When I invested in the high-tech Mirror last year, it was because I found myself unable to commit to the limited time slots that my favorite boutique studios were offering—and as someone who requires quite a bit of encouragement (from both myself and an instructor) to actually work out, joining Crunch or even Equinox wasn’t exactly enticing. So, I bought the Mirror, psyched to own a totally futuristic device that honestly felt like something out of The Jetsons.
What I never imagined was how grateful I’d be to own a full-length smart mirror when I was forced into quarantine and found myself confined to my teeny Manhattan apartment for an indefinite time period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Turns out, I was in good company when it came to being obsessed with the fitness tool; Mirror even made it to Oprah's Favorite Things list last holiday season.
Among my 500-square-feet of living space, it’s not like I had a designated room for the Mirror, so I put it in my hybrid living room/kitchen. In the reflection of each workout, I get a beautiful view of my stove—and my pink Great Jones Dutch oven that I don’t use quite as much as I thought I would. And I settled for the fact that the plug of my high-tech Mirror has to lay on the floor in front of the entrance to my room but it felt like a small price to pay for top trainers teaching me 10 feet from my actual bed. The wall my workout contraption rests against is slightly too narrow for me to mount it (the Mirror comes with the tools to do and, in promotional pics, looks enviably chic), but its current resting spot takes up hardly any space and causes no disruption to the decor. In fact, it tends to be where I took my “final look,” back when I used to head out the door in the morning.
The exercise I personally enjoy the most is spinning (which obviously, you can’t do with Mirror), but I’ve learned that yoga, Pilates, and barre-type classes are not only good for my body, but my mind, too. Naturally, now, I’m even more grateful for this sea of options. No really, the Mirror menu offers thousands of classes across the following categories: strength, pre/postnatal, chair, stretch, barre, yoga, boxing, kickboxing, Pilates, family fun, dance, cardio and toning. My recent favorite addition has been a meditation class, led by the beloved motivational speaker, Gabby Bernstein.