How to Get Gym Quality Workout at Home

fitin30workout.jpg

Let's face it - there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish nearly half of the things on our "to-do" lists - we're lucky to even cross off 1/3 of them! Most Americans are so stressed out and overwhelmed that driving to the gym and working out is the last thing they want to do! Demands from a job, spending time with the family and household duties overcome one's need or desire to commute to a crowded neighborhood gym. Learn how to save time and work out in the comfort of your very own home!

Designate a home workout zone. Create a special area in your home where you can exercise on a daily basis. Make sure there is a TV nearby so you can watch your favorite programs while you workout. Maybe you would prefer to set it up in a calmer part of the house, perhaps by a window where you can enjoy the scenery as you stretch! Depending on the space that you choose you may want to put up some motivational posters, mirrors and a sound system if you want to be really fancy.

Equipment. Now that you have thought of a place to set-up your in-home gym, there are certain pieces of equipment that you should invest in. You will need some free weights, a workout bench, workout matt, stability ball and a piece of cardio equipment. Do not worry about spending thousands of dollars on a Bowflex or any other at-home gym equipment because believe it or not you can achieve just as an effective workout with these minimal supplies! It's all in the way that you use what you have.

Stay Motivated & Motivate Others
Those that think that they need to go to a gym in order to get an effective workout are living in the dark ages! They have been programmed to believe that they need all of those bulky and sometimes intimidating exercise machines to get in shape although it's quite the opposite! Stay on track and follow your intuition to want to save time and money by working out at home; don't let yourself make excuses! You know the old saying "Out of sight, out of mind." Don't let that happen to your at-home gym equipment! Don't "hide" your workout equipment or put it in a room that you normally would not want to be in, because unless you have already formed a terrific at-home workout habit, you will forget about it!

In many cases you will end up NOT wanting to go to the smelly dark grungy basement or garage and you only end up doing everything else except workout!
If you have limited space in your home for your workout zone, get creative and store everything (with exception of stability ball) in a medium size storage bin underneath the bench.

• Understand that fitness is a journey to be enjoyed, not a one time event. Like the old adage goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Your body, too, is a masterpiece in progress. Take it one day at a time, and enjoy the process.

• Don't over train! If you over train, your appetite will increase and you will start eating like a 250 pound football player and not a bikini model. Rather, do just enough to blast fat, and not to hit a plateau. Again if you over train, your body will "lock up" and not allow you to burn the fat off that you need too, because it will reach a state of "shock", thus holding onto the fat.

Angelique Huntsman