Perks of Having a Home Gym

Good morning!

Last night I got sucked even further into Under the Dome by Steven King and didn’t end up putting it down until 1:30am! Now I’m almost halfway through. This book is massive! It’s over 1000 pages long. This might take me a while. So, of course, I didn’t end up rolling out of bed this morning until 11am, much to my guinea pig’s dismay.

I’m feeling a bit out of sorts this morning. I’m really tired and my body is so sore from my workout yesterday. I think it’ll be smart to take it easy today with just some stretching and light yoga. I also have a doctor’s appointment later (just a check-up), so that also kind of puts a downer on the day. Also, last night I had a pretty intense heartfelt conversation with Brent on the phone and now I’m really emotionally drained as well. I’m super excited for him to come up to spend the weekend with me tomorrow, though. We’re celebrating his 24th birthday!

Yesterday while I was working out, I realized how much I love that my parents have a home gym. It’s seriously so convenient, although I never really used it too much before now. We actually bought the house with the gym all set up downstairs, it wasn’t our equipment to begin with. I guess the people that used to live here were seriously obsessed with staying healthy, but we have everything.

I really like that the gym is located in our semi-furnished basement, because the temperature is really cool down there – perfect for working out!

Here are all the free weights you will ever need. Complete with… tissues?

Reebok Body Trec elliptical. Yes, this thing is old, but it still works!

Leg raise machine. This is what it looks like if any of you were confused as to what a leg raise machine was when I’m talking about my workouts.

This is our awesome weight machine. I have no idea what it’s called or what company makes it. All I know is that we call it “the big yellow machine” and it’s my favorite thing in the world.

Our stationary bike.

Treadmill. It’s kind of janky, but it also still works! It actually works so well that it doesn’t turn off.

Yup. Our workout room comes complete with a gigantic mirror. Not my favorite feature of the room, let me tell you. We have the TV, too, but that doesn’t work.

And… all the workout equipment you could ever think of or need! A jumprope, yoga mat and brick, mini trampoline, two exercise balls, speakers for my iPod, a thigh master, resistance bands, tennis balls, and even boxing gloves.

Having a home gym is basically the best thing ever.

Perks of Having a Home Gym:

I can wear whatever I want to workout. I could work out naked! I don’t. But I could.
No wiping down the machines after you use them! I’m the only person in my family who actually uses these machines, so it’s definitely not necessary.
I can grunt and groan as much and as loudly as I want. I lift things up and put them down.
No feeling like other people are staring at you and judging you. I can get completely in the zone because I’m all by myself. I can even do new-to-me workouts and not care if I look stupid because nobody is watching.
I don’t have to fumble around with my iPod. I can just plug my music into the speakers and play it as loud as I want. I hate having to figure out where to put my iPod while I’m working (like tucking it into the waistband of my shorts) and how the earbuds tend to slip out when you get super sweaty. Having a home gym completely eliminates this problem!
It’s open 24/7 and none of the machines are ever taken!
It’s completely okay to work out for 20 minutes and then leave. I would feel pressured to stay longer than I wanted to at a gym since I had to drive there and everything. At home, I can do a quick workout and leave or I could even go back multiple times in a day if I want to break it up into chunks.