maintaining health. Glucose monitors, fertility trackers, or blood pressure cuffs could more easily qualify as medical equipment, where an Oura ring is still a luxury good. Addressing the gap requires reimagining what counts as necessary healthcare technology. Otherwise, we could be approaching a future where your ability to detect health problems early, track chronic conditions, and optimize your fitness depends on whether you can afford a monthly subscription.
The bottom line
Healthcare has become digitized, creating new opportunities for monitoring and intervention, but also new mechanisms for inequality. As fitness technology continues advancing, offering more sophisticated monitoring and more actionable insights, that fundamental inequality will only get worse. Because at the intersection of healthcare and technology, "the people who struggle with one are often the same people who need the other," Gonzales says.
The Apple Watch on your wrist may feel like a personal choice, a small investment in your personal wellness. But scale that up across millions of people and billions of data points, and individual choices become structural inequalities. Technology that was supposed to democratize health information may instead be creating new hierarchies of who gets to know what about their own bodies. And those who need that knowledge most may be the least likely to access it.
I like Coros running because they do nearly everything Garmins do, at a lower cost. But there have always been a few areas where they fall short, which I’ve noted in my reviews. Now, that seems to be changing—the most recent beta firmware update adds a critical new feature while fixing some of my pet peeves.
I tried out the new features through a public beta from Coros. You can sign up for beta access with these instructions Coros posted on Reddit. (On iOS, you'll install a Testflight version of the Coros app, which can then give you access to the firmware update. On Android, you'll need to download the beta app, then go here to access the new beta firmware.) I tested these features out on a Pace 4, and I'm mostly happy with them.
Coros watches can now control music playing on your phone
I have not loaded any media onto this watch, but here it's playing a podcast from my phone.Credit: Beth Skwarecki
In my reviews of Coros watches, I’ve always docked a few points for how they handle music. Until recently, the watch could only play music files that you downloaded directly to it. That’s fine if you want to run without your phone, but for me (and many others) it’s an unnecessary annoyance—a smartwatch really should be able to display and control what’s playing on your phone. Garmin and Suunto have long had this capability, and Coros was the only major brand missing it.
But now it’s here. When you long-press the lap button to view your toolbox, you'll see two different apps. The familiar “music” plays downloaded music, and the new “media control” option does exactly what you’d expect: It shows the track information for whatever is playing on your phone, and it gives you buttons to play, pause, skip, or adjust volume. Was that so hard?
Workouts no longer end themselves while you’re cooling down
When I swapped my Garmin for a Coros this summer, one of my biggest complaints was that Coros watches pause your workout once you’ve completed all the steps. So if you have a 4.5-mile run programmed, but want to total five miles for the day, you have to remember to hit "resume workout" after the 4.5-mile run ends. I tend jog through that beep, thinking nothing of it, and then swear at my watch when I realize at the end that the last half-mile never got recorded.
I prefer the way Garmin does it: After you complete a Garmin workout, the activity continues until you decide to manually stop it. Coros has apparently adopted that philosophy, as workouts now roll over into an open segment automatically.
You can now undo a lap button press
Hit the button in the lower right to undo this lap segment.Credit: Beth Skwarecki
During an activity, pressing the lap button starts a new segment of the workout (or advances you to the next segment if you’re following a pre-written workout). I know I’m not the only one who sometimes presses this button by accident, so an “undo” option is nice. Garmin watches added this feature about a year ago. Coros adds it with this update.
Unfortunately the undo isn’t available for every lap button press. I do see it if I’m doing an unstructured workout and mark a lap—hitting the lap button again takes me back to the original lap in progress. But I don’t see an undo function if I’m following a workout that already has lap segments built in, or if I’m doing a strength workout (where the lap button switches between work and rest).
You can time your rests in strength workouts without choosing exercises ahead of time
My most common way of using the strength feature is to start an unstructured workout, then use the lap button to mark the end of each set and the start of my rest time. This way, I can keep track of rests during the workout and I know how many sets I’m doing. I might follow a pre-planned workout, but I never enter exercises from the watch during a workout.
This is simple enough on Garmin, but on Coros, the watch used to ask me to enter at least a body part for each exercise. So if I’m doing five sets of bench press, I have to select “chest” each time I begin a set. This drove me up the wall, and I stopped using the rest timer at all—which makes the strength feature nearly useless.
After the update, I can select a body part at the beginning of the workout, and that remains the active body part while I stop and start my sets. (“Full body” is an option, so I usually choose that one.) During the workout, hitting the start/stop button brings up a menu where I can switch body parts should I care to do so. Suddenly,. using the watch during my strength workouts seems like a viable option, instead of annoying.
As midlife audiences turn to digital media, the 55 to 64 age bracket is an increasingly important demographic
In 2022, Caroline Idiens was on holiday halfway up an Italian mountain when her brother called to tell her to check her Instagram account. “I said, ‘I haven’t got any wifi. And he said: ‘Every time you refresh, it’s adding 500 followers.’ So I had to try to get to the top of the hill with the phone to check for myself.”
A personal trainer from Berkshire who began posting her fitness classes online at the start of lockdown in 2020, Idiens, 53, had already built a respectable following.
I can be motivated to do just about anything if an app offers me a badge or "streak," which I've made abundantly clear in various reviews here on Lifehacker. When it comes to the apps I use to stay on top of my health and fitness, that's true to an extent, although I also derive at least a little of my satisfaction from actually, you know, working out. As likely as I am to get up and exercise on an average day, getting some kind of digital reward makes me all the more excited, which has been true the past four days as Peloton rolled out its Holiday 2025 challenge. It's a simple challenge, but one you might be interested in if you're also encouraged by celebratory pixels or if you want to get a head start on your New Year goals.
What is the Holiday 2025 challenge on Peloton?
Peloton's app is great overall because it has a wide variety of class types, can be used to track non-Peloton workouts better than native workout trackers, and offers a multitude of ways to get the sweet dopamine bop of motivation, from daily streaks to Club Peloton status. (As of today, I'm on a 263-day streak and am sitting firmly in the Silver III tier of Club Peloton.)
The app awards you badges and milestones for things like taking a certain number of meditation or strength classes, taking a class with music from a specific artist, or participating in a challenge. As of Dec. 1, we're in Holiday 2025 challenge territory, which means if you take holiday-branded classes through the app, either on your mobile device or one of the brand's proprietary pieces of equipment, you earn a badge.
If you take three holiday classes between now and Dec. 31, you get a bronze badge, if you take five you earn silver, and 10 will get you a gold one. That's good enough for me! The badge appears on your profile along with any others you may have earned.
Though there isn't much more to it than that, there is something crucial you need to know: Peloton Members have to opt into the challenge. You can do that on the app or by following this link. I did not do that until today, which means I just spent four days taking holiday classes (simply by typing "holiday" in the search bar) but not contributing toward my ultimate badge. Luckily, some of the ones I took did count retroactively once I opted in. I did, strangely and inadvertently, earn a badge called "Holiday 2024," which appeared on my profile today, I assume because I took some holiday classes that were released last year. That is not exactly what I was after, but I'll take the bonus badge and be grateful nonetheless.
Credit: Peloton
Once you opt in, just do what I've been doing and search for "holiday." You'll see classes as well as a "Holiday" collection, which also just shows you classes, but those are sorted by the year they came out. Taking any holiday class, regardless of year, will help you earn your badges. There are holiday rides, holiday lifts, holiday yoga flows, holiday walks—you get the point. Like all Peloton offerings, they range in intensity levels and duration, so you can find something to fit in no matter what you want to do and for how long.
Why I like this challenge
I am easy to please, I'll admit, and can be convinced to do anything if it's even mildly whimsical or unique, but I do think a challenge like this is solid for a number of reasons. First, it's not intimidating. You have 31 days to do just three classes and still earn a badge, plus there are plenty of classes in the collection that are simple and low-commitment. For a beginner or someone with limited time, it isn't like you have to commit to a ton of super-difficult classes.
Credit: Peloton
I also just like anything novel and appreciate that this provides a fun little way to prioritize movement during a time of year that is, at least for me, both busier and more slovenly than the other 11 months. When it's cold out and there's an abundance of baked goods around me, I'm not always reliably inclined toward choosing a workout over some pajama-and-couch time, but knowing I have to keep up with my routine to earn the gold badge can be a motivator.
Finally, I'm kind of in the middle of my own personal challenge: Last week, I was, for some reason, inspired to drop a bunch of money on a one-month unlimited pilates membership, which I am now hell-bent on making worth every cent by taking a class every morning at around 5:30. There's something nice about getting done with a strenuous reformer session, walking back home in the cold, and getting to relax with a holiday-themed yoga or stretch. I can even play a holiday-themed walk as I amble back to my apartment. At a time when I'm already pushing myself pretty hard, I appreciate the whimsy and fun of "10 min Backstreet Boys Holiday Stretch." Remembering that movement is supposed to be enjoyable—especially during a season notorious for getting on my nerves with all its events, responsibilities, and hassle—is grounding.
Garmin watches have never required a subscription to access any of their core features, and that hasn't changed. But as of 2025, Garmin now offers a $6.99/month subscription called Connect+ that provides “premium features,” including AI, on top of what you already get for free with the Garmin Connect app.
So far, no preexisting features have gone behind the paywall, despite some Garmin users' fears. But what does Connect+ give you, and is it worth it? I signed up for a subscription to find out.
How a Connect+ subscription works
A Connect+ subscription costs $6.99/month or $69.99/year. Again, it only adds features on top of what you already get with the Garmin Connect app; after nearly a year, no preexisting features free have been paywalled.
Garmin did previously tease that “premium enhancements may be made to existing features,” leading users to speculate that any new features that come down the pike may be limited to paid members. Garmin is in the habit of adding new features frequently, and often enables them even on older watches. In the past year alone, we’ve gotten strength coaching, a new type of run coaching, and the ability to detect your lactate threshold heart rate without a chest strap—all things that just appeared on my watch or in my app one day. I wouldn’t expect watch firmware updates to be affected—this is a premium subscription for the phone app—but I have to wonder if there will be fewer of those new app feature rollouts for free users as Connect+ grows its subscriber numbers.
Connect+ is not Garmin’s first subscription service. They have long offered a slate of services for various special purposes, including hiking and hunting maps, marine charts, search and rescue insurance, dog tracking, kids’ smartwatch tracking, and more. But this is definitely Garmin’s first foray into a premium subscription for health and fitness features, in the same vein as, say, Fitbit.
What Connect+ includes
Here's what you get for that $6.99/month:
Active Intelligence (an AI analysis of your activities; this requires opt-in). It seems pretty lackluster.
Enhanced LiveTrack (also available with an Outdoor Maps+ subscription), allowing you to text contacts when you start an activity, or set up a public tracking page
Live Activity, which lets you follow a workout from your phone and not just your watch
A Performance Dashboard on the web with new charts and comparison features
Social features, including double points on badges and the ability to earn badges from anywhere in the world (some badges are only available in certain locations). Immediately upon signing up for Connect+, I noticed a little yellow star on the corner of my profile pic on the app.
Extra training guidance if you’re following a Garmin Coach program (mainly in the form of extra videos)
The end-of-year Garmin Connect Rundown that collects all your stats for shareable viewing
Of all these features, Live Activity and the Performance Dashboard seem the most useful, so I'll go a bit deeper on those.
What you get with Live Activity
Screenshots of a live activity on the home screen, editing sets and reps, and what you see when you do a treadmill workout.Credit: Beth Skwarecki
Until now, a workout you do on your Garmin watch stays on your Garmin watch, at least until you finish the activity. At that point, it syncs to your phone, where you can view and edit the details.
But with Live Activity, you can now use the Garmin Connect app while you’re doing an activity on your watch. That’s especially useful for strength workouts, which previously required you to edit weights and reps through an awkward interface on the watch after each set.
To test this out, I did a few quick workouts on my Garmin Forerunner 265S. One was a mini workout of kettlebell swings and sit-ups that I created on the app, and sent to the watch.
I started the workout on my watch. Nothing happened on the phone—I might have expected a notification—but when I opened the Garmin Connect app on my phone, there was a tile on the home screen for a Live Activity. I tapped it, and there was the same workout I was doing on the watch. I could see my heart rate, the time elapsed, and which exercise I was supposed to be doing.
I didn’t see the promised exercise videos right away, but it turns out you need to swipe left on the heart rate graph. There you can see an exercise video (or a rest timer, if appropriate). Swipe again, and you’ll see your heart rate zone. The bottom half of the screen shows your stats in progress, including your reps, sets, heart rate, and a timer.
Importantly, if you’ve turned off rep counting or weight editing on your phone (because they’re so annoying in normal use), you’ll want to turn them back on for this. The watch counted my kettlebell swings, and at the end of each set prompted me to edit my reps and weight. This editing screen came up on both the watch and my phone, and of course it was easier to edit that information from the phone.
With Live Activity, you can do the following from the watch or phone:
Pause or unpause the workout
Edit reps or weight in a strength workout
Advance to the next set (strength), or start a new lap (in activities like running)
View stats like your heart rate, time elapsed, reps, pace, and so on
But only the watch can do the following:
Start the workout
Finish and save the workout
Create custom data screens
Live Activity definitely improves the usability of the watch for strength workouts. I don’t entirely see the point for running workouts, but maybe there’s a use case I haven’t thought of yet.
What’s in the Performance Dashboard
Four of the charts I can view in my Performance DashboardCredit: Beth Skwarecki/Garmin
One of Garmin’s better-kept secrets is its web dashboard. You can log in here and view all your activities and data—essentially a web view of everything that’s in the app.
