Going to the gym can be quite a chore for most of us. We have to get on our most stylish gear, have our water bottles ready, arrive at the gym and workout. In fact, it’s not always the workouts at gym that is the hard part – it’s having the discipline just to get there. A lot of us are also not in perfect shape and being at the gym amongst beefed up, perfect muscular bodies can be considerably overwhelming. I remember times when obese people hit the gym. I was in total admiration for these brave souls who entered the Lion’s Den’. Everybody stared, some snickered, but at least these obese bunch were willing to put in the effort to look after themselves. If you are someone that really likes to pay attention to your health, find out more about Research Verified reviews and improve your health today.
Some of us are stay-at-home moms and hitting the gym isn’t always an option. This is where “home-gyms” step into the picture. A home gym is really great. You can either place it in a special room, specially for gym equipment or, for most of us, you can just place it in front of the TV. Switching on the TV works well as you can put on your favorite Netflix series (and this is a great motivational pull to carry on working out for long) and go for it. You can even eat a carrot or celery stick or two while doing the treadmill or step machine as you have the luxury of no one watching.
Since you are not doing aerobic classes, you need to do something to get your heartrate up and your blood pumping!
The following is a list of the best items of cardio gym equipment for the home:
- Step Machine
- Air Bike
- Treadmill
- Elliptical Machine
- Rowing Machine
- Punching Bag
All these options are great! Always remember to warm up first by doing stretching exercises for at least 15 minutes. Apply this to the wrists, ankles, neck and shoulders as well.
Step Machine
The ‘Step Machine’s’ sole purpose is to get your heartrate up and burn those calves, thighs and the glutes (your butt). Half an hour spent with this per day, at a good speed, and you will definitely feel the burn. Start off your first week just doing 10 minutes a day. By week 2 go up by 5 minutes and carry on progressing by five minutes weekly until you can eventually do 30 minutes easily per day. Eventually try get up to 45 minutes per day and you will have the sexiest toosh in town!
Air Bike
I personally love this machine. I don’t quite use the air bike but rather the ‘Recumbent Exercise Bike’. I just find this supports my back better. It’s a great workout that allows you to relax and watch tv whilst working out those leg muscles. Follow the workout schedule as laid out above and you should eventually find this exercise enjoyable and include it into your daily routine.
Rowing Machine
Another winner, the rowing machine is really great! It’s a lot of fun and gives you skills to use outside the home (should you ever decide to take up rowing!). You get to use your arms and exercise your legs. I love this machine and I can just keep on going at it for minutes on end. You also feel very powerful once you are able to row for at least 30-45 minutes per day. It simply makes you and your body feel great!
Elliptical Machine
Watch out for this one. Although the ‘Elliptical Machine’ can be exceptionally fun, if you don’t warm up and if you go too fast, you can really, really hurt yourself. It’s really easy to go very fast with this machine and I personally hurt my hip using it so much so that the pain lasted around 7 years. A family member used the elliptical and hurt his leg so badly that the damage caused lasted a few years as well and was very painful for him, so caution beware.
Treadmill
The treadmill is an obvious winner. You choose your own speed, you can raise the incline and are able to follow a programme. Maybe you just enjoy walking slowly and at least are doing some exercise. Then this one is for you. It has shown itself in many homes the world over for many years.
Punching Bag
I personally adore the punching bag. Punching is one of my favorite exercises. It lets out so much stress and makes you feel so great! I definitely advise though to get a personal trainer with a lot of experience in boxing/kickboxing to come to your home at least twice to teach you how to box properly. If you just go at it, you can cause serious damage to your hands, arms and shoulders.
At the end of the day, working out releases all that feel good serotonin in your body. It makes you healthier, stronger, speeds up the metabolism and makes you feel great! Choose the piece or pieces of equipment that call out to you most and start feeling fit and fabulous today!