By Amanda Cross, Student at the University of Central Arkansas

The summer air is coming and working out can be a pain, but I have a few products that I always love to use when I am working out. These products make working out fun and healthy, and I always use these things when I exercise!

Brita Soft Squeeze Water Filter Bottle

I love love love my Brita Water bottle! I use it almost every single day. It holds a ton of water AND filters it, so you can say goodbye to using tons of plastic water bottles! It cost about $10 and is so worth the price. Each filter can filter about 250 water bottles and is easy to replace. It is the perfect-sized water bottle to fit in most backpacks and exercise machine bottle holders because it is a standard size water bottle. It’s perfect for anyone who loves to drink water and doesn’t want to spend a ton of money on plastic water bottles at the gym. A dollar and 50 cents a bottle can add up big time!

Reebok Easytones

I love my Reebok Easytones! I bought the Reenew Toner version last summer and have loved them ever since. I don’t think the Reenew Toner version is still being sold by Reebok, but Reebok Easytones still are. The good thing about Easytone shoes are that they constantly throw you off balance. Your body is forced to constantly work to get your balance back and makes every workout more effective. It really tones your calf muscles and makes your body think while you walk or while you work out.

Fitocracy

I love Fitocracy as a workout tool! It makes working out way more fun and competitive, but also it gives workouts more of a community feel. You may have worked your blood, sweat and tears into a workout all alone, but then you can put your workout on Fitocracy and a group of people can like your workout and comment to help cheer you along. On Fitocracy, you can log your workouts and earn points and level up. It makes working out more like a game instead of a chore. It really helps if you are having problems getting motivated to work out. Instead of saying, 'I want to work out for an hour and a half today,' you can say, 'I really want to level up on Fitocracy today'!

These are my top three workout tools. Remember: stay hydrated, stay balanced and know that someone is always there to cheer you on!