The Performance Dashboard is a new item in the sidebar of the web dashboard. To set it up:
Mouse over the black sidebar at the left side of the screen.
Select Performance Dashboard, which I see as the last blue item, just under Reports.
Click Add dashboard, and choose whether you want a running, cycling, multisport, or custom dashboard. (You can have more than one.)
Some of the charts on the performance dashboard are also available from the free Reports tool, although Reports will only show you one chart at a time. The Performance Dashboard is definitely a better tool if you’re looking to really nerd out about your data.
For example, I can get a simple report from the Reports tool that shows my running mileage over the past six months. It gives me a bar chart with one bar per month. The Performance Dashboard, on the other hand, can give me a bar for each week, and I can select a custom timeframe instead of just selecting one of a few options. There are also more options for types of data you can view. Do you know how your watch will ask you at the end of each run how hard it felt? You can now see that on a graph called “perceived effort over time.”
What you get with Active Intelligence
There’s good news here for people who want AI in everything, and for those of us whose reaction is “oh god, not here too” (this meme sums up my personal stance). The AI (“active intelligence”) is the one feature of Connect+ that requires you to opt in, even after you have subscribed to the whole package.
But I did it, dear readers. I opted in for you, so I could let you know what the AI can actually tell you about your training—and whether it’s any better than Strava’s notoriously clueless AI.
Unfortunately, there’s not much to say at the moment. When I first tried it, my home screen “insight” (which you can turn off, by the way, even with AI enabled) at first just told me to check back later. My recent runs didn't have any AI commentary attached. Garmin says that “As customers use Garmin Connect+ more, the insights will become more tailored to them and their goals.”
I wrote a bit more about the AI feature here. As you might expect, it summarizes, sometimes hallucinates, and tends to repeat information that's available in more readable form elsewhere in the app. I'm not impressed.
The AI feature is labeled as a “beta,” with a thumbs up/thumbs down icon that lets me rate the insight I just read. I can say that it’s interesting, not interesting, or “report a concern” if it’s inaccurate, discouraging, or poorly written. (You can also give a custom response.) I’ll keep an eye on these notes and report back as the AI gets to know me better.
At least Garmin asks your permission to train its AI on your data
To turn on the AI features, you need to click through an agreement where you allow the AI to access your training and health data (so that it can run its analyses). This also allows your data to be used as training data for the AI.
I asked Garmin if this means that the AI is only trained on people who opt-in. A spokesperson confirmed: “We only train with data from users who have consented.” The existing model was trained on users who previously granted permission for their data to be used for product improvements. Garmin has a brief AI transparency policy here.
You can revoke permission at any time in your Connect+ settings, which will also turn off your access to AI features.
I hit 250 days on my Duolingo streak this week. That's more than eight months of consecutive daily Spanish lessons. My virtual owl loves me! There's just one problem: I'm not actually any better at speaking Spanish than I was in March. I'm just better at playing Duolingo. Somewhere along the way, keeping the streak alive became more important than learning the language.
That same rewiring happens with all my health-related apps. It doesn't take long before I'm more focused on getting a hit of dopamine from building my streak than I am with the hard work of hitting my fitness goals. I've written before about how chasing the concept of "wellness" stopped serving my well-being and instead became another item on an impossible to-do list. And when my long runs unlock in-app badges or my exercise bike puts me on a leaderboard against thousands of strangers, it's all too easy to lose sight of my personal fitness goals. Am I actually growing, or have I just gotten really good at the game?
Allkindsofgamifiedfitness apps (or "exer-games") are popular, and for good reason: It's a natural motivational hack, turning workouts into competitions, and elevating health goals into high scores. But as millions of us chase digital streaks, a crucial question emerges: Is your health really something you should turn into a game?
Why gamification works (maybe too well)
The appeal of gamifying health goals is undeniable. Traditional health advice—eat better, move more, reduce stress—can feel overwhelmingly vague. Such broad targets make it tough for individuals to imagine hitting them. Gamified apps transform these abstract goals into concrete actions, taken day by day.
"Gamification can clarity and more achievable goals," says Chirag Arora, who co-authored a study on the ethics of gamification in health and fitness tracking. With streaks or badges, the question shifts from how can I be healthy? to can I walk 10,000 steps today, and this sort of simplification can provide real benefits. For someone paralyzed by the complexity of getting fit, being told exactly what to do today (and getting points for it) can be liberating.
There's also genuine joy in the game mechanics, and "when you add friends, competition, and community support, these apps tap into deeply human needs for connection and play," says Maryam Razavian, Arora's co-author on the gamification ethics study.
The thing is, this appeal is undeniable for companies and app designers, too. "These gaming tactics are really effective at getting people to engage with your product" for longer times and at a higher frequency, says Doug Sarro, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. "The challenge is that these apps and tools are designed to maximize engagement."
In the fitness context, that can be a win-win: More engagement for the apps, more time spent on fitness for you, right? But what if you've met your personal goals and the app still wants engagement? In short, there's a fundamental weakness in how these apps work overtime keep you around.
The power of the streak
What's happening in our brains when we become obsessed with these digital rewards? The apps are tapping into our dopamine system—the neurotransmitter associated with motivation, reward, and pleasure. Every completed ring, earned badge, or leaderboard climb triggers a small dopamine hit, reinforcing the behavior and making us want to come back for more.
However, gamified apps primarily target extrinsic motivation (badges, points, competition, social recognition). While these can be powerful motivators initially, they're not sustainable on their own. If you're only exercising for the points, what happens when the novelty wears off and closing your rings starts to feel like a chore? This leads to something Arora calls "motivational collapse," which occurs when we rely too heavily on external rewards.
To avoid motivational collapse, Arora says that "users also need to align their extrinsic and intrinsic goals." Because the healthiest approach to fitness comes from intrinsic motivation—exercising because it makes you feel good, reduces stress, gives you energy, or helps you do the activities you love. The game can help you get started, but it shouldn't be the only reason you continue.
When the game takes over your life
I don't think Duolingo wants me to actually learn Spanish—it just wants me to open the app tomorrow. Similarly, fitness apps never reach an endgame where they say something like "Great job, you're healthy now, you can reduce your usage." Instead, they push for more: longer streaks, higher numbers, new challenges. "Rather than working for users' health, these games can begin to work against your best interests," says Sarro. In other words: Longer streaks don't automatically equate to better health. When you consider the mental toll, the opposite might be true.
When I put out a call on Instagram asking people about their relationship with posting workout data and fitness content, I received one particularly memorable response about upholding streaks: "I've had a 10,000 step streak going since last year...but at some point within the past few months it became less about keeping myself fit and more about hitting the number even when I should probably rest." You might hit 10,000 steps by pacing around your apartment at midnight, sacrificing sleep to close a ring. You might push through an injury to maintain a streak. The game goal eclipses the health goal. (The real kicker? Taking 10,000 steps each day is a bullshit goal that may have originated with a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer.)
Targets that become additional pressure points in your life may not even make sense for you. "These apps are trying to target the lowest common denominator," says Arora, but you're needs may be different than those of that imagined subgroup—it's worth noting that, for these apps, "lowest common denominator" is still targeting higher socioeconomic populations who will buy their products, Arora adds. Simply put, app designers don't have your individual needs at heart. You may be obsessing over the extrinsic motivation of hitting an arbitrary target while losing the plot on your intrinsic motivations: What your health actually means to you.
How to find balance with your fitness goals
Look, I don't plan on abandoning my fitness trackers any time soon, but I'm looking to change my relationship with them. Here's how to engage with gamified fitness in a way that serves your actual health:
Remember the distinction between game goals and health goals. Razavian says users should, "focus on enjoying the process rather than feeling extra pressure to perform in the game." Your ring doesn't need to be closed every single day. Missing a streak doesn't undo your fitness progress.
Stay connected to your intrinsic motivation. Why did you actually start exercising? What do you want from your body and your health? If you're exercising solely to satisfy an app, you've lost the plot.
Don't surrender your judgment. As Sarro says "your job as an informed user is to not surrender your judgment to what an app says." You know your body, your schedule, your health needs, and your goals better than any algorithm. If the app is pushing you to do something that doesn't feel right—whether that's exercising when injured, sacrificing sleep to hit a target, or adding stress to your life—ignore it.
Recognize that endless growth isn't possible in fitness. Just as a business can rarely grow indefinitely, your body has its limits. Not every week needs a new personal record. Health maintenance itself is a valid goal.
Use gamification as a starting point, not the destination. Arora and Razavian's research suggests that gamification is most valuable at the beginning of a fitness journey, when you need help establishing habits and figuring out what to do. Once you've developed your routine and understanding, you may need the game elements less, which is all the more reason to let them go.
Enjoy the playfulness, but keep perspective. If the game makes exercise more enjoyable, great. But the moment it becomes another source of stress and obligation, it's probably working against you.
The bottom line
The most important takeaway is a simple one: Your health is not a game, even if your health app is. Remember that badges, streaks, and leaderboards are artificial constructs designed to keep you engaged with a product. They can be useful tools, but they're not the point. My Duolingo owl's approval means nothing if I can't actually speak Spanish. The same goes for my closed rings, my Peloton stats, and every other gamified metric I've been chasing, which don't really tell me anything about my actual fitness.
Getting healthier is a messy and non-linear process. It demands rest days and flexibility, and it looks different for different people. It can't be reduced to a single number or maintained through gamified willpower. And it definitely doesn't end when you break your streak—so go ahead and break it.
Resistance bands are portable, convenient, and definitely have their uses. It’s no wonder they’re popular—but why are "booty bands" the focus of so many butt-centered workouts? Let me explain what's going on here, and where these bands can actually help your workout routine.
What exactly are booty bands?
A "booty band" is a nickname for a type of resistance band that is a short loop, usually a few inches wide, and either made of rubber or a thick elasticized fabric. (The fabric ones are more comfortable to use.) The length makes them perfect for exercises that call for a band around your legs. This includes a lot of hip exercises that, yes, can build up your butt muscles.
I have a fabric set similar to this one. I don't really do "booty" workouts, but I find this type of band useful for the hip warmups that I sometimes do before squats or Olympic lifts. When I was rehabbing a knee injury I remember a lot of this type of exercise at my physical therapy appointments. So they're definitely useful for more than just booty-building.
By the way, there is a company called Booty Bands, but the term “booty bands” has also been applied to the general category of resistance bands that can go around your knees or thighs. There is no shortage of workouts that incorporate the use of these bands into squats and kickbacks and glute bridges, all while promising you major booty gains. As with many popular workouts, though, the promises are overblown.
Resistance bands come with general pros and cons
Before we delve into booty-focused bands in particular, it’s worth taking a look at the pros and cons of all resistance bands. I compared them with dumbbells here, and as you may recall, the takeaways included:
Resistance bands can provide more total “weight” than small dumbbells.
Resistance bands wear out over time.
Resistance bands change in how challenging they are depending on how much you stretch them.
If your home gym items need to be small and cheap, you can get a lot further with resistance bands than with dumbbells. That's because it's easy to find upper-body exercises you can do with smaller dumbbells, but you have to go a good bit heavier to find challenging lower-body workouts. Your main options are resistance band exercises, and single-leg bodyweight exercises (without a resistance band) like lunges and split squats.
Easy exercises don’t do you any favors
If you are trying to build a butt, you’re trying to build muscle. And the most efficient way to build muscle is to lift heavy—not a million reps of light work (although that can work, if you are very patient).
So how do you know if you’re working hard or “heavy” enough? As I’ve mentioned before, you want to be doing smallish numbers of reps (12 or less, most of the time) that are hard enough that the last few reps feel truly challenging. If you’ve been using the same band or weight for a while, try a more challenging one from time to time to find out if you’re stronger than you think. If you are, it’s time to move up.
I mention this here because the banded portion of a “booty” workout is usually fairly easy and light. If you’re doing banded exercises and they fit my definition of heavy and they feel genuinely challenging to you, then they may well be doing what they promise. Stick with the bands for now.
But bands may not be enough for your whole workout. For many of us, actual heavy weights will be necessary to give your butt (or any body part) an appropriate workout. Champion deadlifters need a lot of strength in their butt, but you won’t see powerlifters eschewing the barbell to focus on banded YouTube workouts, you know? They will often use bands in addition to the barbell, though.
Bands are great for warmups and accessories
Put all of this together, and it’s clear that bands make the most sense as a side dish to your workout—or an appetizer, or a dessert. To build muscle, the main course should still probably be a heavier workout with weights, if you can swing that. If not, you need to make sure your banded exercises are heavy enough.
If you bring your bands to the gym, you can do banded kickbacks as part of your warmup, or as a high-rep finisher after leg day. You can use them for “activation” exercises, which is more or less a newfangled word for warmup. And then you can move on to your squats, deadlifts, weighted lunges, or hip thrusts. Which brings me to another point about using booty bands at the gym: if you’re doing squats with a band around your knees, the squats are doing the real work, with the band offering—to continue our food metaphor—perhaps a small garnish.
If you know a runner, I have the perfect gift recommendation for you. If you are a runner, I know what you should tell your mom you want for Christmas. And even if there isn’t a gifting holiday in your immediate future, you should still know the Good News about water-resistant running shoes. They’re out there, they might be on sale right now, and they will change your life if you run in snowy conditions—or if you would if you had the right shoes.
As a lifelong on-and-off runner, I will say that running in the spring is a lot more fun if you don't have a long off-season every winter. So rather than from starting from scratch every year, it pays to keep putting in the miles through the cold and the rain and the snow. Maybe you don't run quite as often, and maybe you spend a little more time on the treadmill, but don't completely give up.
