After more than a year of having our house under construction, nearly all of the rooms have come back together. And as I have always wanted in our house, we finally have an exercise room.
Previously, this space had been the kids’ playroom. However, now that they are older, they don’t really need such a big space for holding toys they no longer play with–and which we no longer own. What they need is a “hang out” space, and an area in our new construction is more appropriate for that.
So, I’ve finally got my exercise room and we were able to furnish it on a frugal budget.
For starters we already owned our treadmill. I was walking on it and watching the “Today Show” on September 11, 2001. So, yeah, we’ve had it for a long time. Naturally, it is in our new exercise room.
In addition, we have a recumbent exercise bike and an elliptical machine, both of which we purchased for a song on Liquidations.com, the website stores send their returns or overruns to. These pieces of exercise equipment were on the same palette as the furniture we bought to furnish the kids new hang-out space. Total spent including renting the truck to pick everything up in New Jersey at the Liquidations depot? About $400.
We also have free weights, handed down or leftover from earlier exercise purchases (such as the treadmill), a dynaband (from physical therapy I needed for my knees back in 1992), a step, and the Wii Fit.
Finally, it is in the exercise room where we have set up the Tivo. Thankfully, the newest season of “The Biggest Loser” is on again. I have a season pass to record it, and it is my program of choice to watch when I exercise. I can’t justify giving up when I’m watching these contestants go through these grueling workouts on the TV in front of me. I can also watch Exercise TV in this room.
Of course, I still walk my dog on a regular basis as part of my exercise program–free exercise program, that is–but now that the weather is getting colder and the days shorter, I’m thrilled to have a dedicated space where I can get my heart rate up and continue to ensure that my jeans fit–and not have to drive anywhere or pay any kind of monthly fee (save for the Tivo subscription) in order to exercise.
What kind of dedicated space do you have in your home, if you have one, for exercise?
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
My house is teeny teeny tiny. 1100 sf, or thereabouts. 2BR, 1 BA, so no dedicated space. I can move the coffee table to do yoga, cardio DVDs, or use my mat for pushups and other exercises.
But I live in So Cal, so the outdoors is only a few steps away. I ride my bike to work (9.7 miles?) 2x a week.
You are lucky to have good weather year round and the ability to ride to work. I am impressed that you do that! Thanks for posting.
We live in our RV half the year, so we have to have very frugal, functional and lightweight gear. We have exercise bands that we picked up at the Goodwill, a Thermarest pad that doubles as a workout pad, and running shoes.
For the rig, that’s about it, but at home, we have a stairmaster we got for $50, a used but excellent Nautilus weight set we got for $200 way back when, and free free weights.
Shopping at secondhand stores is GREAT for picking up exercise gear, especially just before the holidays when everyone’s given up on their regiment!
You can also make out well with exercise equipment that you find at yard sales!
Leah
Over the years, I have used spare rooms, walkways and more than once the garage for my workout “spa”. Basically, I have a stationary bike (purchased with credit card points about 10 years ago), a nicely padded bench to lay on ($99 about 20 years ago), a straight bar and dumbbells with about 150 lbs of total weight (purchased on sale here and there over the years), and an exercise mat for yoga and stretching. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done.
Right now people anticipate everything to be quick and easy. Regrettably when it comes to exercise and exercise equipment we do actually have to put in some effort to get any obvious benefits. If you put no effort in guess what’ll you’ll get? Absolutely nothing!