Pump Up Your Home with a Gym
You can come up with an infinite amount of reasons to skip the gym -- too tired, too busy, too upset about your favorite reality TV show -- but when you can't bring yourself to go to the gym, why not bring the gym to your home? And according to a recent study from the International Health, Racquet and Sports Association (IHRSA), 67 percent of people going to clubs also own home exercise equipment.
A few pieces of fitness equipment in the spare bedroom, family room or basement can be the ticket to a heart-pumping sweat session with the added benefit of no wait to access equipment or worries about strangers’ germs. But setting up a home gym isn’t always the easiest task; finding the right pieces of equipment can prove to be a workout in itself.
Try following this advice from the exercise experts at Life Fitness on the smartest fitness buys:
- Stick with what you like: Hate to take the stairs? Then a stair-stepper probably isn't the smartest buy. Running hurt your knees? Opt for the Elliptical cross-trainer. Choose equipment based on activities you like or your treadmill will become the next great drying rack.
- Keep it simple: Unless you can afford a personal trainer at home, stick with equipment and exercises you alread know how to do. Purchasing machines that are complicated to operate can zap your motivations.
- Start Small: It doesn't take a large piece of cardio or strength equipment to get your heart pumping in the basement. Instead of purchasing a big ticket item at first, start with the basics like balls, bands and exercise mats. Try all-in-one kits like the Life Fitness Body Shape Kit, which was developed to make a full-body workout at home easy and cost-effective.
- Take it for a test drive: When buying major equipment spend real time sweating on the machinein your exercise clothes and shoes. In other words, don't make a decision on a treadmill in flip-flops and a dress.