I've written before about what to wear to run in the cold, focusing on things like jackets, gloves, and layering pieces. But I used to always forget about shoes. Whether it's snowy in your area or just rainy, keeping your feet warm and dry is a game-changer.
Around this time last year, my birthday was coming up and I had no idea what to tell my mom I wanted. (She kept asking.) I was giving the matter some thought while I was jogging at the local track, in a drizzling near-freezing rain, and my toes were going squish with every step. I suddenly remembered that Gore-Tex shoes exist. I had owned a pair years ago and loved them, but never replaced them when they wore out. They felt like too much of a luxury somehow. Most runners get through wet weather in regular shoes and wool socks, so why not make do?
I’ll tell you why not: Wool socks can keep your feet warm, but they don’t keep them dry. If you’ve traveled to a park to get your run in, you’re driving home with soaking wet feet. You’ll come home, wring out your socks, and have to air out your shoes and hope they’re mostly dry by the time you go for your next run. Putting on wet shoes is about as much fun as putting on a wet bathing suit. Returning home from a drizzly run with dry feet is, by contrast, one of this cruel world’s great creature comforts.
What weather are water-resistant shoes good for?
Water-resistant shoes are great in drizzling rain, or in snowy conditions. In regular shoes, your body heat tends to melt any snow that contacts your shoes, making your feet wet even on a below-freezing day. Water-resistant shoes are great for when it’s snowing, when there’s a small amount of snow on the ground, or when it’s raining. This covers pretty much all of the weather I’m likely to consider running-friendly in a Pennsylvania winter.
What don’t water-resistant shoes do?
Water-resistant is not waterproof, though. In Gore-Tex and similar materials, you cannot step into an ankle-deep puddle and expect to stay dry. A heavy enough downpour will probably eventually work its way through or around the material.
Note that water-resistant shoe material doesn’t stop snow or rain from getting into the top of the shoe. For trudging through deep snow, you probably want to attach a gaiter (or buy a shoe that comes with built-in gaiters).
And if you run in a variety of wintry conditions, you may want more traction on the bottom of the shoe as well. You can buy shoes with spikes built in, or add your own.
What are the best water-resistant running shoes?
I know you’re dying to see mine, so here they are: the Nike InfinityRN Gore-Tex. (Mine are white.) I've only put about 200 miles on them since last year, since I wear other shoes in dry weather. That means that they're still in good condition to last another year.
Based on reviews, forum posts, and other things I’ve heard runners say about their favorite weatherproof shoes, I’ve collected some other excellent models to consider. For each, I’m linking one model, but click around to see its other colors, sizes, and men’s/women’s versions.
Note that Gore-Tex is a name brand of breathable, water-resistant fabric, but other brands exist (for example, Saucony has their own, which they call Runshield). Gore-Tex is often abbreviated “GTX” in shoe model names, so consider looking for that when searching for shoes. And a bonus on many of these shoes is that they include high-traction outsoles to reduce the chances of slipping on wet surfaces.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
There are still a few hours left to snag Cyber Monday deals—and to bring order to your home gym setup. Normally $129.99, this home gym storage rack is currently on sale for $79.98. If you've been tripping over scattered dumbbells or wasting time hunting for the right weights mid-workout, this deal solves both problems for under $80.
This weight rack is specifically designed for a home gym. There are designated spaced for dumbbells, kettlebells, yoga blocks, resistance bands, medicine balls, and more—basically all the smaller equipment that tends to pile up in corners or get kicked under furniture. Having everything organized in one storage rack means you can actually find what you need when you need it.
I recommend a dedicated storage rack like this so you can really focus on your fitness goals without the distraction of a cluttered space. In other words: No more digging through a heap of equipment or making multiple trips across your garage to grab different dumbbells between sets. Everything has its place, and you can grab what you need and get back to training.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
If you're looking for Garmin's answer to the Apple Watch Ultra—aka a versatile watch that balances everyday wearability with solid fitness tracking—look no further than Garmin's Venu X1. And for Cyber Monday, the Venu X1 is on sale for $599.99 ($200 off its normal price $799.99).
The X1 is Garmin's biggest screen—41 x 46 millimeters with a two-inch diagonal measurement—making it easy to view maps, data, and notifications at a glance.
You also get an LED flashlight built into the watch, handy for early morning runs or fumbling with your keys in the dark. The scratch-resistant sapphire lens adds durability, while built-in maps mean you can navigate without pulling out your phone. There's also a speaker and microphone for taking calls or using a voice assistant directly from your wrist.
Solid training and tracking
The X1 includes coaching for running, cycling, and strength training, plus all the health and fitness tracking Garmin is known for. It goes without saying that Garmin watches deliver excellent GPS accuracy and reliable heart rate readings—qualities that matter whether you're logging casual jogs or training for your next race.
Beyond the usual activity profiles and running-specific metrics, the X1 supports a wide range of sports including motorcycling, rock climbing, and golfing (with extra features tailored to the course). The battery lasts up to eight days, so you won't be tethered to a charger constantly.
If you prefer a round watch geared specifically toward serious runners and athletes, check out Garmin's high-end Fenix line also on sale today.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Normally $366.66, this 305-lb Olympic bumper plate set is currently on sale for $265.99 on Amazon—that's over $100 off for Cyber Monday. Here's the real kicker: You're basically paying $1 per pound, which is a seriously good deal when it comes to at-home strength training.
This set includes everything you need to start serious barbell training at home:
1x 7-foot Olympic 2-inch barbell (45 lbs)
2x 10 lb plates
2x 15 lb plates
2x 25 lb plates
2x 35 lb plates
2x 45 lb plates
That's 305 pounds total of equipment, giving you plenty of weight progression options whether you're doing deadlifts, squats, bench press, or Olympic lifts.
Plus, unlike traditional iron plates, bumper plates are made of rubber. The rubber on these should minimize bouncing and protects your floors—crucial if you're training in a garage or basement and don't want to damage the surface (or annoy your neighbors).
Whether you're building out a home gym from scratch or upgrading from cheaper plates that have seen better days, this Cyber Monday deal delivers serious value. At roughly $1 per pound, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better price on a complete Olympic bumper plate set with a barbell included.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
If you've been curious about smart rings but hesitant about the price, I've got great news: Normally $399.99, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is currently on sale for $249.95 for Cyber Monday.
As Lifehacker's own Daniel Oropeza says, Samsung's Galaxy Ring isn't just a one-off experiment—it's a well-made health-monitoring product. According to PCMag's review, it's a solid first-generation smart ring, though you'll get the most out of it if you have a Samsung phone.
If you are already part of the Samsung ecosystem, this ring is great health and sleep tracker, monitoring metrics like heart rate, skin temperature, and sleep quality. However, if you're looking for detailed activity tracking, you're still better off with a smartwatch. This is more about passive health monitoring throughout your day and night.
Design and features
The Galaxy Ring comes with a titanium finish in gold, silver, and black. Like Oura rings, it's a bit bulkier than a regular ring at 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick—something to consider if you're not used to wearing jewelry.
Samsung users get extra perks: You can control your phone's camera or dismiss alarms by tapping your ring finger to your thumb twice in a row. It's a small touch, but these kinds of integrations make the device feel more seamlessly connected to your tech ecosystem.
No subscription required
Here's the biggest advantage over the main competition: The Galaxy Ring is subscription-free. Oura rings require an ongoing monthly fee to access your health data, but Samsung gives you full access without additional costs. That alone could save you hundreds of dollars over the ring's lifetime.
The ring is IP68 water resistant, so you can wash your hands and shower without worrying about it. It comes with a wireless charging case, and the battery lasts about six days per charge. Sizes range from five to 15, so most people should find a comfortable fit.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Normally $295, the Core 2 Thermal Sensor is currently on sale for $236—a 20% discount for Cyber Monday. And here's the smart play: buying it now means you'll be ready to get ahead of the heat when spring training season rolls around.
The Core 2 is a small plastic sensor that attaches to your heart rate monitor chest strap and tracks your body temperature during workouts. It's designed to help you understand how heat is affecting your performance, and guide you through heat-training protocols so you can adapt faster and more efficiently.
My colleague Beth Skwarecki reviewed the Core 2 and found it a little fussy to set up, but easy to use and understand once you're up and running. What really impressed her was the big-picture view it provides: tracking how your body adapts to heat over time.
Train hot, race cool
The data from the Core 2 serves two main purposes. First, it can guide your heat acclimation training—helping you adapt to hot conditions more strategically. Second, you can use it during races to monitor your core temperature and avoid overheating when it counts.
As Beth points out, there's a legitimate debate about whether heat training makes sense for every athlete. You could argue that most runners would benefit more from longer or faster runs rather than adding heat stress to their training. But if you are training in the heat—whether because you live somewhere hot, you're preparing for a warm-weather race, or you're intentionally pursuing heat adaptation—the Core 2 seems to be an incredibly useful tool.
Worth it for the right runner
At nearly $300, this isn't an impulse purchase. But at $236, it's more accessible for serious athletes who want to take their heat training to the next level. Getting it now during Cyber Monday means you'll have months to familiarize yourself with the device before temperatures climb in spring and summer. By the time race season heats up, you'll already know exactly how your body responds to thermal stress—and how to manage it.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Thanksgiving is a week away, but Black Friday sales are already here. This year, Amazon's Black Friday deal event is taking place from Nov. 20-28, and Lifehacker will be here with all the best deals throughout the mega-sale. Right now, one of them is on my absolute favorite headphones for running—the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. They're currently $124.95, a 31% discount off their list price of $179.95.
If you're unfamiliar with the world of bone conduction headphones (BCH), let me try to convert you. I love noise-cancelling tech when I'm in the gym, sure. But when I'm exercising outside, I'm grateful for BCH technology to keep my ears open to traffic, other runners, and reckless cyclists—all without sacrificing audio quality. As my colleague Daniel Oropeza reviews in-depth here, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are the best set of BCHs that either of us have ever tried.
With these Shokz, I've experienced little to no ear fatigue, even during 20+ mile runs. I've worn these headphones for over a year now, through humid summer runs and unexpected downpours, and they're holding up great. Most important for me, their battery life holds up, lasting even my longest training runs. Even if I forget to charge the night before a run, a quick five-minute charge gives me around 1.5 hours of listening time. Shokz is a go-to brand for a reason, and this 31% discount could be the nudge you need to snag the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones for yourself.
If you're still shopping around, I recommend checking out guides like our live blog, where we use price trackers to make sure you're really getting the best deals this Black Friday. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and sales run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Cyber Monday is over but some sales are still hanging on, and if you've been dreaming of building or upgrading your home gym, now is the perfect time to invest in quality strength training equipment. "Quality" being the key word here, since plenty of gadgets on sale are more trendy than they are useful. Whether you're a seasoned lifter or just starting your fitness journey, here are some of the best Cyber Week deals on strength training equipment to help you make the most of your budget.
These adjustable dumbbells are $110 off
I've testedplentyofpairs of adjustable dumbbells, and no matter which brand you ultimately choose, I highly recommend investing in a set. The math alone makes it a no-brainer: Buying individual pairs of dumbbells from five to 80 pounds in five-pound increments would cost well over $1,500 and eat up valuable floor space. Adjustable dumbbells deliver the same versatility for a fraction of that price.
If you don't yet own a kettlebell, definitely check out this guide from Lifehacker's own Beth Skwarecki. Even if you do own one, you probably need another: a heavy kettlebell for swings, and a light one for presses and snatches.
Here is a solid kettlebell deal that's still live:
Fitvids Wide Grip 3-Piece or 4-Piece Kettlebells: $44.99 (normally $59.99)
Remember that while discounts are important, the best equipment for you is what you'll actually use consistently. Focus less on temporary sales, and more on finding versatile, durable pieces that work with your available space.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Whoop and Oura make great fitness trackers, but they also require that you pay them every month (or annually) to keep the data flowing. Other devices are tied to an optional subscription, but you may find yourself annoyed at paywalled features or frequent nudges to upgrade.
If you don't want to sweat an extra monthly charge while you're getting fit, here are some fitness trackers that, refreshingly, require none of that—and they're all discounted for Black Friday.
RingConn Gen 2
RingConn makes smart rings, similar to Oura's or Ultrahuman's. The RingConn Gen 2 model impressed Nina Raemont at ZDNet with its battery life of 10 to 12 days, and solid health tracking. It comes in sizes 6 to 14, and has a charging case. The app seems like it's a bit less sophisticated than Oura's, but the pricing model may be well worth the tradeoff. The Gen 2 is normally $299.99, but with this deal it's on sale for $209.
We're going to set aside Apple's Fitness+ subscription service, since that provides workout videos but doesn't interfere with the watch's functionality in the least. (If you didn't tap into the Fitness+ tab of the Fitness app, you'd never know it was there.)
All of the current Apple Watches have a wealth of fitness features that you can access through the Fitness app and the Health app. While you can pay extra for third-party subscription apps, you don't need to spend a dime to log your workouts, close your rings, or get sleep scores or heart health notifications. There are deals going on multiple Apple Watches right now:
The Series 11 (the current middle-of-the-road model) starts at $339.99, which is 15% off the regular price of $399.
The Series 10 (one year old) starts at $279.99, 30% off the original price of $399.99
The SE 3 starts at $199.99, 20% off the original price of $249.99.
Coros makes excellent fitness and outdoor watches that rival the features of Garmins but at a much lower price. I've written about their Pace line of watches, and today I'd like to highlight the Pace Pro, which I've reviewed here. (Coros doesn't offer subscription features, so really any of their watches could make this list.) The Pace Pro is a 46 millimeter watch with full color maps. Mapping is a premium feature that other brands charge a lot more for—but Coros puts maps in the Pace Pro for $349 normally, and only $299 with the current deal.
