
Making a basic home-gym is often less expensive than a year’s basic gym membership, and the equipment belongs to you! I have utilized pre-owned sports equipment stores often and have found success controlling the cost that way. Otherwise, sport stores and on-line retailers are a good source. Some basic pieces that are helpful are:
-Your own body weight! Push-ups, triceps dips, yoga, step climbing, walking, burpees etc. is just a short list of exercises that require nothing else except a quality pair of sports shoes and the will to change
-Dumbbells- Cost average at $1 per pound of weight. You can choose standard dumbbells, rubber coated, or kettle bells.
-Tubes- These come in a variety of colors that vary in difficulty and can run about $15 per tube. Black is the hardest I’ve seen and pink is the easiest. You can find them as singles with handles, doubled up with a toggle attached that you can hook over a door for additional exercises. They are easy to throw in a suitcase (I always travel with them never knowing if hotels have adequate facilities).
-Yoga mat ($20- $30)
-Workout bench ($150- $400; or pre-owned about $40)
-Jump rope ($8-15)
-DVDs- I use these every day and have a rotation of different ones to keep these fresh and keep my muscles quessing. They come in handy when the weather isn’t cooperating, or I’m travelling. I have seen name brand DVDs available at Half Price Books and on Amazon.
Instability discs- These come in small version (6 inch) up 24 inches (Bosu). They can be used to provide instability to engage your core muscles while doing curls, push- ups, plank, lunges and a variety of exercises.
You can invest as little or as much as your interest and budget will allow, but I am in the best shape of my life, and I don’t belong to a gym!
Monday 07/15/12 - Workout Diary:
DVD- back/biceps/chest- 60 minutes
Pure Barre class- 55 minutes
Monday 07/15/12- Food Diary:
Breakfast-
organic steel cut oatmeal (150 cal)
1 cup egg whites (120 cal)
1 large banana, 1/4 cup blackberries (130 cal)
A.M. Snack-
protein shake with 1/2 cup pasturized egg whites (190 cal)
Lunch-
salad - 5 oz orange Roughy , 1 1/2 cup spinach, 1/2 cup steamed broccoli/cauliflower,1 tbls edamame, 1 tbls sunflower seed, 4 cherry tomato (205 cal)
P.M. Snack
wild rice salad (homemade)( 240 cal)
Dinner-
4 oz meatloaf (ground beef sirloin, ground pok, spices, one egg, 2 tbls bread crumbs ( 300 cal)
3/4 cup grilled corn, adamame sukitash ( 140 cal)
cucumber/heirloom , sprinkle lemon slattomato salad, basil ( 27 cal)
Dessert-
1/2 cup dark chocolate acai berries (160 cal)
TOTAL CALORIES- 1693