Home Gym
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We recently converted part of our basement to a home gym. We had our treadmill and elliptical, then I found this great set of weight at a moving sale for $10:
![IMG_2745[9]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_27459.jpg)
Yes, $10 for the entire set! It was a steal since these type of weights are usually nearly $1 per pound.
Shortly after we got the weights, we found a great deal on a spin bike, too. It was at that point that we decided to move the couch and coffee table to the game room area of the basement, give away the air hockey table that no one ever plays, and move the computer to my son’s room.
That left us with something I am incredibly excited about – our home gym:
![IMG_2984[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_29843.jpg)
I love it! Everything is, of course, facing the TV, so that I can watch The Biggest Loser or my Friends DVDs while I workout. I love that all my equipment is easily accessible, making it harder to come up with an excuse not to workout. And, best of all, the kids aren’t on that side of our basement watching TV anymore, so there is no excuse for anybody to be cluttering up my workout room.
Now, I know everyone doesn’t have room for a home gym. Recently a reader asked me what I would choose if I could only have one piece of home exercise equipment. Hands down, it would be my treadmill.
I love my treadmill because it’s so versatile. When I first started exercising and losing weight, 3 mph was workout pace for me. Now, I typically walk at 3.8 and run at 5 mph. With a treadmill, I can walk or run – hot or cold, rain or shine. If I need a more intense workout, I can increase the incline or the speed.
Walking is low-impact, so it’s easy on the knees and just about anyone, at any fitness level, can walk. Then, when you progress and get addicted to 5K races, you can train on your treadmill.
(Yes, I’ve found running to be very addictive. My second 5K is coming up Thursday and I’ve already registered for my 3rd in mid-April.)
Another nice thing about treadmills is that many of them fold up, so you may not need as much room as you might otherwise think.
Some of them have really nifty features now, too. My cousin just got one that has Google maps. Of course, my first thought was, “Do they think you’re going to get lost on a treadmill?”
No, it’s so that you can program your course! So, say you were training for a specific race, you could plot the course on the Google maps feature and it will automatically adjust the incline to mimic that course. How cool is that?
What is your one piece of can’t-live-without-it exercise equipment?
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
Love it!!
Awesome!!!! I love the set up and I'm completely jealous. 😉
Lo-ho-hooooove it! Do you still go out to the gym as well, or do you just work with what you have there at home?
@Noodle — No, I quit the gym back in July of last year. I didn't have the time or money to continue. Having the home gym means I can work out in the mornings, before the kids are up, and any other times during the day when I have some time.
I love my treadmill too! I have it set to 15% incline cause it's a great extra calorie burn for walking, but now that I'm starting to add running I think I'll drop ot to level while I get more into shape.
Thanks. I'd like a membership to the Y, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have (or MAKE) the time to use it. These urchins o' mine ….
I do my working out in the morning as well, before my peeps are up and moving.
Wow, love your gym Kris! Love the spin bike best 🙂