A Ring for All of Your Workouts and Active Adventures
At least three days out of every week, I don’t wear my wedding ring. It’s not that I don’t love my wedding ring or husband or that I’m not proud of my marriage. I am. It’s just that it doesn’t go with working out. Especially pull-ups and any sort of weight-lifting. And not like in a “it doesn’t match” sort of way. Like, it literally hurts my hands when I wear it. Not to mention that when I go out hiking or running — heck even on vacation — I’m totally afraid I’ll either lose it or break it somehow. Who feels me?
That’s precisely why the idea of an “active ring” appeals to me. Yes, it seems a little silly. Like, do you really need a special ring for workouts? But when you’re out and about being active either with or without your life partner — I don’t know about you — but my hand just feels naked without a ring. So did I want to try QALO, who makes silicone rings? Sure did.
Except they sent me a couple rings that were too big for me. But, the one they sent for my husband fit perfectly, so I convinced him to give them a go. (And don’t worry, they sent me a super cute tank, too, that fit. More on that in a bit.)
Years ago, when QALO launched its first ring, FBG Tish’s hubs Mark tried one and liked it. But there have been some upgrades and improvements to the ring since then. According to QALO, the new design sits closer to the finger to avoid catching and is made with a higher tensile-strength silicone, which increases the ring’s durability. Plus, the ring is perforated to increase airflow, allowing your fingers to breathe. Nobody likes fingers that can’t breathe. The Athletic Silicone Ring goes for $24.95, which seems pretty reasonable — and way cheaper than it would cost for us to replace Ryan’s normal wedding band if he lost his at the gym.
And after a few workouts, Ryan gave it pretty much the best review it could ask for: “I couldn’t feel it at all. It’s like I wasn’t wearing a ring at all.” I mean, clearly, his pull-ups were not affected.
The new Athletic Silicone Rings come in black and gold, but if you’re not needing the perforation, then QALO has a bunch of other fun colors and styles to choose from (including purple sparkle, y’all).
Also new to QALO is apparel! Its new Athletics Collection T-Shirts are made from a 50/50 cotton and polyester blend that is soft and flexible. I tried the Golden Grid tank ($19.95) and LOVED it. (Got compliments at the gym on it, too.) I love how on-trend the cut is, and the golden kettlebell is super fun.
And this would be a tank that would go into heavy rotation of my workout apparel if it wasn’t for one thing: its PITA laundry protocol. I assumed this top was just wash and wear like the rest of the tanks and Ts in my workout apparel collection, but nope, this one recommends being turned inside out, washed on delicate (or, better yet, hand wash with cold water and a mild detergent) and hang dried in the shade (no clothes dryer). No dry cleaning or ironing over the foil is recommended, either, but that’s not exactly an issue in my house. Since you guys know how I am about laundry, you can probably guess how often I’m going to be able to follow all of those directions for a workout tank. Um, never.
Would you ever wear an active ring? What kind of “laundry experience” do you expect from your apparel? Do tell. —Jenn