Activity Focus: Creating a Home Gym

Working out at home is an easy solution for those of us that find it hard to get to a gym. Whether you are following along to a fitness DVD or just exercising independently, you'll probably end up needing some kind of equipment - be it a yoga brick, a skipping rope, some weights or a treadmill. 

However, it is important to put some thought into the kind of equipment you are going to buy, and decide whether it is the right equipment, before you shell out the cash on it.

Greg Turnovitski, owner of Ultimate Sports Equipment says that if people don't buy equipment that they enjoy using, it will just end up gathering dust, no matter how good it is for you.

“If you're going to buy a piece of equipment, it has to be something that you enjoy doing not just something that you think you should do; If you really want to be on an elliptical but think you should be using a treadmill, even though you don't like running on a treadmill because of your knees, you're not going to do it,” says Turnovitski, “You will use that piece of equipment actively for a week and then you'll start hanging clothes on it."

Turnovitski advises starting off small, and not rushing out to buy an expensive piece of cardio equipment when you aren't even sure that you are going to be able to work out at home.

“Investing in home gym equipment doesn't have to mean spending thousands of dollars, it can mean just buying a few pieces of functional equipment to start you off,” he says, “I always say walk before you run."

Often people make the mistake of purchasing a large piece of equipment thinking that is going to be a quick fix for their situation. Once you know that you can in fact work out at home under your own steam, that’s when you should make the decision to invest in more equipment.

A good first piece of equipment to buy for your home is a fitness ball. "They are most definitely the one piece of equipment that everyone should have for their home workout. Often, when we are at work we have this big comfortable chair that allows us to slouch. If you sit on a ball instead, every once in a while you can roll on that ball and it will force you to have better posture and the little movements of that ball will work so many core muscles that you are already doing something active when you are sitting on the computer working,” explains Turnovitski.

Turnovitski says that a fitness ball is a great piece of equipment for those wanting to start doing low impact workouts. “If you are 65 years old you can use a fitness ball by lifting it over your head, doing waist turns and also lunges with the ball,” he says, "but those who are already fairly fit can use the ball for more advanced balance workouts."

This post is a repeat, but look forward to more original content to come in the future.