Ten Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy…Home Exercise Equipment
#10- It takes up too much space.
-If you’re a middle income family chances are you don’t live in a mansion. You’re cramped or semi-cramped into a 3 bedroom house with you and your 3 kids. Obviously the 3 bedrooms are taken, so that leaves the living room, dining room and garage. None of which were designed for an ackward machine to take up residence. Sure you can put it into the corner somewhere, but that leads me to the next number on our list.
#9- You forget it’s there.
-I know, I know. Some of you are saying, “How can I forget about this large and expensive piece of equipment?” Believe me, its possible. Sure you forked out the dough and you hauled it from the store to your house in your mid-sized sedan(I did it in a Honda Accord), but if you put it in a corner away from view, you will forget about it. Well, not at first. You’re excited about getting to use it, getting back into shape, and losing those way post pregnancy pounds so you jump on it once a day for 20 minutes. But after a while, between 3 kids, a house to clean, and a spouse to heckle with, you just can’t seem to find the time.
#8- You just don’t have the time.
-If you’re a mom, this one is pretty self-explanatory. You’ve stretched yourself in so many different directions you can’t seem to pull yourself back together for the 20 minutes you need to use the dratted thing. You take advantage of the fact that it’s there if you want to use it. Here is a suggestion, get a gym subscription. You might actually use it.
#7- They cost too much.
-When I say that I mean, for the family that already has too many financial obligations. For many Americans this is becoming more and more true by the year. You have credit cards to pay off, gas to put into your car, clothes to buy for your rapidly growing children, medical insurance to pay, groceries to buy, and the list goes on and on and on. Is it really worth the $300-$400 it costs to buy something you might only use for 2 months(this is coming from personal experience)?
#6- Gyms are cheaper.
-For the $400 or so that you spent on your now forgotten piece of equipment you could be enrolled in a gym. Gyms are filled with all different types of exercise gear, designed to target more of your problem areas than your single piece of equipment. Some gyms even offer day care! Oh my! This means you can work your glutes without worrying about your kids. That is motivation enough for some moms. Also, most of the time, gyms are running specials, so you might even pay less in the end.
#5- You lose motivation.
-For many moms the lack of emotional support is sad. There might not be anyone in your life you can turn to for the push and encouragement you need to stay on your diet and exercise program. For some of you, you might have a spouse who wants to get involved, but in many cases women don’t want to get advice from the the intimate men in their lives. Why is this? Well, the answer to that would be a totally different article. A suggestion for you under encouraged moms: go to the gym! No, I’m not on the payroll of any gym. I just know the importance of getting out of the house to a place with other people working on the same physical issues. You can get encouragement from staff and other women.
#4- Quality exercise equipment is not in your budget.
-When I quoted $300-$400 earlier, it was for the bargain basement store brand equipment. In order to buy the name brand university tested equipment you would have to dish out considerably more money than you have in your budget. You’ve got to remember that I’m speaking to the middle-class mother. Someone who wants to spend a little extra money on the salon hairdo, but opts for the sturdier shoes for her kids, shouldn’t have to hand over her hard saved money for something she can live without. Trust me, you can save yourself from months of heartache.
#3- Go outside.
-For the amount of money you pay for home exercise equipment you can buy yourself a sturdy, well designed pair of jogging shoes-and then some. Go outside!! Especially if you live in a perpetually warm climate, like California, you can take the time to take a walk outside and burn the same amount of calories you would on a treadmill, just walking to the park. If you have children, you can make this a family event. Take a walk to the corner store, pick up some low-fat ice cream, and walk back. Ta da! You have just completed an totally inexpensive exercise routine.
#2- Your body will thank you.
-If you actually get the motivation you need, leave your house, meet new people to exercise with, and live your daily life in a healthy way you have probably done it without the help of home exercise equipment. In some cases I could be wrong, but why take the chance?
Finally the #1 reason you shouldn’t buy home exercise equipment…drum roll please(the sound of me hitting my own tummy drum makes me giggle).
#1- Because I said so.
-I have been there, I have done that, and in the end I realize that buying that elliptical machine wasn’t the brightest thing that I could have done. I put my family further into debt, it is gathering dust, and all I ever hear anymore is, “You need to exercise more”. If I actually followed my own advice, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here writing this article. I would be outside taking a walk with my 14 month old daughter, and I would be much healthier because of it. FIN.