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Right now, the Fitbit Charge 6 is available for $99.95 on Amazon during its Black Friday sales event—that's a 38% discount off its usual $159.95 price. If you've been eyeing a fitness tracker but don't want to spend a fortune, this deal is worth jumping on.
The Charge 6 is a solid choice if you're looking for a straightforward device that handles the essentials without overwhelming you with unnecessary features. It tracks steps, monitors sleep, and records activities—all without forcing you to navigate through endless menus and bells and whistles you'll never use. Sometimes simple is exactly what you need.
Other Fitbit options on sale for Black Friday
If you want something with a bit more functionality, the Fitbit Versa 4 is currently $119.95, down from $199.95. It offers a larger screen and additional smartwatch features if you're looking to go beyond basic fitness tracking.
On the flip side, if you want an even more budget-friendly option, check out the Fitbit Inspire 3 at $69.95, down from $99.95. It doesn't have built-in GPS and the screen is smaller than the one on the Charge 6, but if all you need is a barebones fitness tracker to keep tabs on your daily activity and sleep patterns, it's a solid pick.
At under $100, the Fitbit Charge 6 hits the sweet spot between affordability and functionality. It's ideal for anyone who wants reliable fitness tracking without the complexity (or price tag) of fancier smartwatches. For more deals on fitness trackers and smartwatches, check out more of the top picks on sale now.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Some Cyber Monday deals are still live, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Garmin's Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 are brand-new watches, just released this year, and they're having their first ever sale. Both are $100 off. The sale began a few days ago for Black Friday, and is still available today on Cyber Monday.
I've used and reviewed the Forerunner 570, and found it a step up from the earlier Forerunner 265 (which I also loved). The 570 adds a microphone and two different types of voice assistants, plus some new software features like heat acclimation and the ability to trim your activity if you didn't press "stop" when you crossed the race finish line. My only complaint is (or was) that the price seemed a bit steep in comparison to the previous model. But with the current deal, it's a lot closer to the original price of the 265: The 570 is now going for $449.99.
The Forerunner 970 is also $100 off, which brings its current price to $649.99. The biggest thing the 970 has going for it over the 570 is that it can show you maps while you run. Both watches can do breadcrumb tracking (drawing a line showing where you've been), but with a fully map-enabled watch, you can see important details like where your hiking route crosses roads or turns along them. The 970 also has an LED flashlight, which is incredibly handy for getting around in the dark—whether that means snuggling into your sleeping bag at a campsite or just sneaking out of your kid's room at bedtime.
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
If you're new to the world of fitness wearables, you might be a bit overwhelmed by all the trackers and watches that are on sale for Cyber Monday. Here I'll pick out the ones that are best for beginners, and help you choose among them. There are tons of great options from Fitbit, Garmin, and more.
Fitbit's Inspire 3 is $69.95 right now, down from the regular price of $99.95. The Inspire 3 can count your steps, track your heart rate during exercise, and give you feedback on your stress and sleep. It's like a pared-down version of the Charge 6, which I reviewed here. Compared to the Charge 6, the Inspire 3 is missing a built-in GPS, but that's fine if you take your phone with you on runs and walks. It also doesn't have the Google apps for music and payment, but again, if you normally have your phone with you, you'll be fine without those.
The best running watch for beginners
If you want to see your pace, distance, and other metrics while you run, it's worth getting a watch that focuses on features for runners. There are great entry-level models from pretty much every brand on sale right now, and I have a list here if you'd like to compare those offerings. But if you'd like me to choose one for you, there's an easy pick: the Suunto Run. I enjoyed it when I reviewed it. It's lightweight, with a bright screen that's easy to read in all kinds of conditions.
It's got dual-band GPS for accuracy, and you can either use it to control the music that's playing on your phone, or store music on the watch itself and leave your phone at home. It's normally $249, but is on sale right now for $199.
The best screenless tracker for beginners
For those who would rather not have a screen on their wrist, Whoop is the king of screenless trackers, and you can read my review of the latest model here. The catch is that you have to pay yearly for a subscription, but if you can afford that, you really cannot beat the data and experience you get from Whoop's app. Of the different tiers of membership Whoop offers, the best deal is Peak (the middle tier), which is currently available for $199. That price includes both the device and a 12-month membership. They also offer a budget tier, which you can get for either $129 or $179 depending on the device.
The best smart ring for beginners
The Oura Ring 4 is at its lowest price ever, and it's another best-in-class tracker that is hard to beat. Prices vary by color, but the black and silver models are $249, which is more than 25% off the regular price of $349. Matte black and brushed silver are $299 down from $399, and gold and rose gold are even more deeply discounted: $349 instead of $499. You can read my review of the Oura ring 4 here, and my takeaways from using it for four solid years. Oura charges a $6.99/month subscription.
The best everyday watch for beginners
All of the trackers above are great, but maybe you just want something that looks and acts like a normal watch, while still being able to track some fitness metrics on the side. I'd recommend the Garmin Vivoactive 6, which is $249.99 right now, down from a regular price of $299.99. You can read my review here. It does almost everything that a running watch can do, but with a smoother, touchscreen-based appearance. You do still have physical buttons to stop, start, and lap your activities, which I feel is essential for any running watch. That's a sign of how well it bridges the fitness and lifestyle worlds. The previous model, the Vivoactive 5, is also on sale, and it's $189.95.
How long do Cyber Monday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
One of my favorite affordable running watches just got even more budget-friendly. The Suunto Run is on sale for $199, down from its usual $249 price tag. That's a solid 20% discount (or $50 off) for Black Friday.
My colleague Beth Skwarecki reviewed the Suunto Run and really enjoyed it. She found it to be lightweight, with a bright display and excellent GPS and heart rate accuracy.
As a big runner myself, I know the Suunto is something of a cult classic: a niche pick for runners who want simplicity without sacrificing quality. For runners who want reliable tracking and solid performance without breaking the bank, this is an excellent option.
More Suunto deals for Black Friday
If you're looking at other models in the Suunto lineup, several are discounted right now:
Each of these watches offers different features depending on your training needs, but the Run remains my top pick for a quality budget option.
If you've been holding off on upgrading your running watch (or finally investing in your first one), this Black Friday discount makes the Suunto Run one to consider. At $199, you're getting a capable, reliable running companion.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
I test a lot of wearables for Lifehacker, and for all the fancy fitness watches and smartwatches out there, I usually think entry-level models are the most useful option for the average runner or everyday person who only wants to track some exercise.
There are plenty of great watches under $250, and with this week's Black Friday deals, some have dropped even lower. Here are the best deals on good fitness and running watches you can find right now in that price range.
The best Cyber Monday deals on Garmin Forerunners
I think the Forerunner 255 is probably the best budget Garmin out there, but at this point it's an older model. It still does its job just fine, but prices can be unpredictable and many of the listings you'll find are for refurbished units. Nothing wrong with that—just make sure you understand what you're getting. There are two sizes, 41 and 46 millimeters, and each one can come with or without music storage. Note that the 255 has a MIP screen, an older technology that has its pros and cons.
The Forerunner 165 is another good entry level pick, and our resident marathoner loved the 165 Music. Like the 255, it comes in both a music and non-music version, but there is only one size. Both are on sale for Black Friday:
The next step up from there would be the Forerunner 265, which is on a great sale, but unfortunately it doesn't quite dip into our target price range—it's $299.99. The Forerunner 55, though, is down to $149.99. This is an older, barebones watch, but not a bad pick if you're looking for something basic.
The best Cyber Monday deals on the Coros Pace 3 and 4
Coros just launched the AMOLED Pace 4, and dropped the price on the MIP Pace 3. Aside from that difference in display type, they have similar functions and are both great entry-level watches. I reviewed the Pace 4, which has a great battery life and new voice features. The Pace 3 is a solid pick, too. You can read my comparison of the two here. These prices aren't necessarily Black Friday deals, but if you're looking for a bargain, they should definitely be on your list.
The best Cyber Monday deals on the Garmin Vivoactive 5 and 6
I mentioned Garmin's Forerunners above, but Garmin also makes some lifestyle watches. These don't have the running-specific focus, but they have great fitness features and would be great for any casual runner. The Vivoactive 6 is the newest in this line, making the Vivoactive 5 even more affordable. I've tested both and liked them; check out my review of the Vivoactive 6 for more on the differences between the two.
Garmin Vivoactive 5: $184.99 (originally $299.99, but it's been $229.99 ever since the Vivoactive 6 launched)
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.\
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
I've testedplentyofpairs of adjustable dumbbells, and no matter which brand you ultimately choose, I highly recommend investing in a set. The math alone makes it a no-brainer: Buying individual pairs of dumbbells from five to 80 pounds in five-pound increments would cost well over $1,500 and eat up valuable floor space. Adjustable dumbbells deliver the same versatility for a fraction of that price—and with Black Friday deals happening now, there's never been a better time to buy.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a "best home dumbbells" list without PowerBlocks near the top. Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki ranks these her favorite adjustable dumbbell set, and for good reason. The futuristic cubic design isn't just for show. These dumbbells are incredibly compact, which is the whole point of going adjustable over a traditional rack of individual weights. They take up minimal space while offering maximum range for your home gym.
What I personally love most is the pin system for weight adjustment. It's quick and intuitive, so you can change resistance mid-workout without breaking your flow. Just pull the pin, select your desired weight, and you're ready to go—no fiddling with collars or plates.
One thing to consider
The only real drawback is the frame design: You have to place your hand inside the dumbbell's structure to grip it. This can feel slightly awkward at first, especially if you're wearing a nice big watch. It's not a dealbreaker, but worth noting if you're particular about grip comfort. If you prefer focusing on single-arm exercises or want to test the waters before committing to a full set, Walmart has a single adjustable dumbbell (up to 50 lbs) for just $199.99 right now.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
If you’ve been curious about Whoop, this is a good time to try it out. You can only buy the iconic screenless band if it's bundled with a year-long subscription, and right now all four tiers of Whoop's one-year memberships are on sale with an included device. Prices start at $129, which is an all-time low.
Note that this budget offering is the secret fourth tier of membership. Whoop will tell you they offer three tiers of membership: Life, Peak, and One. You can buy these either from their website or through retailers like Amazon. But there's a difference! While the middle and top tiers are the same wherever you buy them, the lowest tier—called One—comes with an updated 5.0 device if you buy it through a retailer, but an older 4.0 device if you order directly from Whoop. Opting for the older device saves you $50, and the prices for Cyber Monday deals drop even lower. Here are the offerings:
Whoop One with a 5.0 device: $179 (normally $199). This option is not available from Whoop.com but can be bought from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.
Whoop Peak with a 5.0 device: $199 (normally $239). If you're confused by all the options, this is the one that makes the most sense for most people.
If you get the subscription with the 4.0 device, the main thing you're losing is battery life. The Whoop 4.0 has a five-day battery life, but you can charge it with a wireless power pack while you're wearing it. You can read my review of the Whoop 4.0 here, but note that Whoop only had one subscription option when I wrote that review. The One subscription does not support the health monitor, stress monitor, or the new Healthspan feature, but you still get Strain and Recovery scores and coaching on your sleep and exercise.
The One membership with a 5.0 device is the same idea, but the 5.0 device can go over two weeks on a single charge. The One subscription only gives you a wired power pack, not the wireless one, so you'll have to take the device off to charge it. (That said, I prefer to take it off to charge anyway.)
The Peak membership is the regular one, and likely Whoop's most popular. It's the one I would recommend to most people, and it comes with a 5.0 device, which I reviewed here. You get all the features the One subscription is missing, and the current price of $199 is a definite bargain.
The Life membership with an MG device is Whoop's premium offering, and if I may offer an opinion: It's not worth it. For the extra $100/year (normally an extra $120/year) you only get a few things, none of them particularly useful. These include blood pressure estimates, which don't seem to be particularly reliable, and which the FDA has asked Whoop to remove because Whoop is not a medical device (even though they call it the "medical grade" model). Life also gives you ECG readings, which are a standard feature on much cheaper smartwatches and fitness trackers these days. And if you're outside the U.S., you can get irregular heart rhythm notifications.
If you decide you like Whoop after trying the One membership and want to upgrade to the Peak membership, you can upgrade at any time, paying an extra fee to account for the difference in price between the two.
You can read here what I thought of Whoop after using it for a while. The app is really thoughtfully designed, with analytics and insights that help you align your training and recovery with your goals—something that no other device or app really does quite as well. It’s a pricey subscription, but I totally get why it’s worth it to many people.
How long do Cyber Monday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Unless you're planning to open a professional gym, there's no reason to drop thousands on a treadmill. The good news? You don't have to. Right now, the NordicTrack T Series 10 is on sale for $949 on Amazon—that's 27% off and a savings of $350 for Black Friday.
My colleague Beth Skwarecki also recommends the T Series line as a top choice for home runners, and several models are discounted right now. If you're looking for something more compact or budget-friendly, the T Series 5 is 25% off at just $449. But with its 10" tilting HD touchscreen, the T10 offers the best value during this sale.
What sets the T10 apart is its integration with the NordicTrack ecosystem. When you join, you get access to over 10,000 workouts through iFIT ($39/month or $396/year). This isn't just a library of on-demand classes—it's a full training experience with expert coaches guiding you through runs, hikes, strength sessions, yoga, and more.
The other perk of iFIT is it should automatically adjust your treadmill's speed and incline to match whatever workout you're doing. No fumbling with buttons mid-stride or losing focus to manually change settings. The system handles it for you, so you can concentrate entirely on your form and effort.
