In 2019, Japanese fitness equipment company Mizuno created a soft ball shaped weight called a 'ballretch', which provides an easy way to work out your upper arm, back and shoulder muscles. Since this workout equipment is already fluffy and round, it was always prime material to be transformed into one of Japan’s many adorable characters, which are often seen as cute and squishy cuddly toys. For this mix of fitness and kawaii, San-X's super popular character Rilakkuma is the star.

Rilakkuma, whose name is a portmanteau of ‘relax’ and ‘bear’ in Japanese, isn’t really famous for his high energy workouts. Quite the opposite, he is well known for his inclination towards taking it easy. Rilakkuma and his equally chill group of friends have even had their own Netflix stop motion animation, which showcases their calm lifestyle. All the same, plenty of fitness lovers are also fans of the adorable bear, and seeing his cute face during workouts could be one way to motivate yourself.

Four of the beloved gang have been selected to star in this fitness lineup. It comes in sets of two, since you can hold one in each hand while exercising. Each set features two different characters, but the ballretch themselves are the same weights.

One set features Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori.

The other consists of Korilakkuma and Chairoikoguma.

These weights are so cute that you can even use them as decorations for your room when not working out.

So if you want to start a new fitness journey with a kawaii companion, these adorable weights can be found online, on Mizuno's website.