To gym or not to gym?

Raise your hand if you pay monthly for a gym membership you use less than once a month!

Yeah. That's me.

This is why I started adding up how much Jason & I pay a month for the gym and how many months of membership fees it would take to just purchase what we needed for use at home. After all, we have a spare bedroom we could clear up for workout space and then there's no excuses about not wanting to have to "get out" or not having time. And so, we have cancelled our membership.

So I'm thinking a yoga mat & ball, medicine ball, resistance band, aerobic step and some weights? My old coach, Kate Martini-Freeman, also suggested the bosu ball which I think is pretty fantastic.

Jason would like to add a bench and some heavier dumbbells to the list.

First, I'm going to see if I can find some of these things on Freecycle. If you haven't tried out Freecycle, I highly encourage it. It is exactly as it sounds. Freecycle might make the home gym very possible and affordable.

Imagine how much we'll save not paying for a membership we rarely use!

Now the question is, will I be able to stay motivated at home?

Strength Training?

When we first joined Team In Training, our cross training nights involved Strength Training. We're talking all those humbling exercises that show you how sad your stabilizer muscles and core strength really is. Planks and bridges, man. Planks and bridges.

Anyhow, we actually did make it to the gym a few days ago and I tried some of those strength moves again with the addition of a few new things I watched/read that are supposed to be helpful for runners.

When I say "tried" I really mean "sampled". I figure it was a start and it did encourage me toward the idea of supplying myself with the basic equipment necessary to do these workouts at home...away from the scrutinizing and curious eyes of the other women and men of the gym. I don't know why but it really messes with my focus when others are walking around me as I lay on the ground trying to lift my hips into the air and squeeze my glutes.

More on home gym later.