Perfect for data-driven runners
If you're someone who tracks fitness across multiple platforms (guilty), iFIT syncs seamlessly with Strava, Garmin, and Apple Health. Your treadmill runs flow directly into your broader training data, making it easy to monitor progress and stay consistent with your goals.
The foldable design is a must-have for anyone tight on space. When you're done, it tucks away without taking over your living room. If you've been waiting for the right moment to invest in a home treadmill, this is it.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
As someone who takes post-workout recovery seriously, I've tested my fair share of massage guns and recovery gadgets over the years. It's no exaggeration to say these devices have genuinely changed my life as a runner.
TheraBody is probably the most well-known name in massage guns, and right now, the TheraBody TheraGun Prime—normally priced at $319.99—is available for $199.99 on Amazon for Black Friday. If you've been thinking about investing in a quality massage gun, this is your moment.
What makes the Prime my go-to recovery tool? First, it's remarkably quiet. Anyone who's used a budget massage gun knows they often sound like you're drilling into drywall. Thanks to TheraGun's QuietForce Technology, the Prime operates at a low hum, so you can use it while watching TV without drowning out the dialogue or annoying everyone in your household.
The triangular handle design is another favorite feature of mine. It gives you leverage to reach those stubborn knots in your back and shoulders without turning into a contortionist or begging someone for help. After a long run, being able to work out tension independently is invaluable.
Features that actually matter
The battery lasts about two hours per charge, meaning you're not constantly scrambling for a charging cable. The Prime connects via Bluetooth to the Therabody app, which guides you through targeted routines and shows you exactly how to address specific sore spots—perfect if you're new to percussion therapy.
With four speed settings ranging from 1,750 to 2,400 percussions per minute, you can customize intensity based on your needs. Use the lower settings for pre-run warmups or crank it up for deep tissue work after a tough training session. It's accessible enough for beginners while still delivering the power serious athletes need.
If you've been on the fence about getting a massage gun, this Black Friday discount makes the TheraGun Prime an easy recommendation. Your muscles will thank you.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Finding the perfect gift for someone who lives and breathes fitness can be tricky. As a runner, I can't tell you how many times I've been gifted a handheld water bottle. It's a nice thought, but there's only so much space on my shelf. Likewise, I'm sure the lifters out there have more than enough lifting gloves by now.
The thing is, with a little research, you could find a present that genuinely enhances someone's workouts and recovery. Here's a thoughtful guide to help you choose something they'll actually use.
For the home gym builder
Adjustable dumbbells are a game-changer for anyone with limited space. These designs let you switch between weights quickly, replacing an entire rack of traditional dumbbells. While they can be an investment, they're one that serious fitness enthusiasts truly appreciate. There are plenty of highly rated options as part of Amazon's Cyber Monday sales, like this set here for just $149.99 right now. Otherwise, a solid set of adjustable dumbbells could fall outside of most gift exchange budgets. After your gift, your loved one could upgrade to my favorite Nüobellsfor $795.
Yoga mats with extra cushioning or non-slip surfaces benefit anyone who works out at home or focuses on recovery regularly. A good mat, like my go-to from Amazon Basics, can last for years and make a noticeable difference in comfort during floor work.
A set of resistance bands offers incredible versatility without taking up much space. They're perfect for travel, warm-ups, or adding difficulty to bodyweight exercises. Look for sets with different resistance levels and door anchors. You could spring for a full suspension trainer system, like the TRX GO for $139.95. Otherwise, a set of resistance bands shouldn't cost more than $30 with Cyber Monday deals still active right now.
The world of recovery gadgets is so much bigger than just massage guns. Foam rollers remain one of the most practical gifts for muscle recovery. Consider textured versions that provide deeper tissue work, or vibrating models that add an extra dimension to self-massage routines. I recommend this 5-in-1 foam roller set for $39.95.
All that said, a good massage gun has become nearly essential for anyone training regularly. They help with muscle soreness, improve circulation, and can be used both pre and post-workout. From my testing, I've found many mid-range options now offer professional-level features at reasonable prices. For Cyber Monday, Theragun massagers are still on sale, including this Theragun Mini for $169.99, down from $219.99. This Theragun Pro is $349.99, down from $529.99. And the premium Theragun Pro Plus is $549.99, down from $649.99.
Fitness trackers are a must-have for even the most casual gym-goer. Even if someone already has one, newer models often provide significantly better insights that can genuinely improve training effectiveness. Lifehacker's senior health editor Beth Skwarecki has got you covered when it comes to all the best deals on fitness trackers and watches right now.
While you might not know someone's preferences between an Apple Watch versus a Garmin versus a Pixel, I recommend introducing a Whoop band into your fitness enthusiast's life. Whoop is the iconic screenless wristband that tracks your workouts and recovery without looking like a watch. The Whoop Peak with a 5.0 device is an option that makes the most sense for most people, and is currently on sale for $199 (down from $239).
Wireless earbuds designed for workouts make a huge difference. Look for sweat-resistant models with secure fit and good battery life. When it comes to eliminating the racket of the outside world, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra come out on top, and they're on sale for $179 (a full $120 off their list price).
For running specifically, my absolute favorite headphones—the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2—are $179.95.
I joke about having enough water bottles, but if someone needs an upgrade, a high-quality water bottle still a great budget gift option. Insulated versions keep drinks cold through long training sessions, and many people like having multiple bottles for different purposes. This Owala is on sale for $32.99.
Gym bags with specialized compartments for shoes, wet clothes, and electronics make getting to and from workouts more organized. Look for durable materials and thoughtful design features like ventilated shoe compartments. This Adidas duffel is on sale for $35.97.
The bottom line: Consider what type of training they do most, what might be wearing out in their current setup, and what could take their workouts to the next level.
And as you're shopping around, don't forget to add a personal touch. Consider buying someone a sports massage, or maybe customize whatever gear you get. Their name, some motivational text, or their favorite fitness quote on quality athletic wear or accessories adds a personal element they won't find in stores.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and various other pre-holiday sales approaching, it's a good time to shop for anything—but with the new year on the way, it's an especially good time to shop for fitness equipment. Is 2026 the year you'll crush your health and wellness goals?
There is only one way to find out, and you can start off on the right foot by checking out Peloton's Black Friday sale, which can save you up to $1,500 on fitness equipment from the brand, including the upgraded Cross Training series of Bikes, Treads, and Rows.
Peloton's best Black Friday deals
What's included in Peloton's big sale? Here are your best bets:
The Cross Training Tread+is $5,295 instead of $6,695 (or $5,485 instead of $6,935 or $5,605 instead of $7,105, depending on the Starter Package you want).
The Cross Training Row+ is $3,295 instead of $3,495 (or $3,475 instead of $3,725 or $3,670 instead of $3,970 if you're getting a Starter Package).
The Cross Training Bikeis $1,395 instead of $1,695 (or $1,550 instead of $1,900 or $1,790 instead of $2,190 if you want the bundle).
A refurbished original Bike is just $695 instead of $1,145, which competes directly with the price you'd get if you bought a Bike on Peloton's resale marketplace, except this one has been factory refurbished, and those haven't.
A Cross Training Tread is $2,795 instead of $3,295 (or $2,985 instead of $3,535 or $3,105 instead of $3,705, depending on your bundle preference).
Each of the above also comes with a free month of All Access Membership, an additional $50 value. Moreover, accessories like cycling cleats, dumbbells, and mats are also marked down, some as low as 50% off. Finally, these deals are also reflected on the brand's Amazon storefront, so if you prefer to buy that way, go for it.
What to know about Peloton's different models before you buy
In October, Peloton overhauled its fleet, which is why you see "Cross Training" and "+" up in that list. If you're not sure what those words mean or how the new devices compare to the older versions (which, in the case of the Bike+ and Bike, are also on sale for Black Friday), I wrote a whole guide for you here.
Basically, the new Cross Training series features comfort adjustments, like a better Bike seat, attached phone holders, and swiveling touchscreens so you can move more seamlessly from, say, a treadmill run to a floor stretch or lift. The + series includes all that as well as an AI component, which powers a movement-tracking camera designed to help you with your workouts.
I've played around with the new tech and do enjoy it, but I admit it's usually pretty pricey. These deals are a solid entry point if you've been wanting to upgrade or even just buy your first Peloton device. For what it's worth, even without a Cross Training or + series Bike, I am a daily user and couldn't imaging a morning without the Peloton app.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Does Apple do Black Friday?
Yes, Apple participates in Black Friday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Black Friday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
You're supposed to replace your running shoes after 300 to 500 miles, but I've discovered that some shoes can take a lot more mileage than that. Now, the shoe that lasted so long for me—the Nike Downshifter—is on sale for $50 or less, depending on the color.
You can read the full saga of my 1,000 mile shoes here. Briefly, I wore a pair of Nike Downshifter 12s for nearly every road run I did for about a year, putting 1,024 miles on the shoes by the time I wrote about them. (I've worn them a few times since then, as well.) Since these are a budget shoe to begin with, the value was incredible—6.5 cents per mile, according to my calculations.
The current model is the Downshifter 13, which I also own, although I've only put a few dozen miles on mine so far. But they seem to be a very similar type of shoe, and I won't be surprised if they make it into the quadruple digits as well. The Downshifter 13 is the one that's on sale right now.
How to get the best price on Nike Downshifters
Both the men's and women's version of the Downshifter 13 are on sale at Nike's website. (While you can find them at other retailers as well, I like to buy direct from Nike if I can find a good price, because of their excellent return policy.)
The regular price is $80 for each version, and the sale price varies by color. I'm seeing prices from $48.97 to $68.97. But there's an additional discount—Nike is also offering a code, BFRIDAY, that gives you 25% off. I threw one of those cheaper pairs into my cart, applied the code, and the price dropped to $36.73. There's an $8 shipping charge, but that means the total is just $44.73. That's less than 45 bucks, shipped, for a pair of shoes that with luck might last a thousand miles.
Does Apple do Black Friday?
Yes, Apple participates in Black Friday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Black Friday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Oura announced on their website that they have filed an ITC complaint against those four companies. The ITC is the U.S. International Trade Commission, and Oura says its complaint is "for the unlawful importation and sale of products that infringe on several of Oura’s patents."
Oura's previous win against Ultrahuman and RingConn resulted in a judgment that those companies had to stop selling and importing their smart rings. RingConn ultimately came to an agreement with Oura to license their patents and continue selling their rings. Circular and Omate have made similar agreements with Oura.
Ultrahuman no longer sells their ring in the U.S., but is working on a new ring design that would sidestep the alleged patent infringement. You can read Ultrahuman's take on the situation in this blog post, which also includes a promise to continue supporting rings that they have already sold or that people may buy from resellers.
The rings in the recent complaint should still be available for a while. Oura says on their blog: "So what’s next? The ITC process will run its course." There's no guarantee that Oura will win their case, although the fact they were able to get such a sweeping judgment against other companies suggests that it's not too much of a long shot.
While Oura's communications around this issue use phrases like "respect for IP" (that is, intellectual property), as a consumer and a reviewer, I hate to see an exciting tech area get dominated by a single player or, worse, shut down by that player piece by piece. I'm working on a review of the Luna ring, which I've previously noted has some serious potential improvements over other rings on the market. Here's hoping the smart ring category remains a lively one going forward.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Some Cyber Monday deals are still live, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Rowing is my go-to workout these days. If you're like me and are fed up with waiting for one of the two rowing machines to open up at the gym, you need an at-home rowing machine. After a few months of testing the new Hydrow Arc Rowing Machine—which I reviewed in-depth—I trust Hydrow as a brand name. Right now, the Hydrow Origin Rowing Machine is available for $1,645 on Amazon after Cyber Monday, a 25% discount off its list price of $2,195.
The Hydrow Origin is the company's original model, but don't confuse "original" for "bare-bones." This machine still has a 22-inch screen and plenty of streaming content, which is where the real value lies. I've found these how-to videos and wide-ranging workouts are what make Hydrow such a great workout (much like how Peloton is so much more than just its bikes). Compared to a more basic rowing machine you might be used to at the gym, Hydrow machines have electromagnetic drag technology that really do mimic the feeling of rowing on water. And at today's $550 off, it's never been a better time to buy.
If you're still shopping around, I recommend checking out guides like our live blog, where we use price trackers to make sure you're really getting the best deals this Black Friday. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Thanksgiving is a week away, but Black Friday sales are already here. This year, Amazon's Black Friday deal event is taking place from Nov. 20-28, and Lifehacker will be here with all the best deals throughout the mega-sale. Right now, one of them is on my absolute favorite headphones for running—the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. They're currently $124.95, a 31% discount off their list price of $179.95.
If you're unfamiliar with the world of bone conduction headphones (BCH), let me try to convert you. I love noise-cancelling tech when I'm in the gym, sure. But when I'm exercising outside, I'm grateful for BCH technology to keep my ears open to traffic, other runners, and reckless cyclists—all without sacrificing audio quality. As my colleague Daniel Oropeza reviews in-depth here, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are the best set of BCHs that either of us have ever tried.
With these Shokz, I've experienced little to no ear fatigue, even during 20+ mile runs. I've worn these headphones for over a year now, through humid summer runs and unexpected downpours, and they're holding up great. Most important for me, their battery life holds up, lasting even my longest training runs. Even if I forget to charge the night before a run, a quick five-minute charge gives me around 1.5 hours of listening time. Shokz is a go-to brand for a reason, and this 31% discount could be the nudge you need to snag the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones for yourself.
