Setting up a home gym

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were finally financially secure enough to build our dream house.

  • We’d spent the first eight years of our marriage living in a very cramped apartment in the city.

With three kids and a dog, the apartment was crowded. We hated the lack of privacy, constant noise and steady traffic. We were very anxious to provide our kids their own rooms and a big yard to play in. I was excited to have a big kitchen, a master bathroom and plenty of closet space. There were some drawbacks of moving out of the city. I was accustomed to having lots of restaurants, theaters, salons and all sorts of amenities within walking distance. I’d maintained a membership at the same gym since before I got married. It was super convenient to walk down the street and have access to a wide array of fitness equipment. I really enjoyed taking group classes, swimming and soaking in the hot tub. The gym included a huge inventory of treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals, rowing machines and stairmasters. There were all kinds of opportunities for strength training. I now live too far from the gym to make a membership worthwhile. I don’t have the time to make the drive and also spend an hour working out. By necessity, I’ve turned a spare bedroom into a home gym. Because fitness equipment is so expensive, it has taken a while to outfit my home gym. I started with a jump rope, yoga mat and some free weights. I’ve added a treadmill, resistance bands, weight bench and kettlebells. I’m now saving toward a stationary bike.

Yoga classes