Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 7 July 2015 | Page 19

As with anything, cost is based on what and how much
you buy. Your choice of equipment should be based
on your objectives – perhaps you want to lose weight,
increase your cardio fitness, do strength training or a
combination of all. Also think about how often you will
be using your home gym and be honest with yourself.
Know your limitations and keep your expectations
realistic. If you work away from home all day and travel a
lot, then perhaps consider a modest selection of effective
equipment such as a set of dumbbells. Choose the three
weights you think you’ll use most often, like five, 10 and
15 kg, for example, or a good quality adjustable set that
allows more than one user to chop and change weight
scales. Compact, easy to use and store and effective in
small spaces, dumbbells provide a virtually unlimited
palette of exercise options and should be part of every
home gym.

A good quality exercise ball is another must have
accessory for the modest, start-up gym. Offering a host of
different exercise options such as abdominal crunches,
squats, hamstring curls and body bridges, a ball can really
help with poor balance and low core strength. Those
working from or spending more time at home have
greater reason to purchase more of the bigger apparatus.
A treadmill and cycle machine is the obvious choice for
runners and cyclists, but know what you’re getting into
first. Some treadmills feel like you’re running on a slab of
concrete, while others feel like running through a fluffy
field, and the cost variation can be huge. Similarly, the
latest cycling machines have a number of offerings, such
as different gradient scales to imitate uphill pursuits,
gadgets to keep you cool