Home Exercise Equipment

You can benefit from a home workout with little or no equipment. Some suggestions include:

FREE EQUIPMENT:

*Using the stairs for leg strengthening

*Water jugs/soup cans for upper body strengthening

*Your body weight will work for lunges and squats

*A chair or floor will be used for abdominal training

*The floor will work for stretches and balance exercises

*Cardiovascular training can be done by doing brisk walks outside

MODEST SPENDING:

For those of us who have a bigger budget, then I recommend basics such as:

*An Exercise Ball (45, 55 or 65cm depending upon your height)

*Resistance bands in various colors (Yellow is the lightest, followed by red/green and then blue/grey/black are the heaviest)

*A yoga mat

*3, 5, 8, 10, 12 lb dumbells

*A balance board or BOSU ball

SPLURGES:

If you really want to splurge, I would consider a good treadmill or a recumbent bike (the type that reclines back). I wouldn't worry about buying a whole weight room or universal gym unless you really want to. You can get a great strength workout with the basics listed above. The cardio equipment like treadmills and bikes can also be replaced by walking or biking outdoors.

Other creative ways to burn fat in and around your home:

*Wii Fit

*Dance, Dance Revolution (available on Playstation 2 or 3, X Box or Wii)

*A yoga DVD (I really like Rodney Yee's series)

*Turning on the stereo and dancing for 15-20 minutes!

*Gardening is a great workout if you are moving dirt, digging and pushing a wheelbarrow!

*Check your local mall walking program or community center aerobics classes. They are usually quite inexpensive to join!

I personally use the Rodney Yee yoga video 2 times a week and then do 2 Dance Dance Revolutions a week for about 30 minutes. In addition, I like to walk or jog my dog for 20 minutes everyday. Finally, once or twice a week, I might substitute one of my workouts with a community activity. We have drop in volleyball and badminton at the local school on weeknights, or small costs for morning aerobics classes at the local community hall.

This program has cost me: (Cheaper and more entertaining than a treadmill!)

13.00 for the Yoga Video

70.00 for a dance mat and Dance Dance Revolution DVD for my playstation (the original playstation cost 140.00)

Free to walk the dog!

2.00/night for drop in volleyball at the local school.