With all the options available for helping you stay fit such as the vast variety of gym memberships (yoga, Pilates, HIIT, etc), it can be difficult to stay fit on a budget. One of the best ways to help keep your fitness a top priority is by working out at home. It’s also extremely convenient and a wonderful way to get the whole family staying healthy together.
You can easily create a home gym that will fit any budget and take into consideration the available space you have to work out in.
Staying fit on a budget with limited space
Being able to work out at home is convenient and there are some great small pieces of equipment and fitness accessories to help you keep your fitness goals in check. One of my go to accessories is a stability ball like this Blue Self Balance Training Exercise and Stability Ball. Stability balls are versatile and can be used to work a variety of body parts as well as to do cardio. By placing the ball with the dome side on the ground you can work your core by balancing while doing exercises. Switch to the dome side facing up and you can use it for stretching or fast foot work to get your heart rate up.
Sometimes I need extra motivation to work out and I use my tablet to follow along to work out videos on YouTube. All that is required is a comfortable yoga or exercise mat like this Soozier Gymnastics Mat. I like this one because it’s a little thicker than a yoga mat for added comfort, but it folds up nice and compact for easy storage when not in use.
Free weights or medicine balls don’t take up much space and are available in a variety of weights, so you can easily take your workouts to the next level as you get stronger. If you get yourself a set of adjustable weights like these Soozier 88lbs Adjustable Dumbbell Set Weight you can adjust the weight level to your personal workout. Simply chose the plate with the weight that suits your fitness level and secure it in place on the galvanized steel bar with the nut. You can adjust the weight by adding or removing plates to fit your fitness level.
Staying fit on a budget with space to spare
If you have a little extra space you might have room for a treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike. These are great for cardio and people like me who hate exercising outdoors on chilly days. This year I find spring is sure taking its sweet time getting here and I’ve been finding it hard to get myself motivated to get my cardio in.
My favourite piece of cardio equipment is a treadmill. It’s the most versatile because you can walk, jog or run and if you have one that has an incline function you can mimic hiking as well. A treadmill is slightly more forgiving on the joints than running outdoors on the pavement which is good for anyone who may have joint pain.
This ProForm ZT10 Folding Treadmill has quick speed controls which allows you to easily manage your speed up to 12mph. It can also incline up to 15 % which will help you burn more calories, tone muscles and help you build your endurance. The 7” screen will display your speed, time, distance, and calories burned and track your progress through one of the 32 built-in workouts you’ve chosen. One of the most key features of this treadmill for someone who’s lacking space is the SpaceSaver design with EasyLift Assist which allows you to fold your treadmill vertically for quick storage.
An alternative to a treadmill is an elliptical machine like this Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer. It has a 20-inch stride with Precision Path Foot Motion Technology which allows for a smooth-running motion. You can challenge yourself by using one of the 6 incline options and keep track of your heart rate using the contact grips built in to the handlebars. Track your programs used and fitness goals on the LCD screen and keep cool during your workouts with the adjustable 3 speed fan.
Creating a home gym
If you’re fortunate enough to have an extra room or even spare garage space, then you have many options available to create a beautiful home gym. On top of having smaller exercise equipment and accessories as well as a cardio machine, you can add in a home gym like this Weider 2980 X Weight System Home Gym. It’s a great long-term investment when compared to any outside fitness memberships.
This Weider 2980 X Weight System Home Gym uses a cable pulley system and has a variety of stations such as chest fly, a low pulley, high pulley, a 4-roll leg developer and ankle strap. The weight is easy to adjust by removing the metal pin and inserting into the weight level of your choice. If you’re a first-time home gym user, you can use the step-by-step exercise chart that was created by qualified personal trainers to get you started.
Another machine that I personally would love to try out is a Pilates machine like this Merrithew At Home SPX Pilates Reformer. I enjoy yoga and have taken a few classes, but I’ve only ever done Pilates at home following along to a DVD. Of course, I’ve seen videos of Pilates classes and the reformer machines are so interesting to me. If I had the space for one I would be in heaven. The enhanced spring system offers both full spring and half spring tension which is perfect for different fitness levels and there’s two instructional DVD’s included to help you get the best workout with the Pilates Reformer.
With the huge variety of workout equipment and accessories available on the market these days you can be sure to find the right ones to suit your budget while taking into consideration the free space you have in your home.
You can find a wide selection of workout equipment and accessories to fit any budget at Bestbuy.ca.
Main image: www.freshouz.com.
