10 bits of kit you need for your next home workout #HealthAndFitnessWeek
Let’s face it! No matter how good your intentions are, it’s incredibly hard to get yourself out of the house and down to the gym, especially when you’ve had a long day at work. It’s also extremely expensive. £45 a month for something you’ll end up going to once a week, if that? No thanks!
The good news is that there’s so much equipment available to buy for your house that could turn your bedroom into a gym, meaning you’ll never need to go far to burn calories again! Plus, if you’ve just paid for the equipment the one time, you won’t feel guilty about not using it, while money’s just aimlessly coming out your account every month.
We’ve chosen our 10 favourite pieces of equipment for you to start getting fit at home. Just make sure you motivate yourself to actually do some exercise, and don’t forget to warm-up and stretch!
1) Youtube
No in-home workout is complete without Youtube, nowadays. There are SO many channels dedicated to workouts for you to do directly from your bedroom. From personal trainers to people who are just passionate about exercise, there are so many to choose from, and they mean that you don’t have to struggle on figuring out what to do with your equipment.
If you need help finding some great workout Youtube channels, we’ve already done all the hard work and chosen our 10 favourites here.
2) Nike Just Do It Yoga Mat
This yoga mat by Nike has been designed with a super lightweight microfiber surface and perforations for grip to keep you firmly grounded as you practice your yoga moves in the house. Plus, if you decide to head out to an actual yoga class, you’ll look like a pro if you bring your own mat along.
The mat’s also great for keeping you comfortable when you want to do any floor exercises, like sit-ups or planks.
The Nike Yoga Mat is available from Urban Outfitters for £30.
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3) TRAINERball
There are so many people across the world with a gym ball sat somewhere in their house, with no purpose due to the fact that they have no idea how to use it. The TRAINERball will change that, as it’s an exercise ball with detailed step-by-step instructional drawings of the perfect Core workout printed directly on the surface.
Each TRAINERball also comes with a DVD and online instructional exercise ball videos, so you won’t have to study the pictures too heavily trying to decipher what they mean.
The TRAINERball is available to buy here for $19.99 (£13.35).
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4) Hoopnotica Travel Hoop
Our favourite form of exercise is hula-hooping, because it’s so fun and easy, and doesn’t even feel like you’re doing much exercise, but actually tones your abs up like hell! The main problem with hula hoops is portability, but this travel hoop solves that by splitting up into six easy-to-carry parts and clipping together, to be carried on your back.
The Travel Hoop is available in pink or blue from the Hoopnotica website, for $39.99 (£26.70) or $49.99 (£33.36) if you want a DVD teaching you how to use a hula hoop.
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5) SandBell
It’s easy to feel like you need tons of different equipment, when it comes to weights, but the SandBell acts as a sandbag, medicine ball, kettlebell and dumbells all in just one neoprene disc! The weight is soft and stretchy, but durable enough to be pulled, yanked and abused daily. What’s even better about the SandBell is that if you were to drop even the 23kg one on your foot, it wouldn’t hurt. FYI actual kettle bells would!
The SandBell comes in 11 different weights, ranging from two to 23kg, and is available to buy from the Perform Better website for £13.80 to £99.60, depending on the size you choose.
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6) Weider Speed Weight Adjustable Dumbbells
Hand weights are great for adding extra resistance during cardio, and for doing arm exercises too. However, the more you work out, the more weight you need, which usually means buying tons of different sized dumbbells.
There’s no need to buy hand weights in 10 different sizes with these adjustable dumbbells, though. They’re not cheap, but, ranging from 2.5lbs to 12.5lbs, they’re likely to be cheaper than if you bought a set of hand weights in every size.
These Weider dumbbells are available to buy from Amazon for $93 (£62.06).
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7) GoFit Smartweight Power Tube
Resistance bands are a great way of gaining upper body strength, but a lot of the ones on the market are prone to breaking from too much stretch. These GoFit Power Tubes, which stretch up to four foot, are made of a durable latex and have an inner coiled safety cord to protect the user should breakage occur too. The handles are also made so that there’s a comfortable no slip grip, and there’s an exercise guide included too.
The GoFit Power Tube is available to buy in different weights of five to 30lb, and costs between £8.99 and £12.99, depending on the size you choose, from the Fitness Superstore website.
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8) Spri Deluxe Adjustable Speed Jump Rope
Like the hula hoop, the skipping rope (come on guys, we’re English) is a really fun way to lose weight and tone up – unless you can’t skip. This skipping rope is adjustable in size, so that you can make it harder or easier to jump as much as possible. Sadly, unlike the ropes you got in school, this one doesn’t come with a jump counter, so you’ll have to do that on your own.
This skipping rope is available from the SPRI website for $20.98 (£13.96).
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9) Reebok One GT40S Treadmill
Yes, we know, running outside is free, and treadmills are expensive, but it’s cold, dammit! Plus, this Reebok treadmill is half price at the moment, so you’ll feel like you’re getting a proper bargain. This treadmill has an LED console display and all the expected user feedback functions including speed, time, distance, calories, pulse and incline, along with a range of pre-set programs to choose from.
Like the ones you’d get in the gym, this treadmill also has a built-in pulse sensor to track your heart rate, as well as an auxillary input for listening to music from your headphones.
This Reebok treadmill is usually priced at £1099.99, but Argos is selling it for £449.99.
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10) Withings Smart Body Analyzer
These may look like your everyday bathroom scales, but they’re so much more than that, and essential if you’re looking to get fitter overall, rather than just lose weight.
As well as just weighing you, the scales will tell you your body fat percentage, so you’ll never have the whole ‘But muscle weighs more than fat’ excuse.
These scales also measure your standing heart rate, tracking it over time to show whether you’re getting healthier or not. They also check the indoor air quality through temperature and carbon dioxide measuring, and the companion builds a CO2-level graph with important thresholds, telling you when to clear the air, so that you’re less likely to get headaches, sore throat and respiratory problems.
You won’t be surprised to hear that these magic scales cost a hefty £129.95, and are available from the Withings website.
[/nextpage]It’s #HealthAndFitnessWeek on ShinyShiny! We’re here to help you keep running, swimming, and nourishing your way to the healthier, happier self you imagined when you wrote your new year’s resolutions. See all the posts here.
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