Home Gym Workout – Making the Switch From Going to the Gym

Making the switch to a Home Gym Workout may seem like a last resort but, as the global economy takes a hit, people are cutting back on their expenses and gym memberships are on the decline. However, giving up your gym membership in order to save a few extra dollars doesn’t mean giving up your fitness goals. With a little planning, even the most set-in-their-ways gym-goers can make the transition and benefit from the advantages of a home workout set-up.

There are many advantages to working out at home. Eliminating transit time to and from the gym makes it easier to fit your workout into your busy day. You don’t have to share equipment with any machine-hogs so you can control wait times between exercises, shortening your workout.

With A Little Planning, Even the Most Set-In-Their-Ways Gym-Goers Can Make the Transition and Benefit from the Advantages of A Home Gym Set-Up

With A Little Planning, Even the Most Set-In-Their-Ways Gym-Goers Can Make the Transition and Benefit from the Advantages of A Home Gym Set-Up

You have all the convenience of being at home, such as your own shower and all the products you’re used to, without having to lug bottles or deal with forgetting your toiletries bag at home. And, unlike your gym fees, any money you choose to spend on DVDs, weights, mats, or any of your favorite exercise equipment or tools buys you items you can keep and use for years to come.

There are also disadvantages to working out at home. The hardest disadvantage to overcome may be the social aspect of working out at a gym. Some people prefer to work out on their own so this may actually be an advantage for them. But for those for whom this difference greatly decreases the value of an at-home workout, there are a few ways you can offset this disadvantage.

First, the television is an excellent tool for combating boredom. If you own or plan to own a cardio machine, having it near a television or radio can really perk you up when you’re used to the distraction of having people around you. Listening to your favorite music or watching episodes of a show you love can replace a portion of the stimulus you have been used to.

And if you have been enjoying classes at your gym, workout shows and DVDs can provide some of that aspect of your gym workouts. Additionally, you can set up a walking date with friends and neighbors a few times a week or invite a friend, perhaps one you met at the gym, to work out together in your home(s).

People often cite the cost of equipment and the space that it takes up as deterrents to working out at home but I have personally set up everything I need for my home workouts for much less than the cost of a 6-month membership to my old gym.

I used inexpensive DVDs and television workout routines (which I recorded so that I could skip the commercials) for my cardio and I bought a compact set of free weights, a mat, and a stability ball for my strength training and flexibility routines.

The whole set-up took almost no space, cost very little, and does everything I need to get a balanced, full-body workout. I later bought an elliptical trainer and added it to my arsenal.

Finally, the lack of variety of classes, equipment, and activities available to you in comparison to the gym could lead to boredom if you don’t keep renewing your workout. When I began working out at home, I set aside a portion of what my gym fees would had been so that I could buy DVDs and fun workout gadgets and other  exercise equipment.

I now have a varied collection of DVDs, stability balls, a jump rope, a hoola hoop, fitness video games, a few VCR tapes with the best television workouts I’ve recorded over the years, and a number of other gadgets and gizmos that I find adds all the variety I can handle to my daily workout sessions. When I had some more cash, I bought a treadmill and an exercise bike to add cardio variations. Whenever I get bored with any one activity, there’s always another option within reach.

If you need to scale back your fitness budget and membership fees, don’t let that translate that into abandoning your goals altogether. An at-home workout can be fun, effective, varied, and save you a lot of money even while you build yourself collection of fitness equipment that will serve you for years to come.