This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Alayna Thomas. Find her on Instagram at @ratatoolie. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Whenever I scroll through TikTok, I constantly see ads for at home workout equipment. Recently, I have been seeing vibrator plates, squat machines, and pilates machines, among others. However, one that really caught my eye was the mini stair stepper. It was fairly inexpensive, which was perfect for a broke recent graduate like myself. It also did not look too hard to use. My question to myself was: do mini steppers work?
Well, I fell victim to my timeline and ended up buying the mini stepper and… I absolutely love it. Let me give you the rundown on how the mini stepper helped me develop healthier habits and changed my life for the better.
First Impressions
I purchased my mini stepper earlier this year, around late February. When I got it, I noticed how compact it was, which is perfect for a small room or apartment. It also wasn’t too heavy, so when I want to move it around, I can easily do so. Sometimes I want to workout in my room, other times I would be in the living room, or even outside in my front yard.
If you have ever used a regular stair stepper before, then you know what the mini stepper entails. It’s comparable to the sensation of walking up a bunch of smaller stairs. Unlike a regular stair stepper, there’s no button to increase or decrease speed— you just have to move faster or slower. I really like this because it means I can go at my own pace. I noticed myself sweating a ton after a few minutes.
Now, I used this stepper on and off for the beginning of the year. I won’t lie, I was not super committed. I bought it, kept it under my bed, and whenever I remembered that I had the stepper, I’d use it. I was trying to commit to a workout routine during this time too, just throwing anything at the wall and hoping it would stick. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very motivated and nothing was working.
However, I bit the bullet and knew that I had to commit to exercising. It may be hard at first, but over time, it will get easier. This past August I challenged myself to try to workout everyday. Guess what? I only missed five days total! I have since kept up a pretty rigorous and regular exercise routine throughout September, now into October. I have the mini stepper to thank for that.
To record this journey of persisting in exercise and motivate yourself to continuously break through the challenge goals, you can record and motivate yourself to maintain your exercise habits by customizing challenge coins.
You can engrave your name, favorite sports icon, and challenge mileage on the custom challenge coins to make them more personal. You can also indicate your exercise goals on the challenge coins, add the motivational phrase “Persistence is victory”, and reflect on your exercise goals and challenge content to stimulate your exercise motivation and maintain your passion and persistence in exercise.
Is it a Fad?
Many have called the mini stepper a fad. They’re not completely wrong. I would compare the mini stepper frenzy to other exercise fads of the past. Does anyone remember the Shake Weight fad from the early 00’s? If you know your 80’s pop culture, the Jane Fonda workout craze. Or, for a more recent example, Peloton was a very popular (and expensive) fitness trend.
Every generation seems to have their big workout craze; ours is the mini stepper. It has become popular for many reasons. For one, you don’t need a battery or an outlet to use it. Also, it’s compact and easy to move, so if you need to lug it up some stairs or move it to the corner of your room, you won’t throw out your back. The mini stepper is also fairly inexpensive. The range that I see for most steppers are $30- $60. The model that I own also comes with resistance bands, so I can workout my whole body— arms and legs.
However, sometimes you might need something like this to jump start your fitness journey. I know I did. As I mentioned earlier, I had no clue where to start but by using the mini stepper, I was able to ease my way into working out daily and not over exert myself.
Forming a Habit
An amazing life-hack that I learned in one of my undergraduate classes is called habit stacking. This is actually backed up by some psychologists.
Habit stacking is a behavioral technique where you pair (or stack) two habits together in order to make a desired change. For example, if you drink coffee every morning, you could perhaps write down three things that you are grateful for as you sip. Or, every morning when you brush your teeth, you could try that skincare routine you’ve been wanting to do. By stacking a new habit on top of an older one, you can make it more concrete.
When I first started getting into using my mini stepper, I would use it after I did my daily stretches. Since I already did those for a few minutes everyday, it was easy to add on 20 more minutes to use the mini stepper. I would also use my mini stepper while scrolling social media— instead of liking Instagram posts in bed, I could do it while getting fit! Catching up on TV while using the mini stepper is another good way to habit stack.
On average, it can take about 66 days to form a new habit. That sounds daunting, but time moves forward regardless! Take it one day at a time. I worked out for about 20-30 minutes a day, with me increasing times and adding on additional exercises as I see fit. If everyday is too much, try at least twice a week and increase your days from there! Repetition is key. Also, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or two. You can always restart tomorrow.
Long(er) Term Results
Now that I have been using the mini stepper daily (now weekly) for around eight weeks now, I definitely feel and see a difference. Others have noticed too. My legs are more toned and firm. I have a bubble butt coming in. My arms, waist, and face have slimmed down too. I also have an easier time going up and down stairs, bending down to pink things up, and my core is stronger.
My mental health has gotten better too. It turns out that scientists are right— moderate exercise almost every day does improve my mood!
Now, I don’t solely rely on my mini stepper to work out. I also have a small treadmill that I use when I want to switch things up. I have a pair of dumbbells and a mat that I use when I want to incorporate weight resistance into my workout. I proved to myself that I could have a daily workout routine, so I took a leap of faith and became a guest on my mom’s gym membership.
Because I have improved my exercise routine, I have been trying to improve other areas of my health. I am trying to drink more water and get a full eight hours of sleep every night. I am even habit stacking drinking water; I drink about half my bottle before stretching and working out, and the other half after I’m done, before I enter the shower.
If you were to talk to me in January and ask me if I would buy or use the mini stepper, I would have been skeptical. But now, I know that it is a great way to start (or continue) a fitness journey.
Would you try out a mini stepper? Do mini steppers work for you? Do you use a different home workout machine? Let us know in the comments below!
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