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I love going to the gym. I love the community that comes with it, the atmosphere, the accountability. What I don’t miss is relying on a place to feel my best. In 2020 I recall being told that I was not allowed in the gym due to the Covid pandemic. As someone who works out on a regular basis, I wasn’t too thrilled about it. There were a few times when the gym I was attending would randomly close. There was little to no warning for the members. I dealt with broken equipment and time constraints. With the unknowns of the Covid pandemic at the time, I decided it was time to start investing in a home gym.
Since I was living in a smaller town, gym equipment was scarce and the pandemic didn’t help. Of course most equipment was selling out at a rapid pace. I immediately bought a set of resistance bands from Amazon, a used treadmill on marketplace, and a set of dumbbells from Walmart. This was all I had when I first started, besides my jump rope. We had a smaller house, so I converted a small room into a workout space. I later bought an ab mat, a weighted vest, and an adjustable kettlebell (one of my favorite investments!). I just kept growing from there. I slowly started to expand the home gym, eventually moving it to the garage and haven’t looked back since.
You can find some of my favorite home gym equipment HERE
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Even with gyms reopening, I absolutely love having a home gym. I have slowly invested in my home gym for about seven years now and have no regrets in starting. Here are the main reasons I love having a home gym:
The potential to save money in the long run. I have personally seen gym memberships from $15 – over $100/month. Sure some are definitely affordable and might be worth it. But I personally try to limit monthly fees and think I’ll continue to workout the rest of my life. I have been working out consistently for almost 10 years now. If I were to pay the cheapest membership at $15/mo for another 10 more years, that could easily cover the cost of a home gym. And that is a low rate, not counting any type of annual membership fees, like I also sometimes see.
It saves me time. As a mom, I try to save time when I can. I used to drive 20-30 minutes one way for a gym. Sure, it’s doable and not horrible. But if I can save almost an hour of driving everyday, sign me up. This also doesn’t include the time it takes to pack a gym bag and get dressed. I also at a certain time would bring my kids with me to the gym. As much fun as it was to bring them, I had to pack lunches or snacks. I also needed to bring toys, diaper bags, and even the pack n play when they were young. I don’t miss that part.
I never wait on equipment. A huge perk to a home gym is it’s YOUR gym. No waiting on other people for certain machines. No waiting on the gym to fix your favorite piece of cardio equipment. I recall not being able to use a piece of equipment because it needed new batteries…it didn’t get fixed for months. Whether the equipment is being used or it’s broken I only have to rely on myself and my family.
Weather is not a factor. Snow storm? Negative temperatures? Thunderstorms? Guess what? If you have your own equipment at home, these aren’t factors. Another thing I don’t miss is bundling up to go to the gym. The changing of wet or snowy shoes, no thanks. I love being able to put socks and shoes on and walk into my garage to workout. Some gyms would even shut down for bad weather. This is usually the right move for safety reasons. However, it’s just not something I wanted to keep using as an excuse to not workout.
Here’s some great home gym options items to begin a home gym:
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I can literally workout whenever I want. This is probably the biggest reason I love having a home gym. No set gym times, no set class times, no closing for the holidays, or due to short staff. Having a home gym has allowed me to workout literally whenever I want. I have workout out on holidays, in the morning, and at night. Life is always throwing curve balls, so I love have the flexibility to workout when I can.
Even if you absolutely love attending an actual gym, having a few small items at home is beneficial. It is so worth it for those stormy days!
