5 Genius Inventions To Help You Shed the COVID Weight

Words by Aidy Smith (@Sypped)

You’re not alone. As most of the world has been in their own version of lockdown the naughty foods have come into our lives a little more than we’d usually allow, same for that glass of something special each evening. The result? For many of us, the love handles have returned. So much for that summer body, eh? Alas, don’t worry about it. The good thing is, there’s a bunch of new tech and various creations which allow you to combat this face-on. Read below for some simple and convenient ways to get in better shape!

Yo-Yo DESK® BIKE

The Yo-Yo Desk Bike isn’t just another piece of exercise equipment that’ll soon sit in the corner collection dust. This bike will become a fully integrated part of your workday routine. Turn a normally inactive portion of your day into an active one and burn through the fat faster. 

Silent motion technology gets rid of noise distractions while you can work from a laptop with ease and even take video calls while secretly burning the calories. For most of us, working from home has become tedious, not to mention the backpain from spending too much time sitting down. This wonder acts as a stand-up desk too, so you can change your position for a healthier posture.  

Basically, work while losing weight and without noticing you’re even working out. Amazing. 

Price: £400
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The Gym Keg

This one is incredibly simple, but so powerful. We all know we need to drink more water as it’s something that contributes to shedding the weight. It gets a little repetitive having to constantly fill up a smaller bottle of water, so why not just buy something that holds 2.2L of the stuff. That way you only need to fill it up twice during the day and you’ve more than completed your daily allowance. Just be sure not to overdo it though, 2.7L for women and 3.7L for men are the daily recommendations. 

Price: £16
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Noom

There’s a hell of a lot of ‘weight loss’ apps out there, but honestly, very few are based on mountains of scientific research across both biological and psychological fields. Noom helps people to lead healthier lives through behaviour change, making you feel like you’re in control of your life so you can make the hard decisions versus being forced into a situation that makes you loathe dieting. It’s kind of like having a nutrionist, health coach and trainer all in one place. 

Daily quizzes educate you and help you understand WHY you need to take certain actions, while the food suggestion features help you make more informed decisions about what you eat without scaremongering you into cutting out everything. Its realistic. You essentially log what food you’re eating which is categorized into green, yellow and red, allowing you to see how healthy you are being. 

The app has shown to directly promote healthier habits, reducing risk of chronic health problems and even reversing diseases. These aren’t just statements either, they continuously publish research in international recognised journals such as  Nature and British Medical Journal (BMJ), which has shown that 64% of Noom users lost 5% or more of body weight, greatly reducing their risk of diabetes and other conditions.

In summary, an app that doesn’t make weight loss feel like a chore is a great start to becoming healthier, so give it a whirl.  

Price: From $200 (£160) per year
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Æcorn Aromatic

Many of us have been guilty of piling on the pounds from drinking too much. The weather has been amazing, happy hour is within reach of your work desk, there’s countless reasons, really. On that note, it’s important to look after your health and a variety of incredible low or non-alcohol options exist, one of my absolutely favourites being Æcorn Aromatic. Not only is it fantastic as a non-alcohol cocktail ingredient, but it makes a stunning G&T alternative. Flavour and texture are two crucial components for me in any non-alcohol drink and this has both in abundance. 

So in sum; get a nice and health tonic water, and to taste preference an amount of this beauty and et voila, your healthier drink awaits. 

Price: £20
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Ember Mug

I’m a total geek of new tech and Ember have just solved a problem that affects many of us when it comes to drinks. If you’re trying to be healthy you make yourself a nice cup of herbal are fruit tea, right? But heres the alarming issue. It goes cold way too quickly, then you get irritated, then you become annoyed and after a trio occurrence you just give up. Ember is the first portable mug that regulates the same temperature based on what you program to your phone. So, your healthy brew will never get cold and you can keep topping it up. You can even take tea that has brewed earlier in the day and the cup will actually heat it up. Genius.

Price: £80
Learn More Here

Like this? Try our latest Drinker Discovery post, 7 Rums That Scream Luxury, and the World’s best Sipping Tequilas

Jerry Can Cocktail Bar

From bespoke light fixtures artfully fashioned from beer cans to chic handbags made from canvas coffee sacks, we’ve seen our share of creative repurposing. But Copenhagen design team Danish Fuel is taking upcycling to another level with their sleek, wall-mountable Jerry Can Bar Cabinet made from—wait for it—old kerosene containers from World War II. The cans, originally called Wehrmacht Kanisters, were designed by the German military in 1939 to hold kerosene,water, and gasoline in preparation for the war. They were coded by colour to differentiate between the liquids they contained and eventually dubbed “Jerries”, which was the nickname for Germans during the war. 

The inventive team of designers at Danish Fuel collects the discarded Jerry Cans from military surplus centres and initiates a 3-week process of drilling, sanding, burning, adding a powder coat—all sorts of highly involved procedures that result, against all odds, in a battered old gas canister emerging a gleaming custom-made bar you’d be proud to hang on your wall and fill with a few of your most treasured spirits and glassware. Jerry Can Bar Cabinet is the classiest form of “reduce, reuse, recycle” we’ve seen yet.

Buy now from €400

Uuni 2S Pizza Oven

As mankind evolves with new technology, there are some things we need to leave behind; some of those things are frozen pizzas and overpriced delivery pizza. The advancement of cars, computers and phones, has caused appliance manufacturers to step up their game as well and with that, your cookouts, pizza parties and potlucks are about to change. Made out of brushed stainless steal, Uuni 2S Pizza Oven is a tabletop, wood-fire, easily transportable at 24 lbs pizza maestro.

Not only is it modern and convenient, it is also extremely efficient – running on a sustainable energy source that is readily available at grocery or hardware stores, these energy-dense and inexpensive wood pellets will make this investment worth your while. Energy source resourceful, it has the ability to reach 900°F in under 10 minutes and then can cook a 13” pizza in a mere 90 seconds! In the box, in addition to the oven, you will find a cordierite stone baking board that will perfect the crisps on your pizzas, a pizza peel and an instruction booklet. But here’s the great news, it’s not just for pizzas, rather for any delicious meals that require short cooking time. So stock up on those steaks, vegetables, flatbreads and fish and start planning the ultimate backyard parties.

Buy now £195