While no one could have predicted how life would change over the last year, there have been a few silver linings. One of them has been the lack of commuting for work and working out, and people have discovered that building an efficient home fitness workout space isn’t hard to do at all.
With a dedicated space to work out in your home, you can roll out of bed in the morning and be ready to go in less than 5 minutes. Whether you have an entire room to dedicate to setting up a home gym or you only have a corner of your office or bedroom, your workout space will be open 24/7, be private, clean, and quiet, and you’ll never have to drive to get there.
Putting together a versatile workout space doesn’t have to cost a lot either. Here are a few pieces of fitness equipment that will give you a great workout without breaking your budget.
Build core body strength with resistance bands
You don’t need a huge set of free weights to build strength and muscle. Bodyweight exercises are one of the best ways to build muscle and core strength, and a set of resistance bands can give you a full-body workout. They are inexpensive and easy to store when you’re not using them too.
If you’re not challenged while doing your usual squats, chest presses, or bicep curls, add a resistance band. You’ll be shocked at how it adds intensity to your workout, and after using them on a regular basis you’ll see an improvement in the strength and tone of your muscles.
Stability balls fit in everywhere
When you have a strong core, every activity becomes easier. One of the best ways to improve your core is to bring home a stability ball and use it during your workout.
Working out with a stability ball improves balance, adds difficulty to an ab workout, and can strengthen your core in as little as 10 minutes a day. You can use a stability ball during a circuit training workout using a mat and your TV or tablet, use it as a replacement weight when you’re doing upper body exercises, or just sit on it and balance while you’re watching TV or scrolling your phone.
Balance balls and boards build core strength
Balance boards and discs are a great way to build up your core strength, and you can spend hours balancing while watching TV or as part of a dedicated workout.
Choose a Bosu ball, a half a ball with one flat side that sits level on the floor, or a balance board and roller. By spending part of your workout balancing, you’ll increase your flexibility, balance, and core strength. Balance board and discs are inexpensive, can store under your bed or in a closet, and can be used on their own or as part of a total body-conditioning exercise.
Jump rope for at-home cardio
Want to add cardio to your home workout? A budget-friendly option to get your heart rate up is skipping. Jumping rope for an hour can burn as many as 800 to 1,000 calories, and you’ll never have to leave home to do it. Even 10 minutes of skipping will get your heart pumping. Just keep in mind that not all jump ropes are created equal. Some are just standard jump ropes designed for durability, while others include weight for increased strength training while skipping.
Shadowboxing burns calories
Cardio boxing is a total body workout, but you don’t need a weight bag to do it. Shadowboxing increases your strength and cardio fitness while also improving agility, balance, and reflexes.
To add cardio to your home workout, all you need is a set of boxing gloves and you’ll be on your way to a leaner physique. If you have the budget and space you can add a heavy bag to your home gym, but you don’t need one to improve your fitness levels. Your best option is to look for cardio boxing circuit training videos online and follow along. You’ll develop strength and tone without hitting anything at all.
Find your zen with yoga
Self-care is so important right now. When you’re working and living in a space with others, it’s important for mental health to carve out time to sit quietly and think.
Yoga offers you two purposes; it quietens the mind and decreases anxiety when you need a stress break and it’s a great way to tone and tighten your muscles while increasing flexibility and strength.
To add yoga to your daily workout or as a spot for mediation, all you need is a yoga mat. Your muscles will love the time to stretch, and it can soothe your mind when you’ve had a stressful day.
Foam rollers and percussion massagers for recovery
Any workout has the potential to make your muscles sore, and you’ll want to have a way to soothe sore muscles and loosen deep knots without leaving home.
That’s why a home fitness center would not be complete without a fitness recovery tool like a foam roller. Rolling will activate your deep core muscle, and all you have to do is roll the foam over various parts of your body.
If you want an even deeper massage, percussion massagers are a great at-home recovery tool. You can target sore muscles with relaxing vibrations, and they can ease tension in your arms, legs, back and sides, giving you through deep tissue massage.
It’s easy to set up a home gym or workout space on a budget. Every piece of workout equipment I’ve listed is inexpensive, doesn’t take up a lot of room, and will give you an intense workout without you having to leave home. Chances are you’ll enjoy your home workout space so much you won’t even miss working out at your local gym.
Check out all of the budget-friendly fitness equipment and accessories available for core, strength training, and cardio on Best Buy right now, and begin improving your health at home today.
Main image courtesy of fitlady.ir