If you're still shopping around, I recommend checking out guides like our live blog, where we use price trackers to make sure you're really getting the best deals this Black Friday. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and sales run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Black Friday Deals Right Now
Cyber Week is here and follows a full weekend of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals—but the sales are still going, in some cases. I'm always hunting for deals on at-home fitness products, but whether you need dumbbells, more serious equipment, or anything else to boost your health and wellness journey, this is the moment to save. Check this live blog often to see the best fitness sales we're finding for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
To me, the under-desk treadmill is the ultimate symbol of productivity culture (read: late-stage capitalism). And I'm exactly the type to buy into the under-desk treadmill appeal. Why shouldn't I want to walk while I work, burn calories during calls, and transform my sedentary office prisons into a wellness wonderland—all without sacrificing a single billable hour? (Never mind that I don't work in an office or bill my hours.) Office fitness is the perfect hack for our optimization-obsessed culture, promising that we can have it all: career success and physical health, no trade-offs required.
But when I see an under-desk treadmill, I also remember when we all swore that replacing our desk chairs with yoga balls would change our lives. Or that a standing desk, or a balance board, or some kind of pedaling contraption would do the same. In other words, nothing ever changes. I'm not denying that there's a problem with fully sedentary work days; it's just that no one gadget ever seems to be the solution. And the problem isn't that we lack willpower or that the products are inherently flawed. The problem is that we're buying solutions to the wrong problem.
The allure of multitasking your way to health
I'm not immune to the fantasy either. When you're drowning in deadlines and meetings bleed into evenings, the idea that you could somehow merge your workout with your workday feels like a lifeline. Why carve out an hour for the gym when you could just walk while answering emails? It's efficient! It's smart! It's...probably not going to work the way you hope.
"I think these products can and do work for some people, but there's an important caveat: there's no replacement for actually getting away from your desk for a mental and physical break," says Jen Fisher, formerly the chief wellbeing officer at Deloitte. "There's a real irony here—these products aim to solve one problem (sedentary behavior) but reinforce another (never truly disconnecting from work)."
Therein lies the paradox: We're trying to optimize ourselves into working more, not better. An under-desk treadmill might give you movement, sure, but it keeps you tethered to your screen, always available, always productive.
You might think that if anyone could make office fitness gadgets work, it would be Google—a company famous for its wellness perks and campus amenities. But even there, this pattern persists. "I love the treadmill desks that we have available whenever I've used them," says Shosh Brodman, a senior Google Workspace program manager with over 13 years at the company. "But I think I've used it maybe less than five times." Brodman's experience with an under-desk pedaling device was similar: initial excitement followed by abandonment.
She says that despite access to gyms, treadmill desks, and a culture that supports movement, the fundamental problem remains: the structure of modern work doesn't actually allow for these interventions. The one thing that did work for her? Step-tracking contests that encouraged actual breaks and movement, creating social motivation to escape the desk entirely. Compared to an under-desk treadmill, a real lunch walk gives you something far more valuable: a little mental space, entirely separate from work.
"When it specifically comes to products that people use to mitigate their sedentary lifestyle, gadgets are never the answer," says Melissa Painter, founder of Breakthru, an app that guides users through two-minute movement breaks. "Especially not gadgets that cause us inadvertently to outsource our body's intelligence to a piece of tech. The minute we're staring at data in the face of what we've 'done wrong,' the more likely we're going to put it in a drawer and step away."
This points to a pattern many of us recognize: the sleep tracker that made us more anxious about sleep, the step counter that turned movement into a guilt-inducing scorecard. Tools are only useful if they nudge us toward feeling better, rather than becoming another metric of inadequacy.
The absurdity becomes clear when we consider what actually helps us think and solve problems. "The reason going for a walk helps you solve a problem is because you're moving and untethered," Painter says. "The space and time away from your screen is an invitation for your mind to wander just enough so that instinctual solutions can emerge. Walking on a treadmill is not going to have the same impact. It's like trying to do the wrong kinds of thinking at once."
Breaking free from productivity culture
Here's what makes our gadget obsession even more frustrating: We already know what works, but we just don't want to hear it, because it requires actually stepping away from work. "It's very American to think we don't need breaks," Painter says. Trapped in non-stop productivity culture, we fall prey to this idea that "wellness" requires an enormous amount of time and money. We live in a culture that treats rest as laziness and breaks as luxuries.
Fisher says that the type of work matters: "For passive tasks—listening to a meeting, reading documents—these tools might genuinely help. But I worry about the cultural message when we're optimizing to work more rather than building in real breaks that actually support our wellbeing." If these gadgets work in addition to actual breaks, great. But if you're thinking "now I can skip my lunch walk because I have a treadmill desk," that's where we've gone wrong.
Fitness gadgets around the office allow us to maintain this idea that we can always be productive without any downtime. As if our bodies are just machines that need the right accessories to run indefinitely. We'd rather invest in expensive gadgets that let us keep working than accept that you might need to actually stop and rest. As a result, most of us end the workday feeling overwhelmed, fatigued, nowhere near the end of our to-do lists, and nowhere close to wanting to go to the gym.
The problem isn't the under-desk treadmill itself, but the slippery slope of non-stop-optimization it represents. So, what's the solution?
How to actually prioritize your wellness at work
The irony is that the effective solutions are free and simple—they just require us to challenge the "always on" culture we've normalized.
What people need instead are genuinely brief interventions that help them feel better and reconnect with their bodies. Getting up to see the sun. Watering a plant. Taking a walking meeting. These aren't fancy, and they don't require a $1,200 piece of equipment, but they do require something that feels even more expensive in our work culture: permission to stop working, even briefly.
There's no need to swear off all office fitness products. Standing desks with decent ergonomics have real value for shifting body position throughout the day. If you genuinely use that balance board or under-desk elliptical regularly for passive tasks, and it's in addition to real breaks, keep at it.
But for most of us, the better investment isn't another gadget—it's the harder work of time management and cultural change:
Set actual boundaries around breaks. Block time for a real lunch away from your desk. Schedule walking meetings. Stand up and stretch between Zoom calls. These sound obvious because they are, but we skip them because we've internalized the message that real breaks are indulgent.
Question the productivity narrative. Just like your doctor has been telling you for years: more movement throughout your day, across your lifetime, improves thinking, mood, focus, and attention span. If you still want to think in terms of productivity, consider that taking breaks isn't sacrificing productivity, but actually promoting it.
Start absurdly small. You don't need a $1,500 treadmill desk. You need to get up once an hour and walk to the window. Water a plant, step outside for a coffee, or try to touch your toes.
The bottom line
The fitness gadget industry thrives on our desire to optimize, to find the one weird trick that lets us have it all. But the actual hack is much less sexy: we need to accept that human bodies require breaks, that our brains need space to wander, and that no piece of equipment will let us cheat these fundamental needs.
The treadmill desk isn't evil. It's just a symptom of our broader refusal to accept that rest is productive, and that being fully present for our work sometimes means being fully absent from our screens.
So before you click "buy" on that under-desk elliptical, ask yourself: Am I solving my sedentariness problem, or am I buying permission to never truly step away from work? Because if it's the latter, you already know where it's going to end up—right next to that dusty yoga ball in the corner.
This post is part of Find Your Fit Tech, Lifehacker's fitness wearables buying guide. I'm asking the tough questions about whether wearables can really improve your health, how to find the right one for you, and how to make the most of the data wearables can offer.
When I test smartwatches and fitness trackers, I always pay attention to accuracy. Is my running pace correct? Does the device capture the ups and downs of my heart rate? I even got a VO2max lab test to check a bunch of watches' fitness scores. But you'll notice that one thing I don't test for accuracy is calorie burn. None of my devices come close to agreeing on the number of calories they think I'm burning, and I don't expect them to. Even scientists who study the accuracy of wearables can't answer the question in a way that's useful when you're shopping for this year's devices—but we'll get into why that is below.
There was a time, before Fitbits, when nobody knew quite how many calories they were burning on a daily basis. Sure, you could calculate a rough estimate based on your body size, sex, and age. You could choose whether or not to believe the calorie readout on the cardio machines at the gym. (Spoiler: don't.) But the idea that a gadget on your wrist could tell you how many calories you personally burned during one particular day was revolutionary. It was also wrong.
How fitness trackers calculate calorie burn
Before I discuss how accurate fitness trackers are, let’s look at where they get their numbers. For calorie calculations, the main sources are motion and heart rate data. For motion, trackers use accelerometers to figure out when your body is moving, and by how much. If you have a watch on your wrist, and the watch swings back and forth rhythmically while sort of bouncing up and down, your gadget guesses that you must be walking. If there is quicker bouncing and your wrist makes a smaller movement, you’re probably running.
This is the basic idea behind how trackers detect how many steps you’re taking. If you’ve paid attention to your step count, you already know some of the ways this can be inaccurate. If you’re shopping, for example, keeping your hand on the shopping cart handle may result in you not getting credit for the steps you’re taking. That depends on the device, though. (For a perfect illustration of this issue, see these tests I did comparing a Garmin to an Apple Watch on a treadmill. When I rested my hands on the treadmill handle, the Apple Watch recorded 318 steps while the Garmin recorded none.)
Then there’s the heart rate sensor: Since your hands don’t always move predictably during exercise, it can be easier to just tell your watch that you’ll be cycling or doing yoga or whatever. The gadget then uses your heart rate to make an educated guess about how much work your body is doing.
Whatever the source of the data—heart rate, movements, or a combination—the gadget processes it through a formula to calculate how many calories it thinks you’re burning. Your age, weight, and sex may figure into this equation. Generally, though, the fitness tracker doesn’t actually know how many calories you’re burning; instead, it’s calculating a probable number based on incomplete information.
Why there's no simple test for accuracy
If humans were robots, all built the same, all moving in predictable patterns, this formulaic approach might work. But humans are complicated, and technology often gets confused.
For example, you may get different step counts if you put a device on your right versus left wrist. And the optical heart rate sensors that a lot of trackers use may be less accurate on dark skin compared to lighter skin. These problems relate to the data that the trackers gather, but calorie burn isn't a direct measurement. It's a calculation, and different algorithms can come up with different calorie burn numbers depending on how the algorithm is designed.
The companies that make fitness trackers aren’t required to publish their algorithms or verify that their calorie counts are accurate. They can just put a device on the market, and there you are, comparing wearables on shopping sites without any information about how accurate they are, outside of the companies’ claims.
Researchers are interested in fitness trackers’ accuracy, which would seem like a good thing. They want to be able to use wearables in research or recommend them for individuals and healthcare providers, and so they'll run studies comparing consumer devices to lab equipment. This sounds like a great way to answer our questions! But there’s a huge delay in actually getting that information, and it’s often published too late to be useful. By the time a researcher buys a batch of the latest model, runs a study, writes it up, submits it to a journal, and finally gets it published, several years may have gone by, and the company has moved on to the next model.
That delay is why I (usually) can't use scientific studies to weigh in on the devices I write about. Here's a great example of how frustrating it can be: this review was published in 2025, and found the Series 1 was the Apple Watch that turned up the most often in the studies the authors were able to gather. The Series 9 and 10 watches were completely missing from the available data, and as a reminder, we're now up to a Series 11. With that caveat about delays, I still think it’s useful to look at the research on fitness trackers to see what themes emerge. Are any of them good at estimating your calorie burn?
What studies say about fitness trackers’ accuracy
Time for the bad news. A study from 2020 that looked at a variety of gadgets from Apple, Garmin, Polar, and Fitbit found that all the devices are inaccurate more often than they are accurate. The authors considered a device to be accurate if its reading was plus or minus 3% when compared to a more reliable measure of energy expenditure (that is, calorie burn) in a lab setting. Here’s how some of the top brands fared:
Garmins underestimated calorie burn 69% of the time.
Apple watches overestimated calorie burn 58% of the time.
Polar devices overestimated calorie burn 69% of the time.
Fitbits underestimated calorie burn 48% of the time and overestimated 39% of the time.
The fact that Fitbits were roughly correct on average doesn’t mean they were useful. If sometimes your device overestimates and sometimes it underestimates, it’s not very helpful unless you know which is which.
A 2018 review specifically of Fitbits found that accuracy varied greatly depending on factors like where they were worn (torso was more accurate than wrist), whether you were walking uphill, and whether you walked at a constant speed or stopped and started. The accuracy also varied by device, with the Fitbit Classic underestimating calorie burn and the Fitbit Charge usually overestimating. The devices just aren’t accurate enough to know how many calories you’re really burning
A 2022 study compared the Apple Watch 6, the Fitbit Sense, and the Polar Vantage V. The researchers had volunteers wear all three gadgets while sitting quietly, walking, running, cycling, and strength training. Every gadget, for every activity, was awarded a judgment of “poor accuracy,” with coefficients of variation ranging from 15% to 30%.
And this 2025 review of Apple Watch studies—the same one I mentioned above—found that calorie burn was, on average, off by about 18%. The authors mention a proposed standard from the International Electrotechnical Commission that recommends fitness trackers not be off by more than 10%. That's clearly not being met, although the researchers noted that newer models may be more accurate than earlier ones.
To get a sense of these percentages, let's say your true calorie burn is 2,000 calories per day. A device that's off by 15% might report that you burned 1,700 calories, or that you burned 2,300. If you're using your device to figure out how much to eat, you could be way off in meeting your calorie goals.
If these devices are all inaccurate, how can you know how many calories you're burning?
It’s probably most useful if you think of your calorie burn as a number you cannot measure directly. Treat it as a black box: I burn some unknowable number of calories, now what?
