With the holiday festivities dying down and a New Year just around the corner I bet a lot of you are thinking about New Year’s resolutions, I know I sure am. This year my main goal is going to be making my personal health and fitness a priority. I’m thinking of it as a fitness resolution and I’m going to hold myself accountable for my goals. My husband and I have been talking about how amazing and motivating it would be to have a treadmill in our home. We own some dumbbells and a bosu ball that my 12 year old likes to use as a launch pad onto the bed, but we’d like to add some major fitness equipment to create a larger home gym that the whole family can enjoy.
Major fitness equipment for your New Year’s resolution
A treadmill is one of the most versatile pieces of fitness equipment, especially if you get one that has an incline function like this NordicTrack X7i Incline Trainer Treadmill. The 2.75 continuous horsepower DurX motor and 22-inch-by-60-inch tread belt makes this treadmill perfect for all fitness levels. To keep track of your speed, incline, and calories burned there’s a 7 inch backlit screen. You can easily adjust the incline from a -3 to 40% and use one of the 38 built-in workouts to help you reach your fitness goals. Monitoring your heart rate during your workout with the dual integrated EKG pulse grips will ensure your heart rate is staying in the range you want for your personal health goals.
An alternative to a treadmill is an elliptical machine. Elliptical machines are low impact which makes them a great fitness machine for people with joint issues or pain. This NordicTrack FreeStride Trainer FS7i Elliptical has all the bells and whistles you’ll require to get an amazing workout. The floating suspension and 38″ auto adjustable stride are what give this machine the ability to be low impact on your joints. There’s a built-in 7-inch web-enabled full-colour touchscreen so you can keep an eye on your workout stats, surf the web or watch TV. With the 35 built-in apps you can also find the right workout for your personal fitness goals. A couple of fun extras are the autobreeze fan to keep you cool as well as the two 2 inch speakers so you can jam to your favourite tunes.
Another fitness machine that’s low impact but offers a great workout is an exercise bike. The recumbent bike is perfect for anyone looking for back support and extra comfort. If you’re looking to really work up a sweat, then check out this NordicTrack Grand Tour Upright/Spinning Bike. One of the coolest features of this bike is the 7 inch touchscreen that allows you to ride a route via Google Street View. You can immerse yourself on a beautiful bike ride anywhere in the world which I think would be a huge motivation to work out. You can control your incline easily on the handle bars from -10 to 10 degrees, choose one of the 32 pre-set workouts to match your fitness goals, and if you prefer to use a tablet to read, listen to music or watch TV there’s a tablet holder built right in.
Portable fitness equipment
I love that more and more employers are incorporating alternative work spaces. Never mind sitting in an office chair all day when you can work on your core and posture with a balance ball chair like this Gaiam Balance Ball Chair. It doesn’t seem like much but incorporating a chair like this into your daily fitness regimen will make a difference long term. Your core and posture will be improved, and they can help alleviate back, arm and leg pain from sitting for long hours.
One of my favourite pieces of portable fitness equipment has to be a mini trampoline or rebounder like this Soozier Foldable Mini Fitness Trampoline Home Gym Yoga Exercise Rebounder. You would never think that jumping for even 10 minutes a day could be so beneficial to your health, but jumping or rebounding comes with its own health benefits. It’s especially great for increasing bone density, detoxify the lymphatic system, increasing balance and coordination, as well as strengthen and tone the body’s core muscles. Anyone who has troubles with swelling or water retention will benefit greatly from having a bounce each day, plus it reminds me of all the fun I had trampolining in my childhood and it’s still fun as an adult.
Strength training and accessories
Heart health is important but it’s also equally important to do some strength training. Some fitness accessories that would be a great addition to your home gym are dumbbells in a variety of weights, medicine balls and resistance bands.
Beginners in strength training can use resistance bands to start out. I find them to be low impact and are available in varying weight resistance. This Odoland 16 pcs Resistance Bands Set has everything to get you started on your strength training journey. The 5 bands and 4 loop bands come in varying weights and there’s also extra handles and ankle straps to work out your whole body. I love that resistance bands are easy to pack along with you either to work or if you’re travelling.
A set of dumbbells are also a great addition to a home gym. They are available in a variety of weights and can be used for whole body strength training. This CanDo vinyl coated dumbbell – 20-piece set has weights from 1-10 lbs and a wall rack for easy and convenient storage. Each weight is marked with both pounds and kilos, but I love that they come in different colours so you can remember the weight you’re currently using by the colour.
Having the right fitness equipment at home means you have fewer excuses and more motivation to keep up with your New Year’s fitness resolutions.
You can find a large selection of major fitness equipment for the home or to take on the go at bestbuy.ca.
