Amazon Prime Day 2024 kicked off yesterday but it’s still running strong all day, Wednesday, July 17 (while supplies last!). While the price cuts across all the e-tailer’s categories are impressive to say the least, it’s the health and fitness deals that have caught our attention, specifically home fitness equipment. Among the savings on all things fitness, we found up to 85% off home fitness equipment. So, if you’ve been waiting for a sign to restart your at-home fitness routine or upgrade your personal gym, now is the time.

SHOP PRIME DAY DEALS

We’re seeing incredible discounts on top-rated walking pads, rowing machines, adjustable dumbbells—even fitness-tracking Apple Watches are slashing their prices. So whether you’re a cardio person or a heavy lifter, there’s a home fitness equipment deal for you to shop on Amazon right now. Below, we’ve rounded up all the best Prime Day home fitness deals in the category, but keep in mind that prices are constantly in flux, so you’ll want to add these sales to your cart A.S.A.P.—we have a feeling they won’t last for long.

Samup 25/55lbs Pair Adjustable Dumbbell Set, Fast Adjust Dumbbell Weight for Exercises Pair Dumbbells for Men and Women in Home Gym Workout Equipment, Dumbbell with Tray Suitable for Full Body

Now 20% Off

Sperax Sperax Walking pad with Incline,Portable Treadmill,Automatic remote lift slope,4 in 1 Incline Walking pad,Under Desk Treadmill for Home Office with Remote Control,2.5HP 320lbs Weight Capacity

Sunny Health & Fitness Sunny Health & Fitness Fully Assembled Magnetic Under Desk Elliptical Peddler SF-E3872 + Home Gym Foam Floor Protector Mat

Now 36% Off

Apple Apple Watch SE (2023) GPS 40mm Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band – S/M

Now 32% Off

Merach Merach Rowing Machine, Magnetic Rower Machine for Home, 16 Levels of Quiet Resistance, Dual Slide Rail with Max 350lb Weight Capacity, App Compatible with LCD Monitor, Q1S

Now 40% Off

JumpSport JumpSport 370 PRO | Professional Fitness Trampoline | Experts Choice | Quiet & Safe Bounce | Stable Non-Tipping Arched Legs | Adjustable Tension Bungees | Top Rated for Quality and Durability

Now 10% Off

Fit Simplify Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Exercise Bands with Instruction Guide and Carry Bag, Set of 5

Now 69% Off

ATIVAFIT ATIVAFIT Exercise Bike Foldable Fitness Indoor Cycling Bike Magnetic 3 in 1 Upright Recumbent Exercise Bike with Resistance Bands Home Workout (Grey)

Now 36% Off

The Hensley BalanceFrom GoYoga All-Purpose 1/2-Inch Extra Thick High Density Anti-Tear Exercise Yoga Mat with Carrying Strap (Black)

Now 60% Off

Orinar Orinar Weight Bench Press, Strength Training Adjustable Workout Benches for Full Body, Gym Benches for Incline Decline Exercise

Now 41% Off

Niceday Niceday Elliptical Machine, Cross Trainer with Hyper-Quiet Magnetic Driving System, 16 Resistance Levels, 400LB Weight Limit

Now 38% Off

Marcy Marcy HKB-015 Hammertone Kettle Bell, 15 lb,Black

Now 33% Off

Is Amazon Prime a good time to buy home fitness equipment?

Yes! During Prime Day, Amazon is offering savings up to 92% off top-rated and reviewer favorite home fitness equipment, making it an excellent time to purchase. Just be sure to hurry, because Amazon Prime Day only lasts until the end of the day.

Shop more amazing Amazon Prime Day deals

Charlotte Lewis is the Senior Commerce Editor at Prevention. After a decade of working in Hollywood writers’ rooms and contributing pop culture writing to ETOnline, Bustle, TVGuide, and CBS, she underwent bariatric surgery and changed her focus to health and wellness. Previously, Charlotte was the Sexual Health & Wellness Writer for Refinery 29. There, she wrote and edited shopping content about new wellness trends, beauty launches, and sex-positive products.   She currently lives in Brooklyn with her girlfriend—and the love of her life, her senior dog, Rory. All three can typically be found perusing the Fort Green farmer’s market for fresh produce or curling up on the couch to watch Survivor.  

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WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Exercise near bedtime won’t necessarily wreck a person’s sleep, a new study says.

Intense exercise is typically discouraged as bedtime approaches, since such activity can disturb sleep by increasing body temperature and heart rate, researchers said.

But short resistance exercise “activity breaks” at regular intervals can actually improve a person’s sleep, compared to winding down on a couch, researchers reported in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.

Simple, three-minute “activity breaks” involving chair squats, calf raises and standing knee raises with straight leg hip extensions added nearly an extra half-hour to a person’s sleep, when performed at 30-minute intervals in the four hours before sleep, results show.

“These results add to a growing body of evidence that indicates evening exercise does not disrupt sleep quality, despite current sleep recommendations to the contrary,” concluded the research team led by Jennifer Gale, a doctoral candidate and sedentary behavior researcher with the University of Otago in New Zealand.

For the study, researchers recruited 30 people ages 18 to 40. All participants said they typically have more than five hours of sedentary time at work and two more hours in the evening.

Each of the participants completed two different sessions in a controlled laboratory experiment, separated by a minimum of six days.

