“My mom picks me up.” Can you think of a better reason to be a strong mother?
If you’re a new mom, a stay at home mom, or just trying to save some money by cutting out a gym membership, you might want to consider the following pieces of budget friendly tools for at home strength training.
You’re going to need light dumbbells and resistance bands in order to weight train at home. A bench, step + risers, or a strong supportive chair, coffee table, or sofa, are all great tools that you may already own and that can be used for at home strength training.
Bands and dumbbells come in a range of weights/tensions, from light to heavy.
You might do fine with a set of 5 lb and 10 lb dumbbells, maybe more if you’re stronger. I’ve seen light dumbbells and bands at discount department stores and sporting good stores. Google and Craigslist are your friends, so use the Internet to scour for the best deals. Garage sales are usually good for finding the best deals on weights.
You could also fill up used 1/2 gallon and gallon milk containers with water and use them as “dumbbells,” or fill them with sand to make them heavier.
In my book, Stay At Home Strong, I cover a variety of exercises using both bands and dumbbells.
Resistance bands: I’ve bought bands from Black Mountain Products and was very happy with their customer service. Of course, other sites like Amazon.com (online) or Walmart, Target, etc. may sell them as well. My book has full length workout videos that you get along with your purchase of Stay At Home Strong showing you how to use these bands for at home training.
Steps or a bench: Use the steps in your apartment complex or home for step ups if you don’t own or have access to the step+risers I use in my workout videos.
Your mobile phone, computer, or T.V. : If you like moving along with fitness DVDs, you can always rent one from your local library before you decide to buy.
Fitness Blender is another online resource for do-along workouts that you can customize for free. You can also download a free circuit training workout App, like SworkIt for your phone.
Turn it off, power it down, and go for a walk. If what your body needs is just to MOVE and get some fresh air, put on your walking or running shoes, and hit the road. Walking really is great exercise and is probably the most budget friendly of all activities. Or go to the playground and chase your kids around and play, skip, hop and do what feels good. Physical activity doesn’t always have to involve barbells, machines, power cages, and dumbbells, after all. And it certainly shouldn’t break the bank.
For the complete package of training, nutrition, and at home exercises for busy moms, check out my publication (available for instant download): Stay At Home Strong!
Sumi Singh is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor in Austin, TX, an online diet coach, and the author of Stay at Home Strong.
Her training website is www.shailafitness.com and she can be contacted for personalized diet coaching directly from here.
