Do you personally know someone who's been going to the gym for years? I've seen people like that, and I can only be happy for them. But unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to go to a gym.
Many reasons, such as lack of time to commute, reluctance to leave the apartment, and simply laziness, prevent you from taking care of yourself. This is where home exercise, or simply home fitness, comes in. Its benefits are obvious. At home, as they say, even the walls help. And if you're not in the mood for sweating in front of others, try exercising at home. You can increase the intensity and add variety to your workouts with the help of small fitness tools.
Home exercise equipment is certainly a good idea. It saves time and can even replace a gym membership. However, it has one major drawback: the cost of such equipment can be prohibitive. Furthermore, the size of a treadmill, for example, isn't ideal for every apartment.
It's possible to get the necessary exercise equipment without straining your family budget or living space. Unlike other exercise machines, these little helpers in your quest for a slim figure won't take up much space in your apartment and can even fit in a closet. Here's a brief list of their advantages:
– low cost (all my sports equipment costs no more than 500 rubles and was purchased at different times);
– mobility (you can easily move them from room to room, I even practice outdoors);
– compactness (all equipment is small in size);
– storage conditions (mine are stored in a closet, without cluttering the room);
– a variety of training (your actions are not limited to a set of only one type of exercises, as, for example, on a simulator like “Skis”, you yourself choose exercises for one or another type of simulator, alternating them according to your desire and mood).
I invite you to familiarize yourself with the most popular and affordable exercise equipment. My small collection of sports equipment looks like this:
• A massage hoop, or hula hoop. My trusty companion in the fight for a slim waist. My hoop has a heavy metal frame covered with a layer of corrugated foam. It doesn't hurt the spine or leave bruises. It's true that finding one like this isn't easy, but I bought one by chance, and I'm incredibly glad I did.
• The “Health” disc. Every Soviet family had one. It's still easy to find. As kids, my sister and I used it for other purposes—we'd spin around until we were dizzy. Now it's one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment. I use it in a half-squat position. This works my back, abs, calves, and glutes. It's just what I need, in my opinion.
• Ankle/arm weights. I have universal 1.5 kg weights. But I only use them for leg workouts. You could make your own, but I didn't want to mess around with sand. The main exercises are leg swings. And in the summer, they're great for running!
• Dumbbells. I didn't buy this piece of equipment. The ones at home had interchangeable weights, which is very convenient. You can adjust the load depending on the exercise. I only do forward lunges and shallow squats.
• Abdominal roller. Probably the most difficult workout for me using it. I still haven't learned to straighten up completely.
A well-chosen set of exercises using these mini-trainers will provide you with a full workout for all muscle groups. Based on personal experience, I can say that the variety of equipment makes training very interesting. This means you won't get tired of the monotony of exercise, as you might with a stationary bike. And by experimenting with equipment, you can find different exercise variations. For example, the “Health” disc works great when paired with wrist weights.
Experienced fitness instructors and trainers might disagree. Yes, I agree, this equipment is no substitute for the weights in the gym. But under certain conditions, mini-gyms are indispensable: they can keep your body in shape and put you in a good mood.
