Developing a workout routine can be a challenge, especially if you’ve made it to adulthood without finding an activity you enjoy – so where do you begin? One strategy is to invest in basic fitness equipment that will allow you to enjoy a variety of exercises at home. These five items can serve as the foundation for your mini home gym and help you establish healthy habits that will last a lifetime, even as your routine grows and evolves.
Make Room For A Mat
The simplest and most useful piece of equipment for anyone who wants to work out at home is a yoga mat, even if you don’t plan to do yoga. That’s because your yoga mat will act as a soft, clear area where you can practice hip raises, planks, and crunches, and you’ll be glad you have that mat if you ever try to do a plank on a carpeted surface or wood floor. Of course, if you do want to do yoga, you’ll also want to have your own mat since yoga mats tend to collect bacteria – it’s always better to have your own if you attend a class at a studio.
Hydrate And Fuel
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they start working out is failing to change their diet to go with their new lifestyle. To keep up with your new habits, grab a sports bottle so that you’re well hydrated and add a protein shake to your diet to aid in muscle growth and recovery. Your body needs proper nutrition to fuel increased activity, and an added mixer bottle will let you take your shake anywhere you go.
Get The Right Shoes
Running is one of the most challenging forms of exercise because it requires stamina, proper form, and sheer determination – often it’s just you and your mind, or your music, alone on the trail – but it’s also one of the most beneficial forms of exercise. Still, whether you plan to run regularly and maybe even tackle a road race, you need the right footwear. Get properly fitted for sneakers to ensure that your alignment is correct and that you don’t lose a toenail from ill-fitting shoes. Your feet and joints will thank you.
Step It Up
Remember step aerobics from the 1990s? While it may not be so trendy anymore, a step is still a great investment. Not only can you use it for step aerobics, but you can use a step for weight training or as an incline for body weight resistance exercises. And regardless of the Richard Simmons-style of step aerobics, it is a lot of fun and a great way to be active without feeling like you’re working out.
Buy Some Bands
If you don’t have a lot of room for storing fitness equipment, one of the most compact items you can invest in is a set of resistance bands. Resistance bands come in several varieties, including looped bands that you can place around your arms or legs and long bands for arm exercises like bicep curls. Resistance bands are also easy to transport so you can maintain your fitness routine when traveling, and bands of different tension levels allow you to escalate the intensity of the workout as you get stronger.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money or buy a lot of gear to workout at home. With these five basic items, you’ll be able to get full body fit, day by day, with determination and dedication.