Home Sweet Home

Can I start by saying I have heard the old saying over and over “I don’t have time to exercise” between working, eating, sleeping and socializing.

Well here is your solution….So if you want to be fit – but can’t fit it in, want to stay healthy but not join a gym – just do it at home.

Think you can handle it? Then read on and learn how to setup a home gym and get the most out of it.

Starting Out
1. Consider your fitness goal e.g. weight loss, general fitness, specific sports event, weight gain
2. How often do you plan to train at home
3. Select the space or room at home you will be using to exercising in
4. Measure the room size and height (see motivation section below)
5. Ensure the flooring is suitable

Purchasing the Right Stuff
The equipment that you purchase will depend on your fitness goals, your room size and budget. Remembering that if you have no budget just an empty room available your bodyweight will be enough to get you started. Also don’t overlook things around the home, like chairs, stairs, bricks and broomsticks as they are all useful items for training at home.

There is also a vast range of equipment options available from strength machines to cardiovascular machines e.g. treadmills, bikes etc. Then there are accessories ranging from fitness balls to resistance tubes – basically the sky’s the limit or your budget.

On the money side you can start at around $20 for a mediball and go right up to $10,000 for a state of the art home gym fitout.

Maybe consider rewarding yourself for each fitness goal you achieve with a new purchase for your home gym, this will also keep you motivated along the way.

Motivation
Being motivated to use your home gym is the most critical part in setting up your gym. This room should be a room you enjoy going into, you will be spending a number of hours per week in this room so choose carefully. Avoid garages, sheds and dark places to set up your home gym. Visual and audio stimulation will also help in getting you into your gym, hang a TV on the wall and or have music on while you are training. Posters and visual goals like the date of the wedding or triathlon you are training for on the wall.

You may also want to consider having a personal trainer come in once a week to give you a work out to help you achieve your goal. Your personal trainer will motivate you and will give you training session outlines to follow on the other days of the week.

Added Benefits
No wasted time driving to and from a gym
No waiting in line to use equipment
Train when it fits your schedule, rather than just when the gym is open
No expensive monthly membership fees or long term contracts
Motivation to workout as you pass by the equipment in your home on a daily basis

Expert Advice
If you don’t have previous knowledge of how to use your equipment, you may want to enlist the help of a fitness professional who should be able to help you with all of the above and also ensure you get the most out of your home gym and workouts.