As our society continues to shift toward a more sedentary lifestyle, we need to find ways to stay active and fit. Getting a gym membership is the default answer to this problem, but this option comes with a few problems. You have to pack a gym bag, drive to the gym, work out in front of strangers, and wait for the equipment you need to be available. Instead of dealing with these stresses, lots of people opt for a home gym. However, home gyms can get pricey if you’re not careful. Thankfully, there are a few ideas to keep the cost of a home gym reasonable.
Start Small
One big mistake people make when getting into fitness is making too big of an investment too fast. To test the waters and make sure you’re committed, start with some smaller investments like a stability ball and resistance bands. You can get both for about $30 and there are so many workouts you can do with these two items. Once you’ve mastered the basics with these two, you can graduate to bigger equipment
Versatility is Key
When putting together a home gym, space can be just as limited as cash. To stretch both as far as possible, look for pieces that have multiple uses. An adjustable workbench can be used for a wide variety of exercises, and adjustable dumbbells are a great money and cost saver.
Their Failure is Your Savings
Lots of people hop on the fitness wagon only to fall off shortly after. While this is an unfortunate cliché, it can be your opportunity to save some serious coin. When people get really excited about a new fitness plan, they’ll go out and buy lots of fancy new equipment, and when they give up, they sell that new fancy equipment at a fraction of the cost. This lets you snatch up perfectly good equipment without having to break the bank. Craigslist, garage sales, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay are all great places to scour for used fitness equipment.
Starting a home gym doesn’t have to require a second mortgage. With a few creative ideas, you can get in shape without your wallet loosing too much weight.