In one session, they remained seated in the four hours prior to sleep. In the other, they performed 3 minutes of simple resistance exercises every half-hour.

Results show that the activity breaks led to an additional 27 minutes of sleep, on average, for the participants.

The resistance exercises also didn’t cause any more sleep disturbances or awakenings than when people simply sat around before bedtime, researchers noted.

“Regularly interrupting prolonged sitting with short bouts of activity breaks is a promising intervention that may improve cardiometabolic health through multiple mechanisms,” researchers said in a journal news release.

Researchers speculated that these short bursts of resistance exercise could improve sleep by gently boosting metabolism and lowering blood sugar levels.

“Adults accrue the longest periods of sedentary time and consume almost half their daily energy intake during the evening, added to which insulin sensitivity is lower at this time,” the researchers noted.

The resistance exercises used in the study are simple to do, don’t require any equipment and can be done while watching TV, researchers noted. This means they could easily become part of an average person’s bedtime routine.

More information

The Sleep Foundation has tips for improving sleep.

SOURCE: BMJ, news release, July 16, 2024

When Mary Wyer first tried the static trapeze she couldn’t hang for three seconds.

But by the end of 10 weeks, she was performing in front of a crowd.

Five years on at age 60, she attends classes and open training three times a week at a trapeze school in Petersham.

“The performative element is very motivating, more so than any other forms of exercise,” Ms Wyer says.

After noticing the lack of opportunities for older amateur participants to perform, she decided to organise a special showcase for those aged 50 and older.

“I don’t really love the idea of circus competition,” Ms Wyer says.

“But even if you wanted to, [we’re] unlikely to get into those because, you know, our bodies are slightly different and don’t do all the things that those young ones do.”

Before braving the cables, Ms Wyer watched on the sidelines for seven years as her daughter performed in a troop at the school.

As part of a Mother’s Day special, the parents of the children joined the class and Ms Wyer was invited up on the circus apparatus.

“It was embarrassing. I looked awful, I looked uncoordinated and I’d thought I’d missed the boat,” she says.

Months later, Ms Wyer saw a parent perform with her son at the student showcase. She had drastically improved since their first attempt.

“I went, ‘Hang on, you were just as bad as me. What happened?’ And she said, ‘Well, I just took some classes’ and I went, ‘OK, I’ll do that too,’” Ms Wyer says.

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In a shiny space-themed costume and to tunes from the B-52s, she performed the static trapeze over 2 metres off the ground at the 50 & Up showcase last weekend.

“There is a little bit of fear, you know, because you are trusting that you’re going to hold on and not slip,” Ms Wyer says.

“I try and put something in that scares me a little bit so that I push myself harder to do it.”

Fitter at 60 than 20

Since joining the trapeze classes, Ms Wyer has felt numerous health benefits, particularly in her core and shoulders.

“My shoulders are much stronger. I used to tear them at the drop of a hat, they don’t tear anymore,” she says.

“As you’re moving into older age, it’s so important to keep that muscle bulk happening.”

Trapeze student George Argyrous is fitter now at age 60 than he was in his 20s.

“The physical benefits, you can’t describe it. You go into it thinking, ‘Well, maybe I’ll just slow the rate of deterioration as I get older,’” he says.

Mr Argyrous has tried other forms of exercise, such as yoga and pilates, but none of them challenged him like the circus arts.

“The constant feeling of progress is really important,” he says.

“I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. And I’m always thinking, ‘What can I do next? What little thing can I improve?’”

At the 50 & Up showcase, he performed his favourite circus apparatus, the silks.

In a white dress shirt and red cummerbund, he spins around metres into the air, pulling his body up with one arm, using the upper body strength he’s gained from years of circus training.

Maintaining balance and flexibility

Losing flexibility and stability is a natural part of aging, but it’s critical to maintain as much as possible, says physiotherapist Anna-Louise Bouvier.

“Balance is absolutely critical … we know that if you can’t balance you’re more likely to fall,” she says.

“And once you have a fall, then that can spiral into a whole lot of problems.”

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For some people, exercises like the trapeze and silks can help engage muscles that aren’t regularly used as you get older. 

However, Ms Bouvier warns anyone considering starting circus training to do so with caution.

“Check in with your trusted healthcare professional or physiotherapist before you embark on something like this,” she says.

“And start really, really slowly as this would not be an activity that would be appropriate for many older bodies.”

Ms Wyer says she started very carefully, with the class accommodating all skill levels.

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Many flying friendships

It’s not just physical health benefits the participants gain, but new friendships.

The 50 & Up showcase’s oldest performer Gayleen Rogers has been taking part in the circus arts for 21 years, and has made many “flying friends” along the way.

“The circus community is just so welcoming, supportive, non-judgemental, and there are people from all walks of life,” she says.

From day one she was hooked on the adrenaline.

“My palms used to sweat in the car on the way over,” she says.

“You know, like, it scared the crap out of me, but I just really loved it.”

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Dressed as Sandy from Grease, Ms Rogers performed the doubles trapeze at the showcase to the song Grease Lightnin’, a routine she created 15 years ago.

The best part of trapeze class is it keeps her motivated to exercise, she says.

“I’m doing this with a lot of young people and, of course, I don’t want to let myself go because I kind of want to fit in,” Ms Rogers says.

“It’s helpful in that way.”