The only common reason you would need an accurate estimate of calorie burn is if you are trying to figure out how much food you need to eat. If you want to lose weight, you want to eat less than you burn; if you want to gain weight, you want the reverse; and if you’re trying to maintain your weight, you want to eat roughly the same as what you burn. But think about it this way: you don't actually need to know your calorie burn if you have the other two terms in the equation—your calorie intake, and your weight.
It's considered more accurate to adjust how much to eat based directly on your weight, rather than using calorie burn estimates as a middleman. Let’s say you’re training for a marathon and you want to make sure you fuel yourself appropriately. Well, if you’re under-eating, you’ll start to lose weight. When you start to see the scale trending downward, that’s your signal to add a few hundred calories to your diet. If, after that adjustment, your weight stays steady, then you know you’re eating the right amount. As you increase your training (or if you take time off to rest a sprained ankle), you can make more adjustments as you go.
I have a post here detailing how to make these adjustments with the help of either a paid app, a group of free apps, or a DIY spreadsheet. If you’ve been using a fitness tracker instead, and it’s working for you, feel free to keep using it. But if the tracker ever stops giving you the results you want, you can safely leave it out of the equation.
I fell in love with cold weather running while I was training for a spring marathon. It wasn’t a choice at first: Some weeks, the weather was bad for days on end, and if I stayed home I would fall behind in my training. Everybody else in my training group was braving the elements, so I did too—with no regrets.
I got to run on quiet mornings while snow was softly falling. I signed up for a winter race that herded finishers into a heated barn for hot chocolate and soup. I set a personal record at a spring race, during which I pushed myself hard without breaking a sweat. I now find it sad when somebody tells me they’re afraid of running in the cold, or that they would run in the winter but don’t know what to wear.
No, cold weather doesn’t have to stop you from running, but getting dressed can be a puzzle: How do you keep from freezing your butt off at first and avoid overheating once you start to sweat? Fortunately, it isn’t as tough as it looks. With the right gear, your fingers and ears can stay toasty while you jog through a winter wonderland. Below, I’ll give you a temperature-by-temperature running cheat sheet, and then dive into the specifics on how to buy the best socks, shirts, and more.
Use the"feels like" temperature and the 20 degree rule
When I get dressed to run in winter, I take a look at the “feels like” temperature, not the actual high or low. I also make sure to check the weather for the time I’ll go running, not for the whole day. It doesn’t matter how warm it will be at 2 p.m. if my run will be happening at 6 a.m., before the sun is up.
The simplest way to figure out what to wear is with the 20 degree rule. Imagine that the temperature is 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) warmer than it really is. What would you wear then? Well, if it’s 50 degrees out, you’d dress as if it were 70: in a T-shirt and shorts, most likely. If it’s 30 degrees, you’d dress as if it were 50: long pants and maybe a light jacket. Get the idea?
Everybody has their own preferences. Some people dress in shorts even when it’s snowing, while others will pop a beanie on as soon as there’s a detectable chill in the air. I’m a pretty middle-of-the-road runner when it comes to keeping warm, so here’s what I wear at each “feels like” temperature, starting with warmer weather and working our way colder. I'll give a guide to each type of garment or accessory at the end.
What to wear if it's 50 degrees or warmer
At 50+ degrees Fahrenheit, I’m wearing basically the same things I would for a summer run.
Bottoms: shorts or light leggings.
Top: A tank top or T-shirt.
Head and hands: Nothing special. No gloves and no hat, unless it’s a baseball cap to shade my eyes from the sun.
What to wear if it's in the 40s
We’re starting to feel the first bit of a chill. This is where I may start bringing gloves, although they’ll probably get stuffed into a pocket by the end of the run. Remember, with the 20 degree rule, it will feel like 60 degrees by the time you're warmed up.
Bottoms: Leggings, lightweight long pants, or shorts.
Top: Something with long sleeves, but ideally made of thin material (think long-sleeved T-shirt, not a full on sweatshirt or jacket). If you wore a sun shirt in the summer, that's a good layering option for these cool temps. I like my REI Sahara Shade hoodie here, but any long sleeve will do. If you run fall and winter races, you'll probably be handed a free long-sleever at some point.
Hands: I usually just pull my shirt's sleeves over my hands, but you could wear knit gloves if you want. Consider something like Flipmits for an intermediate option (they can be folded down into a wrist cuff when your hands warm up).
Head: A headband if you need protection for your ears.
You may see a few snowflakes drifting down, but don’t bundle up in a snowsuit. Once you’re warmed up, it will only feel like 50 degrees—so go for something in “light jacket” territory.
Bottoms: Leggings or running tights. The fleece-lined kind can be nice. (I have these.)
Top: You’ll want some kind of jacket or sweatshirt. A lightweight, reflective rain jacket is great here, or just throw on a regular hoodie over your T-shirt. (I go with cotton sweats in dry weather or light snow, but I'd go for synthetics or wool if there's rain or sleet.)
Hands: Definitely wear gloves. The cheap knit ones are usually good enough, but consider treating yourself to a nice pair of running gloves.
Head: Your choice of hat or headband; I’d stick with the headband.
Feet: This is around the temperature you may start to want warmer socks. That goes double if snow is in play: snow that falls onto your shoes will work its way through the mesh, melt, and make your feet wet. Wool is a good material here, so consider something like these from Smartwool.
This is where I’ll officially say it’s “cold.” Whatever warm-weather gear you were getting away with at warmer temps, you’ll probably have to swap it out now. Shorts people will break out their long pants. Headband people will wear a real hat.
Bottoms: Leggings and shorts. I don’t care if you think it looks goofy to wear both, this is an A+ hack. Men, if you weren’t already wearing pants with a windproof panel in front, you might want to look into those now.
Top: It’s definitely jacket weather. Rather than getting a warmer jacket, I like to wear the same light jacket as I did at 30 degrees, but this time with a long-sleeved, fleece or wool base layer underneath.
Hands: Real gloves, please. You can keep wearing your little knit gloves if you’re able to tuck your hands inside your jacket sleeves, or if you have a pair of mittens to wear over top; otherwise, get windproof gloves.
Head: A hat, and maybe also a buff for your nose and mouth. (If you have any cloth masks still hanging around from the COVID days, they’re perfect for cold weather runs.)
This is where I tap out. If a run is just barely in the teens, I’ll make do with the 20-degree items I mentioned above (maybe wearing an extra layer if needed). You certainly can run in this weather if you are determined. You’ll want windproof everything, some kind of face covering, and you may need eye protection such as goggles.
Whenever the weather gets to your own personal “too cold” temperature, remember that you still have options. The early afternoon is often the warmest part of the day, so a run may be tolerable then. There’s also no shame in using a treadmill (even if you have to join a cheap gym for this reason alone).
Everybody has different preferences, and with practice you’ll figure out if you’re the kind of person who wears three shirts before it hits freezing or the type to run through the snow in shorts. But this should give you a starting point when you head out for your first (or next) cold weather run.
How to buy the best cold-weather running gear (without breaking the bank)
As you continue on your cold weather running journey, you may need to buy some new gear or repurpose things from elsewhere in your closet. And yes, the first few minutes of your run will feel chilly. But if you’re wearing the right shoes and clothes (and planning routes with a few extra factors in mind, which I’ll discuss below) winter running is not just feasible, it’s actually fun. So here are the items you may want to consider
Socks
Your feet need to be warm and, if possible, dry. Warm socks go without saying, but there are some extra considerations when you’re picking socks to run in.
Wool socks are ideal because they keep your feet warm even when they get wet. You may not think of winter as a wet time, but any snow that meets up with your body heat will turn into water. If you don’t have wool socks, synthetic wicking fabrics are a good second choice. Cotton is a no-no
First, the socks have to be able to fit into your shoes. If you’ve been running in super thin cotton or synthetic socks all summer, thick socks may not fit. Smartwool run socks are available in a thin version that can fit no problem—but in colder weather you’ll want some thickness for extra warmth. That thickness, in turn, may mean that your winter running shoes need to be roomier than the shoes you wear in summer. If you’re buying a new pair, make sure to try them on with the type of socks you intend to run in.
Shoes
If your warm socks fit, you can make do with the same shoes you wore in the summer. Your feet will stay dry if the weather is dry and you stay out of puddles. If you encounter snow and slush, though, your feet will have to endure warm-but-wet conditions for the rest of your run. That can be okay for short runs, but for serious winter running, consider upgrading your shoes.
Some running shoes are available with water-resistant uppers. This level of water resistance will keep stray snowflakes out of your socks, but it isn’t reliable if you’ll be stepping in slush puddles. In that case, you’ll want something more waterproof, like Gore-Tex shoes, many of which are made for running trails.
If you expect to run on a lot of ice or packed snow, especially on trails, spikes can give you a little extra grip.
Yaktrax makes a rubber harness that stretches to fit your shoe, with steel coils and small spikes, for about $35.
Microspikes are a notch up from there, costing around $75 for what look like a miniature version of the chains you’d put on car tires.
And if you’re really dedicated—and are seeking a purpose-built pair of snow shoes—you can attach individual spikes: either these traction spikes from IceSpike, or via a DIY approach using sheet metal screws. (There’s atutorial here.)
The versions that include rubber, like Yaktrax, can wear out quickly on pavement, so it’s best to save these for runs on trails or on unplowed paths. You’ll also want to be careful about the fit. I tried a pair that were similar to Yaktrax, but they were a tad too big. Shortly into my run, I found that the rubber stretched enough to pull the front set of spikes up over the top of my shoe. I've since gotten better-fitting ones, and they work great.
Spikes and specialized shoes help you go more places, in worse weather—but remember that they’re not required to just head out on a chilly day. Regular shoes are fine if the weather is cold but dry, or if you’re willing to put up with a little moisture.
Shirts and jackets
On a chilly day—say, in the 50s—a long sleeved T-shirt is probably all you need. Wear it over your regular tee or tank, and you can take it off and tie it around your waist once you warm up.
For colder weather, you’ll want to break out a light jacket or sweatshirt. This is when you experience one of the hidden perks of winter running: extra pockets!
By the time temps dip into the 20s or below, you’ll be doing some serious layering: for example, an undershirt, a long-sleeved warm layer, and a jacket. A great option for that warm layer is a wool base layer like this one. (Don’t worry, it’s not itchy). If you can’t wear wool, there are synthetic ones as well.
Before you run out to buy all new clothes, experiment with what’s in your closet. Try fleece or a repurposed thin sweater, for example. Some people would never wear cotton for running (it can be cold when wet), but I wear it as my undershirt layer and have lived to tell the tale.
The jacket is the most important layer. You can grab a sweatshirt in a pinch, but to be really well-equipped for nasty weather, you’ll want a jacket that is windproof and water-resistant. Jackets made for running are lightweight, for layering. Consider ones that are visible at night, with bright colors and reflective areas, and that come with zippered pockets.
Once it’s too cold for shorts, you’ll want to start layering your bottoms, too.
Women are at an advantage here, since most of us already have leggings in our closet. (It’s fine to wear cotton if it’s dry out, but go for synthetics if it’s snowing.) Pants that aren’t form-fitting tend to let cold air in. That’s why leggings or “running tights” like these are standard winter wear for both men and women.
Running tights come in different thicknesses; go for something fleece-lined for cold weather, or layer two pairs. And if your butt gets cold—or if you just want to be modest—feel free to wear a pair of shorts on top.
And if you want more protection, consider underwear with a windproof panel on the front. One Amazon reviewer quips: “If you have ever run, even for a little, with your hand down the front of your pants for fear of frostbite, you need these.”
Accessories
You need to keep your ears warm, but don’t reach for a winter hat right away: an earwarmer or headband can cover your ears while still letting heat escape from the top of your head. And if anything is falling from the sky (say, snow), a baseball cap will keep it out of your eyes.
Fleece or knit hats are great for cold enough days, of course. The dividing line between earwarmer weather and hat weather is a personal one, and depends on whether you’re overheating. If you’re wearing a hat but sweating into your base layers, the hat is probably overkill.
Gloves, however, are essential. I keep a pair of cheap knit gloves in my jacket pockets, but windy or very cold days call for something stronger. You can layer gloves; I find gloves under mittens work well. You can also get windproof insulated gloves, which are warmer than any number of layers of hole-y knit gloves.
Your face will freeze on windy or very cold days, so this is where your stash of pandemic face masks really shines. Any mask will help to protect your face, even if you’re on your own outdoors and don’t need it for infection control. In that case, go for comfort: consider a balaclava or even a fleece-lined bandana. A neck gaiter stays on better than a scarf, if your neck is cold. At this point, every inch of you is covered but your eyes. Sunglasses can take care of that.
How to stay safe in the dark and the cold
The winter world can be dark, slippery, and (surprise!) cold. Here are some tips for dealing with some of the likely hazards.
It gets dark earlier in the winter, so you’ll need to make adjustments to your evening or early-morning runs. Either switch to midday runs, or prepare to spend a lot of time running in the dark. That will require, at minimum, wearing reflective clothing and carrying a flashlight. (Better to wear a headlamp.) Plan routes where you feel safe even in the dark. In the winter I spend less time on trails and more time on the local school’s well-lit running track. We have tips to find a track near you.
Slipping on ice sucks. Some ice you can see at a distance, but some you can’t. And remember that you won’t have your ice spikes if you’re running on paved, plowed surfaces. So keep a close eye out, and don’t be afraid to slow down to a penguin walk on areas you’re unsure about. Running a short loop multiple times lets you watch for ice on the first lap and put your mind at ease a little bit the next few times.
