Alternatives to the gym: Small steps into fitnesss

Our newest expert, personal trainer Amy Marlow, gives us her insights into getting more active.

Amy says:

Thanks for the lovely welcome last week – it’s great to be part of such a supportive community.

If you feel that venturing into a gym might be a step too far in your fitness programme at the moment that doesn’t mean you can’t have an effective workout.

This week I’ve been having a wander around some of the leading supermarkets to see just what there is on offer to help you exercise at home.

Supermarkets really have embraced fitness in recent years – recognising that not everyone wants to workout in a gym or has access to beach boot camps or park fitness sessions.

And as an introduction to fitness the range on offer is impressive.

I started my perusal of fitness equipment in the tinned section – a couple of cans make perfectly good weights when you are starting out on the fitness trail. There is no need to invest in expensive, ergonomic weights to begin with just line up the tins and you can do plenty of exercises with these.

But back to the fitness aisles and I was right back in my childhood looking at the skipping ropes. For just a few pounds you can add this to your home circuit and boy can you easily raise your heartbeat with a little skipping – and most importantly it’s great fun.

The next item to catch my eye was a medicine ball – it doesn’t need to be heavy and if you are starting out a football will certainly suffice – if you have kids I’m sure they won’t mind you borrowing the ball for a quick workout. As you get more confident a 3kg ball will be really useful.

And for everyday use supermarkets have a great selection of pedometers so you can see how many steps you are taking each day – set yourself higher goals each week and really see those results as the numbers rise on pedometer.

A gym ball is the final piece of fitness equipment to complete your starter home gym – it’s great to improve balance and tone key areas of your body as you lose that weigh – I wouldn’t be without mine.

Next week we’ll get our home gym up to speed with a few gentle exercises to get you started – clear some space and we will be ready to go.

Tweet me @ELFFitness

(Image credit: Ambro / www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1499)