Are you sick of waiting in line for the treadmill or being late for your favorite dance class because you had to sit in traffic? Maybe it is time to start your home gym! A lot of individuals think that it is very expensive to replicate your gym workout at home, but it can be much cheaper and easier than you think.
There are numerous benefits involved in starting your exercise routine at home. If you are self conscious and want to start at your own pace, your living room would be the ideal space. A home gym enables you to exercise 24/7 without having to spend extra time and energy on traveling to and from the gym. Bad weather can never be an excuse for not sticking to your workout routine and the best part of it all, you will save money in the long run.
If you decided on starting your home gym there are a few key items that you would need. It all comes down to personal preference and the type of exercises that you enjoy must. Start with just a few items from each group and build on your home gym as you become addicted to fitness and healthy living.
Strength and Weights
If you are just starting out you can opt for basic dumbbells, buy a set of 1.5 kg as well as 3kg. This way you will have a variety of resistance to choose from. You can also invest in a kettle bell for you strength and weight exercises. Maybe you are already a gym bunny and you’re used to spending your time in the ‘free weights’ area, then you can invest various lifting equipment. Apart from using your own body weight for strength exercises a stability ball will work even better and there are loads of exercise routines available online.
Cardio
You don’t have to spend all your money on the state of the art cardio equipment to get that heart rate up. Begin your home gym cardio system by buying a Zumba or Aerobic dance dvd. Before you know it you will be swaying and sweating to the beat without breaking bank. Invest in a jump rope and see the weight drop. High intensity interval workouts are easily manageable at home. Work out a routine that suits your cardio needs and fitness level.
Conditioning
For your conditioning and stretching exercise you can buy a resistance band, yoga mat, foam roller and a bosu ball. These are all great for sculpting your body and stretching your muscles. It’s very important to focus on your breathing and stretch your muscles after a workout- the resistance band and foam roller will help with this. You can do all your core exercises and yoga and pilates workouts on your yoga mat. If you want to improve your balance and stability the Bosu is ideal.
Space it out
If you are lucky enough to have an entire room to turn into a home gym, plan how you would make optimum use of your available space. Set out a cardio section or circuit section- similar to what you would find at the gym. It would also be ideal if you can have full sized mirror so monitor your positioning and form with when you are lifting weights or doing form movements.
Please don’t stop the music
At the gym you will see everyone with their earphones exercising to their own beats, but at your home gym you will be able to play your favorite music without the fear of getting entangled with the elliptical. Invest in a great music system if music helps to keep you motivated and focused on your exercise routine.
Starting your home gym all comes down to personal style and preference. If you have the money to buy cardio equipment such as an elliptical trainer, stationary bicycle or treadmill, go for it. Just remember that you don’t need a lot of money to exercise. Buy one or two of the above mentioned items to get started and build on your equipment as you go along.
Be sure to contact a health advisor or your general practitioner before you get started on a new diet or exercise routine to ensure that you don’t do more damage than good.
Guest post by author Richard Orban, writing on behalf of Diet Direct. Diet direct is one of the largest suppliers of weight loss supplements, such as diet pudding.
