Achieve Total Fitness At Home With These Cheap Fitness Equipment Favorites

There’s no need to shell out between $500 and $800 per year for a gym membership (that’s the average cost in 2010, though people in big cities will tell you they pay a lot more) plus more on top of that for a personal trainer. Just turn your place into a perfectly private workout space. Sure, there aren’t any expensive machines, but there’s also no waiting in line and no wiping off other people’s sweat.

There's No Place Like Home

But you might be wondering—can a woman really get a full workout at home? “That’s how I do it,” says Mandy Ingber, a Los Angeles-based yoga instructor who coaches fitness-inspiring figures as Jennifer Aniston. Ingber's advice: Make the room or corner where you’ll work out as distraction-free as possible. You might even want to add candles or fresh flowers, and anything else to entice you into the area. Her one caveat: “Without a trainer there, you are going to have to pay a little more attention to how the alignment of your body feels, or looks (if you have a mirror).”

Freebies Are Everywhere

The recommended activity guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine don’t call for a rowing machine anyway, just some form of cardio and strength training. Debi Pillarella, an American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, does suggest one particular piece of equipment, though: a notebook, so you can keep a log of your workouts and your measurable results so you’ll be less likely to cheat. That, and a DVD player. For guidance, remember to load up your Netflix Instant queue with workout shows and check out the hundreds of free videos on ExerciseTV. You’ll save cash and still lose inches. So go ahead—get sweaty.

Click through our slide show for our favorite home workout  equipment!

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