Creating My Home Gym

Forget exercising, the pain I experience from Fibromyalgia, Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Endometriosis makes just getting to the gym an exhausting workout.  Yet, I needed to do something, so I created a home gym. In order to keep myself accountable, I recruited my daughter and a friend to join me twice a week.

My gym

My home gym consists of three stations.  The first is a Rowing Machine with 12 Adjustable Resistance by Sunny Health & Fitness for some cardio.  This machine works my whole body and has proven to be beneficial in loosening my abdominal adhesions.  The second is a Wagan EL2273 Mini Stepper Master for more cardio.  The reason I chose the stepper over a treadmill is that the act of walking pulls my hip and lower back muscles and causes them to torture my sacrum, but stepping in place does not.  The third station is for muscle toning and stretching.  I have a Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball, yoga mat, and 2lb weights along with a chart of different exercises for us to choose from.  We each pick a station to start at and then rotate stations every 5 minutes.  How many times we rotate depends upon each person’s ability or desire.

The perks of having a home gym

The best part of having a home gym is being able to stop and rest when needed.  If I need to lie down, I can.  Plus I don’t have put my body through the stress of going to and from a gym.  Because of this I am able to workout longer than if I had to drive to and from a gym.  Also, since the gym is at my house I can workout whenever I am able to.  Even though my friend, daughter, and I have committed to two specific days of the week to workout together, my body doesn’t always adhere to schedules. If I am having a really bad day and can’t even attempt a minute or two of exercise, I don’t have to cancel.  Instead I can cheer my daughter and friend on while giving my body the rest it is demanding.

No more excuses

Having a home gym eliminates the amount of excuses I could find to not exercise.  Whether I like it or not, exercising, even if for just a few minutes a day is important.  I am not a glutton for punishment. I won’t push my body to workout when just taking a few steps between my bed and bathroom makes me feel like I just ran 5 miles.  With a home gym I find I am willing to workout at pain levels that would have kept me from driving to a gym. I couldn’t even use the excuse that I didn’t have a spare room for my equipment as the pieces I chose all fold flat and fit in my hall closet when not in use.

Would having a home gym make exercising a little less painful for you? Amazon has a great selection of home exercise equipment at affordable prices.  If you workout from home, what are your favorite forms of exercise?

Next week I will share how I prepare for my workouts in order to lower my after workout pain level and how I recover from them.  If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to have my blog posts delivered to your email every Thursday.

Wishing you a day filled with many reasons to smile,

The Disabled Diva