Willpower, the hardest thing to exercise
I love the gym. It’s my happy place.
It’s basically the one place where I can get away from my children and husband and do something that’s just for me.
But the struggle to get out of bed at 5.20am is becoming very, very real.
It’s moments like these that make me wish I had a home gym.
The ability to roll out of bed, slap on some activewear, and wander into my own workout space at a time that suits me is very appealing during winter.
Over lockdown, I bought some basic exercise equipment online to help keep myself motivated when I couldn’t go to the gym.
I was incredibly surprised just how easy it was to get the basics delivered – and how affordable it was.
A yoga mat and a set of booty bands from one online store, a kettlebell and a pair of dumbbells from another, and I had most of the ingredients I needed to create a range of challenging full-body workouts.
Secondhand gear is also a great way to set up a home gym, especially if you’re just testing it
OPINION:
out. A friend of mine scored basically an entire home gym for less than $100 because she happened to be in the right place (Neighbourly) at the right time.
Access to workouts is so easy without having to go to the gym these days.
Online coaches are everywhere, as are YouTube fitness channels, fitness apps, and social media influencers.
Thanks to the rise of working from home, fitness powerhouses like Les Mills even offer online subscriptions.
To supplement that at-home fitness with in-person interaction, running and walking groups are easy to set up in your local neighbourhood, and many communities are lucky enough to have affordable group classes like yoga and bootcamp in local halls and parks.
For an extra challenge, you could even invite a personal trainer around to your place once a week to really feel the burn.
My dream home gym would include a spin bike, TRX band, a bosu ball, and a full selection of dumbbells and kettlebells.
It would be in a dedicated studio out the back or in the garage where equipment could stay out permanently (definitely not in the lounge where I’d have to pack everything away so my kids didn’t ‘‘accidentally’’ throw a weight through a window).
I’d install a TV on the wall so my YouTube instructor could yell at me without me having to crane my neck to see my phone, and I’d have a good sound system so I could drown out my inner monologue telling me I should go back to bed.
And then, after my home gym was fully assembled and ready to go, I’d just have to conjure up enough willpower to get up in the mornings and actually use it.