Wakeup… The Gym is Calling You
It’s 6 am, your alarm goes off and you push the snooze button. And then it goes off again and you put it under your bed, and by the third time, you’ve taken it and thrown it against the wall, in protest of taking that early morning spin, body combat class or weight session you had scheduled. You use every excuse imaginable, from traffic to inclement weather to the kids have the sniffles. As a result, you wake a half an hour later feeling lethargic, lazy and your fat jeans are the only thing you can squeeze into. Sound familiar?
Perhaps you should consider a more drastic measure to meet your fitness needs, like a home gym. Guaranteed, once you invest the money in either having one built into your existing home, or having one designed for the home you’re currently building, you may think twice about throwing that alarm clock against the wall.
Create the Home Gym that Suits Your Specific Workout Goals
If you’re building a home or are renovating and are considering adding a home gym, there are a few things you want to consider, among them the essential equipment you want to use in your home gym. First and foremost, it is important to determine which pieces of equipment will be best suited for your specific workout goals, and start from the ground up. Proper flooring and/or mats are key.
You want to make sure the flooring can handle any weights you may accidentally drop and also hold the weight of any machines you install, yet also offers the comfort you need when it’s time to stretch. A good alternative if you don’t want weights can also be loop bands which provide a resistance. If you are more into weightlifting for example and do your cardio outdoors, then you want to make sure you stock it with plenty of free weights (in all weight ranges), or if you’re into the kettle bells, add a few of those for a variation. There are also plenty of machines and home gym units such as the Total Gym that serve multiple purposes and incorporate exercises for both the upper and lower body and will add to your overall weight workout.
Beat the Clock
If you want a home gym that covers all the bases, you may want to install one or two pieces of cardio equipment such as a treadmill, stairmaster, rowing machine or elliptical machine. It may also help to add an activity tracker like the Fitbit to help monitor heart rate, etc during your workouts. If you’re a yogi, you may want to add a yoga wall for added diversity along with some accessories like straps or bars used in various styles of yoga practice. This, combined with free weights and some fitness balls and bands will give you all the basics you need.
You can check out this equipment and more at: http://homeworkoutgear.com
It just depends on what your personal fitness goals are as to what type of equipment you choose. Cardio and weight bearing exercises combined with a healthy diet are key to an overall healthy, results-oriented workout regimen. Having the tools at your fingertips will help get you started on a fitness routine where you’ll actually be waking up before the alarm clock.