Strangely obsessed with the Spin Gym on HSN
 

I really have to stop watching those TV shopping channels.

There I was, minding my own business, flipping through the channels, and there she was... Forbes Riley... selling the Today's Special, a weighted bead on a string called the SpinGym. And apparently it's some sort of miracle product.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I have seen this thing before and have always been able to resist because, quite frankly, it looked pretty stupid... but this time it comes in flashy new colors. Like PURPLE and ORANGE and PINK and BLUE and GREEN. And other colors, too.

And it's $19.99 with FREE SHIPPING. Now, you know how I feel about FREE SHIPPING.

So pretty soon I'm all caught up in the demonstrations. Sure, Callie the show host can't really seem to get it to work right, but I must be more coordinated than Callie, right? (OK, so I'm pretty sure Callie is in better shape than I'm in, but let's just say she's not.)

Forbes is one lively lady. She's bouncing around all over the stage and having other people show how they use their Spin Gyms, and pointing out all of the muscles I'd be working right at this very moment if I were lucky enough to already have one. Heaven knows that Forbes really seems to love her Spin Gym. And I'm starting to love it, too. (Did I mention the different colors and the free shipping?)

And then I find out that the Today's Special offer includes a free one year subscription to Allure Magazine. Sure, I already have one of those, from some other worthless Today's Special kit I bought on HSN, but now I can extend my useless subscription for another whole year... OR I can get an $8.00 refund if I don't want the magazine.

So now this miracle item is only 12 bucks.

And I can get it in purple.

So somebody tell me that this thing actually does something worthwhile and that it will be a fun way to spend 5 minutes a day while miraculously toning my upper body.

Otherwise I just bought a really cute purple paperweight for 12 bucks.

YES. I BOUGHT ONE.

But I'm thinking of cancelling. And if I can avoid watching Forbes demonstrate this stupid thing for the rest of the day, I might do just that. Because I know I should cancel.

But it's purple, and did I mention that it came with FREE SHIPPING? And some sort of membership to Forbes' super-secret-and-special members' only Spin Gym workout website club thing. Or something like that.

I am such an idiot. This isn't even vidiocy (although it comes with a workout DVD, so it's sort of borderline vidiocy.) This is lunacy.

So who else is getting one? :p

I'd direct you to this article.

That was a great article, thanks for posting. Good for that guy, especially in the comments section where he refutes the creator point-by-point!

You need to blog for a living...this post is HILARIOUS!

I always thought Callie Northagen could sell spots to a leopard, she's that convincing. I would have loved to have seen this though and watched how gracefully she got past the fact that she couldn't make it work right!

And yes, I think it will make a lovely purple paper weight.

Thanks for the laugh of the day!!

Forbes' loud breathing drives me mad. She breathes loudly regardless of what she's selling.

RedPanda: great article!

He says it's useful! Look:

The metal wheel can be used as a door stop, the little hand loops can double as earrings, and the nylon string could be used to tie your bumper back on after a low-speed accident.

LOL! Sorry, but I saw alot of myself in your post....:o :D

Kathy G

Well, that seals the deal. It's USEFUL. :sun:

$12.00 well spent.

Life is good.

What I find most interesting about this "review" is that the guy has never tried the product. (I'm not saying that his comments aren't valid, but as I have been reading up on the Spin Gym today, it's interesting to note how many of the negative reviews were written by people who have never owned the product.)

As I poked around on a variety of different forums today, my biggest surprise was that many people seemed to really like this thing, and say it was an easy way to get a little exercise while they sat at their desk or watched TV. The comments seemed pretty authentic, as no one raved about how they got an incredible full-body workout or that it had changed their lives, but mostly said that the SpinGym helped tone their arms and worked on the bra-roll area, and that it was quick and fun to use.

I'm not going to cancel my order. With the reviews being so polarized, I can't resist giving this thing a try.

And it's purple and it's shiny, and I get a free subscription offer for a magazine I don't want. Who could resist such incentives? :p

It doesn't seem any sillier to me than that stick thing you were supposed to shake (can't remember the name), and the spin gym is much cheaper, takes little storage space - and so what if it's only a toy! Grownups can have toys, especially when it's freezing cold at the most depressing time of the year!