The One Piece of Exercise Equipment I Use

I don't like gyms. They make me feel self-conscious. My house doesn't. I'm comfortable here. I want to work out here, not there. When I made the decision to start eating better and doing a little exercise here and there, I knew that would be a problem. Running and walking can be an issue as I have a fear of dogs and no one in Tennessee knows how to keep theirs on a leash. I needed something inexpensive that would help me get in shape at home, inside.

I went to the mecca of health and fitness supplies, Wal-Mart. Knowing absolutely nothing about anything, I stared at the fitness equipment aisle, eying some dumbbells but not making a move toward the 10-pound set until the other guys in the aisle left. I bought those along with a set of ankle weights, while my wonderful girlfriend purchased a set that included resistance bands and a jump rope.

I quickly found out that the ankle weights didn't fit and the dumbbells did practically nothing. I liked the resistance bands, though. I used the hell out of those things. And because I used the hell out of them, I started noticing that they weren't exactly made of extremely high quality. So I looked around for another solution.

Enter Bodylastics. I've had my Bodylastics set for a few weeks now and love them to death. You can use them to recreate practically any cable machine exercise in the gym, they are easier on your joints than free weights, and if you drop them on your foot, your foot doesn't explode (I imagine foot explosions are common in gyms. Like I said, I don't go.), and they take up about as much space as a couch pillow. Oh, and did I mention that it's inexpensive, too?

My set was about $50, and allows for anywhere from 5 pounds to 134 pounds resistance for exercises. The Bodylastics people also run liveexercise.com, where they have live workout shows that are also recorded and stored online for you to view, completely free of charge.

If you're looking for a way to get a complete body exercise in your own home without shelling out hundreds or thousands for a home gym (and a new room to store the machine in), check out Bodylastics. You can pick up resistance bands from a lot of stores, but believe me, spend a few extra dollars for the quality.

I would like to caution those interested: if you use all the bands at once, it can look like you're exercising in Nyan Cat's wake. Seriously though, check out Bodylastics' webpage -- the FAQ, the exercises, everything. I like them so much I'm considering getting a set just to keep at my job to use on breaks.

Man, I hope my boss doesn't read this...