A Healthier You In 2009 – Do You Need A Gym Membership or A Home Gym?
January 18, 2009
The first few months of the year are filled with New Year’s resolutions: promises to change eating habits and lifestyles, to begin exercising more, and to lead a healthier life in general. A large part of these promises is often the prospect of joining a gym, a place where you can make good on these resolutions and begin the journey to realizing a new self.
There are many benefits to joining a gym, perhaps the largest of these being the motivational aspect. It’s easy to get side-tracked when attempting to revitalize your workout routine at home, by yourself and often in the dark corner of a basement or garage where equipment has sat gathering dust. For most of us, who have a myriad of other responsibilities and little spare time, it’s not hard to push today’s workout to tomorrow and tomorrow’s workout to the next day. However, gyms are different. They’re well-lit and often feature invigorating music, and are filled with people who are in the very same position. Not only that, but there’s a wide range of equipment available to meet almost every need, be it free weights or machines, and cater to every level of fitness and experience. What’s more, most gyms offer a wide variety of classes that anyone can attend, including yoga classes, group cardio classes, personal training classes, and more.
Even so, the reality is that for many after a time the motivation to go to the gym can decline; after the initial impetus, many people simply find they don’t have the time to stick to their routine, and if results aren’t seen immediately, don’t see a reason to continue. The result is money being lost that’s paying for a membership that isn’t being used.
When this is the case, it can be very advantageous to invest in your own exercise equipment, whether it’s a cardio machine such as a treadmill, elliptical trainer, or exercise bike or weight machines and free weights. For an older person concerned simply with staying in shape, a piece of cardio equipment or a yoga mat and accompanying program may be all that’s needed; for someone younger or someone seeking more dramatic results, the addition of strength training weights is a smart choice.
We have therefore picked out a few key products, ideal for a home gym setup if you are looking to save space, and get results at home.
Top cardio machines and treadmills
Bremshey Trail T Treadmill NEW FOR 2008
Bremshey Trail T Treadmill NEW FOR 2008Max speed 18 km/h – 11.2mph Powered incline from 0-12% 9 programs including heat rate control Large smooth 2.5hp motor Hot keys for easy speed and elevation adjustments Easy to fold and wheel GBP634.99
Cintura T-2001 treadmill
The Cintura T-2001 is a new model for the 2009 season. Substantial and stylish, this treadmill combines good looks with great functionality at a very reasonable price. The motor is powerful and smooth, and the speed and incline are both controllable from the hand rails at the touch of a button. £449.99
Top elliptical trainers
York Diamond x301 Elliptical Trainer
York Diamond x301 Elliptical Trainer16 Levels of magnetic resistance 22 workout programmes including 4 HRC Body fat / BMI analyser colour display 150kg max user weights Hand pulse sensors and wireless receiver. GBP399.00
Reebok 5 Series Crosstrainer
Reebok 5 Series CrosstrainerGBP325.00
Top exercise bikes
York Anniversary c202 Exercise Bike
York Anniversary c202 Exercise Bike16 Levels of manual magnetic resistance Hand Pulse sensors to read your pulse 22 workout programs including 4 HRC User friendly and easy to read console. GBP295.00
Bremshey Cardio Control Exercise Bike NEW for 2008
Bremshey Cardio Control Exercise Bike NEW for 2008 Total of 18 programs, so a different program of choice for each user. Constant Heart Rate Control Functional and comfortable design, suitable for several different users. New design console with a back light color LCD monitor Easy user friendly console GBP260.00
Top home gyms
York G500 Multigym
York G500 MultigymSeated vertical multigym. 50kg weight stack, delivers max resistance of 100kg across all exercise stations Concrete covered in a vinyl casing Dual function press/pec arms with multi position hand grips Removable arm curl pad with 2 position height adjustment Lat pulldown/high pulley Seated row/low pulley Seated leg developer with locking mechanism GBP275.00
Tunturi B60 Bodyshaper multi-gym Including Pec Dec
Tunturi B60 Bodyshaper multi-gym Including Pec DecVersatile Multi-gym with Pec Dec Allows dozen of exercises Easily folds and wheels making it suitable for any home No product assembly is required Resistance of each stations equals 80 kg Resistance adjusted with 2kg intervals GBP949.00
Top fitness equipment
Reebok 3 Series Rower
Reebok 3 Series Rower8 manually adjusted resistance settings Folds away for easy storage Large comfortable seat Monitor uses batteries so no need to connect to the mains. GBP249.99
Slam Man
Slam Man Duplicate a boxer’s workout – concentrate on your speed or work on your power punching Designed by a professional boxer, Slam Man has 3 training levels: beginner, immediate & advanced, 5 boxing and 1 manual program 8 large target lights flash in patterns and randomly help improve your hand-eye co-ordination. GBP249.99
Whatever the case, all of these can provide the means to follow a workout routine and pursue a healthier lifestyle, and what’s more, they can be cheaper in the long run than a gym membership and provide the convenience of allowing you to workout at any available time, rather than setting aside an hour or two to get to and from the gym and workout as well.
