Today you guys are in for a real treat! While I’m off sweating and shaking my booty at the Zumba Convention, my friend Jen at Family, Food, Fitness & Fun is taking over the blog to tell you all about how she works out (and got in crazy awesome shape) all by working out at home without any fancy equipment. Jen totally rocks and if you’re not already a fan of her blog you totally need to check her out!
If you know me, you know I’m a bit of a fitness freak. I love to workout. Most people look at me like I’m crazy when I say that. I don’t blame them, I felt the same way about exercise just a few years ago.
Before I had kids, I would drag my behind to the gym every day, dreading my 45 minute run on the treadmill. Or if it wasn’t the treadmill, it was free weights. Has any other woman out there tried lifting free weights in a male-dominated gym? Talk about awkward. The stares, the comments. Please. Oh,and did I mention the insane amount of money I had to shell out each month just to “belong” to the gym?! Overall, my gym experience wasn’t a good one.
Then I had kids….3 of them. During those long months of pregnancy, I let myself go. I used the excuse, “I’m eating for two!” quite often. But after 3 pregnancies, that “eating for two” caught up with me. I had gained a lot of weight and I knew I needed to get back into my fitness routine.
I thought about joining a gym again, but based on my experience in the past, and the fact that I would have to drag 3 little kids there each day, I knew I had to exercise at home. Perhaps hiring a personal trainer? Ummm….not on a stay-at-home-mom income! But what was I going to do? I owned a treadmill, so I hopped on that every day for my 30 – 45 minute run. After a while, that got old and boring, and I wasn’t seeing the results I was longing for. I needed something more.
I went out and bought some free weights, but I didn’t know enough “moves” to make it effective. One can only do so many bicep curls, lateral raises, and squats before that gets boring too. Then a friend mentioned to me that she was enjoying one of her new workout videos she just purchased. A workout what? You mean there are people out there who can show me how to workout at home without paying insane amounts of personal training fees? Hmmmm….perhaps this is something I should consider.
So that’s what I did. I bought my first workout video for about $60. It was a 90 day bootcamp-style workout. Cardio, strength, and ab workouts. Immediately I was hooked. And the best part, I was seeing the results! I was getting leaner, tighter, and stronger every week. The pounds were dropping like flies and I began to feel myself again.
After completing that workout, I went and bought another, more advanced video. I saw even greater results. For the first time in my life, I actually had a 6-pack abs!
I looked forward to my workouts each and every morning. They were invigorating, motivating, but most of all, they were fun. Who knew working out could be fun?! And all of this from the comfort of my own home.
To this day, I still look forward to my workout each morning. It’s my time when no one else bothersme….they are still sleeping!
My home gym is a pretty simple setup: free weights, treadmill, bench, fitness ball, and mats.
And of course there are my videos!
Don’t get me wrong, the gym is still a great place to workout. I take group exercise classes from time to time at our local community centre just it mix it up a little. But right now, for me, my home gym is my favourite place to exercise!
Thanks so much Jen! Isn’t she awesome!? I can’t believe she didn’t even mention that she is in the new ChaLean Extreme infomercial!!! We don’t seem to get it here in Canada but if you see it on in the middle of the night you should watch it just to see her segment! I’ve tried finding it online but no luck 