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Build
Your Own Home Gym for $99 Bucks!
By
Brie Evans, Wellness Coach
I vividly remember when I made the decision
to purchase my first pieces of exercise equipment. I had
$75 that my parents had given me as a mother's day
gift and figured it would be a start. With the $75 in hand,
I found myself standing in the exercise section of Wal-Mart
looking entirely lost. I did 10 laps around the aisles trying
to decide what to buy. I took notes on what things cost
and went home to really think about what pieces of equipment
I needed.
I started by going around my house and taking inventory
of what I already had. It's really amazing what can
get lost in a house. I ended up uncovering wrist and ankle
weights that belonged to my husband and a set of hand grips
(also my husband's). I rediscovered a very, very dust
covered ski machine, ancient but functional roller blades
and my old weighted water aerobic gloves; all potentially
useful tools in a weight loss arsenal.
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Tip:
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Rummage
through your house and recycle old items into
exercise equipment. Search your basement, attic
and garages. Just because something wasn't
originally intended to be exercise equipment
doesn't mean it can't be now. Have
kids? Grab their jump ropes, balls and hippity-hops.
Bottles of water, laundry detergent, broom handles,
paint cans, and bowling balls can all make effective
hand weights. Take inventory of all you have
and move your items into your exercise space.
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Stretch...
When you're trying to stretch your exercise budget,
getting the most bang from your buck is critical. Think
garage sales. Great deals can be had by scavenging through
your neighbors' sales tables and checking ads in your
local newspaper. I was amazed at the number of people re-selling
barely used exercise equipment. Some people were even willing
to give it away.
Large discount stores also carry a decent selection of exercise
equipment for very reasonable prices and sports stores generally
have great sales a couple times per year. If getting out
to shop isn't your thing, try Amazon.com
for a great selection that can be shipped right to your
door.
The Bare Essentials
After much research and obsessing on my part, I purchased
an exercise mat, exercise ball and hand weights. They were
all great purchases and I highly recommend them as essentials
for your home gym. Choosing mats and exercise balls are
fairly easy and straight forward. The mat should be thick
enough to save your knees from digging into the floor and
long enough for you to fit your head to the bottom of your
tail bone (not an issue for me as I'm short).
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Brie's
Have Around the House, Make Your Own Home Gym
Freebies:
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Dust
off any exercise equipment you have lying around
- Jump
Ropes, balls, hippity hops and hula hoops
- A
sturdy chair
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Get
the Ball Rolling...
When choosing an exercise ball, the most important consideration
is the size of the ball. If you're under 4'10,
choose a 17 inch ball. If you are under 6', a 21 inch
ball and over 6' at 25 inch ball. When you're
inflating your ball, keep in mind that as a general rule,
your hips should be level with or slightly higher than your
knees when you're sitting on the ball. You should also
be able to find a ball that comes with a list of exercises
to do with it. I taped my list on the back of the guest
room door as reference. Most balls come with their own pumps.
If yours didn't or you've lost it, a standard
bicycle pump will work or those electric kinds to inflate
blow up beds.
Weight Up
Choosing weights is slightly more involved if you're
looking to be economical but a 30 pound adjustable weight
set usually runs in the neighborhood of $30. Dumbbells are
more versatile than barbells and in general, are more practical
for a home gym. Hex type dumbbells are typically easier
to use because there are no plates to change. However, you
need to buy many different weights to continue to challenge
yourself and that can get very pricy.
In
general, 5 pairs of fixed, hex type dumbbells are needed
at varying weights to maximize your workout. A more cost
friendly option, which I did for myself, is to buy a set
of adjustable dumbbells. My set came with 2 1/2 lb, 5 lb
and 7 1/2 lb weight plates so I had a range of 5-30 pounds
to utilize. For most people starting out, especially women,
that's more than sufficient. Most sets come with two
short bars, several weight plates and clips to hold the
plates in place. If you aren't sure what weight would
be comfortable for you, go to a store and try them out.
You could also do a trial membership at a gym and test them
out that way
Don't Watch the Tube Without One
An inexpensive must have exercise tool for the home is exercise
tubing. Tubing is a stretchy band with handles on each end
that come in different thicknesses and lengths. The thicker
and shorter the tube, the more resistance it will provide.
Tubing takes up very little space to store and you can take
it with you when you travel. Another benefit is that it
is quiet so you can workout while your kids are asleep.
Instead of sitting in front of the TV, pull out your tubing
and get to work. In less than 30 minutes, you can get in
a full body resistance workout. There's never an excuse
not to exercise.
Tubing will help you define and tone your muscles and is
very versatile. Buy your exercise tubing with handles. It's
worth the extra money. You can generally find exercise tubing
with a DVD of exercises for around $15.
With the money you have leftover, I highly recommend that
you invest in an inexpensive full length mirror for your
exercise space. Being able to watch yourself exercise is
very important to ensure that you're using proper form.
If you have a spare one laying around then consider spending
the money on some fun new exercise clothes.
Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
Ordering weights on line might not be the best choice if
cash reserves are tight because shipping costs can be prohibitive.
For example, a $34.00, 40 pound weight set might set you
back $20 in shipping costs.
Another way to save – skip the pricey DVDs and instead
tape exercise shows from TV and or borrow tapes and DVDs
from your local library. Consider organizing a Bus Stop
Mom DVD swap once a month. Bonus incentive to do so: by
not owning your own tapes, you aren't wed to doing
the same workouts over and over again.
And finally, you don't need to spend a week's
worth of grocery money on an ab machine. You can effectively
isolate and tone your abs, the old fashioned way, without
any equipment. If you can remember the Pledge Of Allegiance,
surely you can remember high school gym class abs!
Next
month: What do I do with all this stuff?
Brie
Evans is a freelance writer, wellness coach and personal
trainer. You can reach Brie at cbccwellness@zoominternet.net
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Exercise
Mat
Exercise
Ball
