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Wellness Wednesday for May 27, 2026

The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:

  • Requests for advice and / or encouragement. On basically any topic and for any scale of problem.

  • Updates to let us know how you are doing. This provides valuable feedback on past advice / encouragement and will hopefully make people feel a little more motivated to follow through. If you want to be reminded to post your update, see the post titled 'update reminders', below.

  • Advice. This can be in response to a request for advice or just something that you think could be generally useful for many people here.

  • Encouragement. Probably best directed at specific users, but if you feel like just encouraging people in general I don't think anyone is going to object. I don't think I really need to say this, but just to be clear; encouragement should have a generally positive tone and not shame people (if people feel that shame might be an effective tool for motivating people, please discuss this so we can form a group consensus on how to use it rather than just trying it).

Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Low-level question: I'm looking to pick up just some super-basic weights and maybe a small treadmill for at-home use, specifically during breaks when I'm WFH. Anyone have any recommendations in that regard, or other gear/devices worth picking up? I'm tempted by maybe a cheap rowing machine, but that could be really dumb.

A bench is very useful with weights, especially an adjustable one. If money is not a problem, get these adjustable dumbbells where you just turn a dial to select the weight. Otherwise, get the cheapest steel ones that you screw together. I would recommend something like a 2kg handle, 2x5kg plates, 2x2.5kg plates, 2x1.25kg plates for 19.5kg in total.

Get a pull-up bar if your house can support one.

I'm having a real fun time trying to figure out how the mass of a dumbbell can be adjusted by turning a dial!

Edit: best I can come up with is some kind of onboard air compressor and storage tank.

It vibrates at relativistic speeds.

Love the concept of selling a technology that would make a warp drive viable as workout equipment.

At least it’s not a sex toy?

It could be both. The Shake-Weight was often compared to one, so why not actually go all the way? I'm sure there are advantages to a sex toy that can make 5 seconds feel like 5 minutes, or even longer.

Turning the dial converts some of the mass to energy. Warranty void if attempted. User assumes all personal and planetary existential risk.