Top 5 pieces of home exercise equipment (all under £30!)

Top 5 pieces of home exercise equipment (all under £30!)

Do you want to get fit but can't afford expensive gym memberships or exercise equipment? These 5 things, priced between £2 and £30, will provide everything you need to improve your cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibilty, co-ordination and balance in the comfort of your own home and in a very short space of time!

A skipping rope.
Skipping is a great exercise. It can be done almost anywhere (just mind the light fittings!) and a small amount of time can achieve big results. 15 minutes of skipping burns between 150 and 250 calories depending on your intensity. It tones most of the body, is good cardiovascular exercise and helps posture, balance and co-ordination.
You can buy skipping ropes from about £1.50 in toyshops, sports shops and on line, a great rope is around £10. Be careful when buying from kids shops as they tend to be a bit short so you may trip over!! It is personal preference but I would steer clear of the plastic types, it is inevitable that at some stage you will fall over your own feet and the rope will ‘whip’ your legs….this is bearable with the plaited ropes but with the plastic ones you will look like you have just had a session with Miss Whiplash!! (And although that may appeal to some of you that really is a different article….)

A kettlebell
Seems to be the latest exercise craze but does provide a really efficient work out in a short space of time. Helps with cardiovascular fitness, strength training, core stability and calorie burning. Workouts with these are not easy…..but as you only need to spend 15 minutes on it, the effort is worthwhile! There are different weights and designs and again it is personal choice but a 12kg should be perfect for most women and indeed men. For those who are stronger you can go as high as you like. A 12kg kettlebell will cost around £25, and prices depend on the weight.
There are loads of exercises you can do with a kettle bell, just tap ‘kettlebell workouts’ into google. Swings, snatches and deck squats are my favourite as they work the whole body.

A set of dumbbells
A set with three different weights is ideal, although unless you are a complete beginner with very poor strength you will rarely use the tiny ones. Many sets have a 1.5kg, 3kg and 5kg which is usually plenty, although you may need a heavier one as your strength increases. Using weights will not necessarily make us ‘bulk up’ they will tone and increase metabolism. A basic set of dumbbells costs upwards of £15, and nothing fancy is required, I find the plastic ones more comfortable to use than metal but try a couple in a sports shop to see what is best for you.
Again there are loads of different exercises to work your whole body, arms, shoulders, back, legs and core, and there are 100’s of demonstrations on the internet.

An exercise DVD.
And there are 100’s of them. Find one that appeals to you, fast paced, dancing, yoga, toning, whatever your level of fitness and likes and dislikes you will find something! My friend loves Davina McCall, I find her really irritating and like Kirsty Gallagher and a yoga one I can’t remember the name of! These provide a structure for your workout and save you thinking about what you need to include. They tend to take about an hour to complete so use when you can spare that bit extra time – if you only have 10 mins, get the skipping rope out!
Amazon have a really good selection, you don’t need to buy the latest release and some of the older ones are really cheap. You can also sell your old ones on here – use it like a swap shop so you can have a new one every couple of months without spending a fortune.

A good pair of trainers.
Yes, you can spend way over £30 on trainers, but it really isn’t necessary and you can buy a perfectly good pair for £30. For most people a good pair of cross-trainers are perfect, they need to be very comfy and provide good support. If you are particularly active in a certain activity (such as running or tennis) it may be worth buying a pair designed more specifically for this. Wearing trainers can help support our feet, knees and hips during exercise. Pop your trainers on and go for a good walk, even wear then to walk to work. Walking is a great all round exercise and you need nothing but your trainers!

One last thing (for women) a good sports bra is essential. And I mean essential, especially for anything that involves bouncing, skipping, jumping etc. Even if you are a small cup size, buy a sports bra!!!

Katie Brooke has worked in healthcare for over 10 years and writes a successful free newsletter to help busy women become, and remain, fit, healthy and slim….without much time or money! Her website contains information on diet, exercise, quick recipes and many other topics. For more information visit
http://busygirlsguide.webs.com/ or e-mail katie.brooke@btinternet.com