The Essential Home Gym

Is exercise equipment a waste of money? It's all how you look at it. The first piece of gym equipment we ever bought was the Aerobic Rider, we paid full price for it (don't remember how much that was at the time) and it is indeed serving as the proverbial clothing rack! The other picture is of the home gym that we have fully outfitted on Craig's List, Free Cycle and tag sales all for under $100 (bikes, not included, although they are also previously owned). Come to think of it, all of that equipment combined cost less than my current pair of running shoes!

Those pieces of home gym equipment are totally luxury items - we are lucky to have the space (although it does not take much - about 15o SF). We use the equipment and it has not befallen the fate of the Aerobic Rider. It's really nice to have it here for days when the weather is really bad, or the kids are home sick, etc. But these are not the essentials.

These are the essentials: physioball, a bunch of tension bands (not pictured), foam roller and I'd like a set of those perfect push-up thingies but for now using a set of weights as hand grips works (waiting for them to show up on Craig's List). This stuff takes almost no room at all, in fact all of it except the ball live under my bed. I can always squeeze in time while the kids are doing homework or getting ready for bed (which still seems to take them forever) for a full core workout. Which reminds me to recommend this book: Core Essentials by Mark Vestergen. Great stuff that has helped me with everything from lower back pain to tight hamstrings and sore feet. A fantastic recommendation from a great Coach for which my body is extremely grateful. If you do pick up this book, I highly recommend the "movement prep" section before every run. Loosens everything up and now nothin' hurts when I run - and that's worth the price of the book right there!

So I guess it all comes down to space and time, something so many of us feel we just don't have enough of. But look between the lines you just might find a tiny bit of space under the bed or a few minutes while kids brush their teeth. It's all how you look at it. Weather forecasters are talking about snow . . . maybe I'll go dig out that Aerobic Rider and see if I can sell it on Craig's List!