INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
I haven&t set foot outside my apartment for a week and a half
YouTube yoga has been a kind of lifesaver, and I happened to have a largely untouched 30-pound kettlebell lying around
My Apple Watch has been mostly untouched, however
The stark realities of woefully underperforming exercise minutes and step counts are just too much on top of everything else
Honestly, I scoffed a bit when a friend initially recommended an under-desk elliptical
But those were better days, when I was still able to take the bicycle out for a socially distant spin
Due to doctor orders, however, I now find myself unable to travel beyond the mailbox in my building lobby — and even that feels like
Now here I am, peddling away, writing a review of the Cubii Pro
It not a new product, exactly
But it certainly having its moment
In normal times, the device seems a silly bit of office &fitness& paraphernalia, designed to counteract the dangers of prolonged sitting
we&ve frequently been warned against.
But if sitting was the new smoking in 2019, it simply the new reality in this era of self-quarantine
We&ll take our exercise wherever we can sneak it in — even if that means little more than walking between the desk and the kitchen most
The Cubii line of products are by nomeans a replacement for more full-bodied exercise, but they&re a valiant attempt to help falling victim
As the name implies, the Pro is a step up from the standard Cubii that was launched via a Kickstarter campaign back in 2016
At $349, it an investment, with the biggest upgrades coming in the form of Bluetooth connectivity
There an app for iOS and Android that connects to third-party tracking software like Apple Health
That a pretty solid add-on, frankly, for those who&ve put a lot of stock in closing their Apple Watch rings.
The device ships mostly
You&ll need to take it the last mile by attaching the pedals
And hey, free screwdriver
Honestly, the biggest headache about set up is charging the thing
The Pro is significantly larger and heavier than I&d initially anticipated, and it charges via microUSB
That means unless you&ve got a long cable, you&re going to have to find a spot to stick it near an outlet for an extended period
I don&t have floor outlets in my small apartment, so I had to get creative
Charging takes a while, too
It best done overnight, if you can manage
The good news on that front, however, is it will stay charged for a while
I don&t anticipate having to charge it more often than every few weeks
The size is also a constraint from the standpoint of use
The device length meant I had to pull my desk out from the wall a bit to use it
I also find myself having to sit back a bit, so as to avoid banging my knees on the bottom of the desk
Honestly, it probably best used while seated on a couch, watching TV (a laptop is too much to ask without a desk)
If your office chair rolls as mine does, you&ll once again find yourself getting creative
The aforementioned kettlebell is getting even more use these days, as it currently sits between chair legs, hampering me from rolling
backward with every peddle.
Those quibbles aside, I&ve mostly been enjoying my time with the product
The movement is smooth, the Bluetooth connection works well (though you may have to open the app to get it started) and there are eight
resistance settings to keep things fresh
In other circumstances, I couldn&t imagine spending that much on this sort of product, but these are unique times
For those who still have trouble leaving the home even after things go mostly back to normal, it a nice, portable alternative to far pricier
home exercise devices, with a solid little app to boot