The track probably won’t be plowed. If you depend on a track forspeedwork, and it’s unavailable or impassible, you’ll have to make other arrangements. The easiest adjustment is to convert your usual intervals into time: If you normally run your 400-meter laps in two minutes, do intervals of two minutes at a time while running on a road or on the treadmill. (Then again, if you showed up to the track with a shovel, probably nobody would stop you, and it would be a great workout.)
Busy roads may become unrunnable. If you normally run on the shoulder, be aware that snowplows will deposit piles of snow, which then solidify into little ice mountains, right in your running zone. If that leaves nowhere to run except in traffic, you’ll have to change your route.
Water fountains may be turned off. This one is a warning for those of us that run in parks: If you depend on outdoor water fountains, they may not be available, so pack your own water bottle or detour to another source of water. Bathrooms, or seasonal businesses whose bathrooms you’ve used, may also be closed. Porta-potties may disappear for the season.
You may not be able to drive. If you usually drive to the start of your running route or the place you meet up with a running group, some days may be too snowy to get there safely—even if you’re well equipped for the run itself. Make a backup plan by scouting out some routes in walking distance of your home.
Know when to take it inside
While you can mitigate winter running’s hazards, you can’t make them go away: even the most intrepid runners have to take a treadmill day every now and then. A little flexibility in your training plan can help you stay safe without feeling guilty about skipped workouts.
Being in the cold and wet for too long can lead to hypothermia or frostbite, so pay attention to the conditions you’re heading out in. That includes checking the weather forecast and having a backup plan in case the weather gets too dangerous. For example, running a series of loops instead of one longer route lets you easily cut a run short. Or, you could plan long runs in areas that have plenty of buildings you could duck into to wait for a bus or an Uber car.
On days you just can’t run outside, go to an indoor track if there’s one in your area. Sometimes gyms or YMCAs will have a tiny track that’s better than nothing—the one near me has 13 laps to a mile. Then there’s always the trusty treadmill. Intervals keep things interesting, or you can try these tips to survive a long treadmill run.
And finally, staying safe is more important than any one workout—so be smart and stay home if the weather is too bad to run and too bad to drive to the gym. But on those beautiful winter days, when perhaps the snow is falling but the wind is gentle, layer up and enjoy.
Walking is great exercise, but can be slow and a little boring, unless you're truly captivated by the wonders of the natural world—though that won't get you very far if your scenery is the walls around a treadmill, rather than a walking path. Whether you're walking outdoors or indoors, you can benefit from using guided walks to spice up your ambling.
For "walks" around a specific location, Prowalk Tours might be the best out there. You can visit a variety of cities, markets, and locales from the comfort of your home or the gym. Running one of these on your phone or iPad while you use a treadmill is a great way to distract yourself and see what other parts of the world are like. There's no guidance, necessarily—at least not in an audio sense. This channel does divvy up the videos, though, so along the slider bar at the bottom of the player, you can see descriptions of the different areas you'll "pass" through. If there's a building you love in Paris, you can skip right to it. There are also other kinds of tours, like ones taken by boat and bike, so you can follow along on a stationary cycle or just watch and enjoy.
Get Fit With Rick (843,000 subscribers)
I like this channel because it's much more exercise-focused, but still pretty chill—sometimes, you don't want to do Pilates or an all-out cardio session; you just want to walk. On the Get Fit With Rick channel, you can get motivation and pace cues, plus stretching and other movements (he might have you do some side-stepping or knee touches during a walk). Bear in mind he is stationary while he teaches, so you could actually just dance in place like he does, but you can—and should—walk around instead, hitting the beat of the music and keeping up with his pace cues.
The variety of modifications available make this channel suitable for all levels. It's a great option if you're a beginner, having an active rest day, or just checking it out. The audio and video quality is high, which I always appreciate. You don't need incredible production values if the coaching is good, but it never hurts to actually be able to adequately hear and see the instructors.
Sunny Health and Fitness (194,000 subscribers)
You might be familiar with Sunny if you've ever been scouring Amazon for cheap, at-home workout equipment. That was my first experience with the brand: I bought a tiny, mechanical elliptical from them that I used until I was able to get my own Peloton Bike. Their videos are like their products, in that they're straightforward and to the point, with no fuss or flare. They are geared specifically for walkers using treadmills, and offer pacing and form cues, plus motivation from a coach.
IBX Running (59,000 subscribers)
IBX appeared on my best YouTube running channels list too, because they offer so many options in terms of workout length and structure. One of the options? Just plain walking. The videos are abundant in volume, but more importantly, they're clear and useful: Side bars show you what your incline and pace should be, which many of the other channels don't do. This helps you stay motivated and work toward your fitness goals.
Headspace (1 million subscribers)
You might be surprised to see Headspace here, since it's an app and platform dedicated to meditation and mental health, rather than exercise. But Headspace offers up some quality guided walking meditation videos I think are worth checking out. Exercise isn't just good for the body, but good for the mind, and sometimes, it's better to focus on that aspect, rather than just calorie burning. Think of them as guided walking meditations. If you want to take a stroll and be a little more mindful (while still reaping the physical benefits of moving around), start here.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Garmin was ahead of the Black Friday game last week, already dropping prices on several of the watches ahead of the sales event. Now, with Cyber Week in full swing, I'm seeing even more great deals.
Most notably, the Forerunner 265 and 965 are at their lowest prices ever, both $150 off. Several other watches are on surprisingly good sales as well.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is one of my favorite running watches, and you can read my review of it here. It's got an AMOLED screen, all kinds of advanced training metrics, dual-band GPS, and can connect to a bike power meter, to name a few of the features that set it apart from other watches. I own one myself and highly recommend it. Its original price was $449.99, but it's sometimes been on sale for $50 or $100 off. It was $100 off for last year's Black Friday, and has made occasional dips back down to that price since the Forerunner 570 came out this year. (The 570 is basically a 265 plus voice features, and it's not on sale this year—yet?)
Both sizes are now on sale: the 46-millimeter 265 and the smaller version, the 42-millimeter 265S (S for "smaller"). Both are the same price at $299.99.
The Forerunner 965 has the same features as the 265, plus a few extras—the biggest of which is maps. Normally $599.99, the 965 is on sale for $448.
If I’m confusing you with all these model numbers, I have an explainer here that will help you follow along.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Some Cyber Monday deals are still live, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Cyber Monday may be over, but plenty of deals are still live. This year we didn't see a lot of movement on deals once they were announced—the Black Friday deals tended to be the same as the early deals, and most stayed at the same price through Cyber Monday. Today, many of those sale items are back to their original price. But there are still some deals out there! Here's what I'm seeing, including deals from Peloton, NordicTrack, Oura, Whoop, Garmin, and more.
To keep an eye on prices yourself, consider using these deal-tracking tools that can alert you as soon as a price drops. They can also show you the history of price changes when you think you've found a deal. (Our deals writer Daniel Oropeza, who compiled that list, considers CamelCamelCamel one of the best. My personal favorite is the Keepa browser plugin.)
Cyber Monday deals on Peloton equipment
Peloton launched new "cross-training" versions of their Bike, Tread, and Row equipment earlier this year. We have a breakdown here of what's special about the new models—mostly swiveling touchscreens and updated electronics. The original (non-Cross-Training) models aren't being sold new, but you can get them as rentals and on Peloton's used marketplace. Peloton has marked their new models down for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, but as of today the deals are no longer available from retailers like Amazon. You can still get them from Peloton's site, though:
Powerbeats Pro 2 and Beats Studio Pro headphones on sale for Cyber Monday
I loved the Powerbeats Pro 2 for their secure fit, their noise cancelling in noisy gyms, and their transparency mode for road runs. (I did not love their heart rate tracking feature, which is unreliable.) Normally $249.99, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are still on sale $199.95. If you prefer an over-ear headphone, the Beats Studio Pro are $199.95, not as good as the $149.95 Black Friday deal, but still a serious discount from the original price of $349.95.
Theragun messagers are on sale for Cyber Monday
Theragun massagers are on sale, including this Theragun Mini for $169.99, down from $219.99. This Therabody Relief is $109.99, down from $159.99. And the premium Theragun Pro Plus is $549.99, down from $649.99.
Hydrow rowers are on sale for Cyber Monday
Our own Meredith Dietz loves Hydrow's rowers, and two models are on sale at the moment. The Hydrow Origin is $1,645 right now, normally $2,195. The Hydrow Wave is $1,795, normally $1,995.
Cyber Monday deals on PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells
Adjustable dumbbells are a great way to start a home gym, but they can be pricey since they are basically a full set of dumbbells connected with delicate moving parts. PowerBlock is one of the companies that does this well, and several of their models were on sale for Black Friday. Right now, though, the only deal still going is the PowerBlock Elite EXP adjustable dumbbell pair, 5 to 50 pounds per hand, for $399.99 down from an original price of $449.99.
WalkingPad makes folding mini treadmills that tend to be a bit nicer quality than the cheaper ones out there. There's still a deal going on this WalkingPad C2 that can go up to 3.7 miles per hour, at $399, down from $499.00.
Running in the dark gets a lot safer when you can see and be seen, especially if you're running along roads. The Noxgear Tracer is one of the most visible vests out there, with lights over your shoulders rather than just reflective material. Once again these sales aren't quite as good as they were for Black Friday, but they're still cheaper than regular price. The basic vest is $67.95 (down from $79.95), or get one with a chest light to illuminate the road in front of you for $89.95 (down from $114.95).
Oura's standard titanium-finish rings were $100 to $150 off for Black Friday. Those deals are still available but seem to be selling out in some sizes, so check your size to see what's still available. These are the best prices I'm still seeing for each color:
Oura's colored ceramic rings are not (and were not) on sale; they're $499 as usual. The Oura ring 3 is going for less than its original sticker price, but without any special Cyber Monday deals that I can see; here's a black Heritage at $209.99.
Whoop is the iconic screenless wristband that tracks your workouts and recovery without looking like a watch. All three (secretly four) Whoop subscription tiers are on sale right now:
Whoop One with a 5.0 device: $179 (normally $199). This option is not available from Whoop.com but can be bought from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.
Whoop Peak with a 5.0 device: $199 (normally $239). If you're confused by all the options, this is the one that makes the most sense for most people.
The newest version of Google’s Pixel Watch is the 4, which I reviewed here, and it normally sells for prices from $349.99 to $499.99 depending on whether you opt for the larger or smaller size, with cellular connectivity or without. Right now, the wifi-only models are both $50 off, and the LTE models are $100 off. This means you can get an LTE model at the same price you'd normally pay for a wifi model. I'm also currently seeing the 45 mm LTE model at the same price as the 41 mm, but I don't know if that will last. Here's what I've found:
The Series 11 is the newest model of Apple Watch (see our associate tech editor Michelle Ehrhardt’s take on it here). These watches have been on sale since before Black Friday, and the price has dropped slightly over the past week. We're now at record low prices for these watches, equivalent to the lowest prices the Series 10 hit last year. Here's what I'm seeing now, after Cyber Monday:
Coros doesn’t usually participate in big sale events, but the company launched a Pace 4 watch earlier this month, which costs $249 and which performed excellently in my review. That means the Pace 3 gets a price drop. The Pace 3 is now $199 instead of $229.
I like the Pace 3 a lot as a simple but powerful running watch. Another watch to pay attention to is the Pace Pro, a big sister to the 3 and 4 with a larger screen and built-in maps. No other big-name watch gives you maps on a watch at this price point, and the Pace Pro is also dropping in price, to $299, instead of the previous price of $349. Note that Coros seems to be dropping these prices permanently, so this isn't just a Cyber Monday deal.
Cyber Monday deals on the Garmin Forerunner 55
Garmin’s Forerunner 55 is its most basic running watch, which I have mixed feelings about. It’s missing a lot of features that other entry-level Garmin Forerunners, like the 165, have as a matter of course. But it does great at the basic job of tracking your runs, and I’ve always felt that if Garmin could get it closer to $99, I’d sing its praises from the rooftops. It’s never dropped quite that low, though.
The original sticker price was $199.99, and it’s often sitting somewhere around $169.99. As of today, it's equaling the lowest price I've seen in the past, $149.99. This watch isn’t getting any younger, and I think if Garmin’s smart, it'll consider a steeper price drop this Cyber Monday.
Because it comes in those two versions, you’ll want to pay attention to the differences. The music edition typically costs $50 more. Normally the version without music storage is $249, and the version with is $299. Earlier, I wrote that I'd keep an eye out for another drop to $199.99 like last year's Black Friday sale. Well, it's here! The Forerunner 165 is $199.99, and the Forerunner 165 Music is $249.99.
Cyber Monday deals on the Garmin Forerunner 265 and 965
If I’m confusing you with all these model numbers, I have an explainer here that will help you follow along. In any case, the 265 and 965 are still good watches, and I wrote earlier that this year we might be able to expect more than $100 off for those two. It looks like my wish has come true—the 265 is now going for $299.99 ($150 off) and the 965 is $449.99 (also $150 off).
Cyber Monday deals on the Fitbit Charge 6
The Fitbit Charge 6 is $99.95 right now This device has a sticker price of $159.95, but often sells for a good bit less, and during big sale events it occasionally drops down near $100. That's where we are right now—I've never seen it below this price. The Charge 6 isn’t the best one out there, but it fits the bill of an “I don’t want to think about it” basic tracker. If you just want to track your steps without overthinking which model to get, this is a fine pick.
Cyber Monday deals on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8
The Galaxy Watch 8 line is on sale, and like Apple and Pixel watches, it's available in a few sizes and connectivity models. There's also an upgraded "Classic" model with a rotating bezel. Some of the models are still on sale:
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
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