Equipment

I live in a rural area where there are NO sidewalks. Just lots of narrow roads and crazy drivers. They're either seniors (this is a retirement area), or drunk, or bored and I'd be a target. So I needed to find someway to exercise INDOORS.  Friends swear by this weird contraption to the left, called an  Elevated Urban Rebounder Trampoline . Notice it leans at an angle. But if you want to change the legs you can use it LEVEL as well. (See level version below). There's a reason for that. Watch the video below to see why!


Then there is the plain old Urban Rebounder that ONLY stands level. I haven't been able to find replacement legs if you already have the old version. But visit their page and email them for more info.

The vertical stabilizatoin bars, by the way, are there for balance and stabilization, but they wobble a bit because they're NOT designed for you to hang ontot them for dear life. You're just supposed to loosely grasp them while you learn to balance.

So don't complain that they move around a bit. They're supposed to. If you can't balance with them, then find something with a sturdier bar or join a gym. Seriously. Your health and safety comes first. If you're okay with a little wobble on your way to being skinny, then go for it!

Surf around. The link above will take you to Amazon.com where I'll make a whole .34 cents if you buy it there (Amazon's affiliate referral program), but you can find it cheaper elsewhere. So COMPARE PRICES. Amazon wants $140 for the Urban Rebounder AND three videos, but I've seen better deals on the home shopping network, like the rebounder, the stabilizer bar AND 10 videos for $99. So take your time and shop around. I've ordered mine and am waiting for it to arrive, so no review yet, but check back in a couple of weeks.

Yes, there are gyms, but I'd have to drive there, go on their hours and pay $75 a month (yes, they cost that much here even with a one-year membership) to join. At least this way I can SELL my equipment if this venture is a bust. Or if I have a heart attack and die my friends can sell it and buy enough pizza and beer to drown their sorrows over my quest for good health killing me. Whatever.

I've also invested in a Gold's Gym Home Bungie system from Walmart. I paid $20 for it, but now I see you can get the DVD of the workout with it for $25, online. That's it on the left. The two ends hook onto any door in your house. You just attach the triangle looking things to do your exercises. There are about 40 different things you can do, from curls to flys, to presses etc. The different colored bands give you different resistances. For the person just starting out, these are great, and you WILL SWEAT if you do it right. I can tell a difference. I LOVE these. I have them in my office and when I get stressed I get up and workout real quick. You can do legs, arms, and core exercises with these.

I also have a series of weights, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 pound weights. Also got them at Walmart. Who the heck wants to pay shipping on weights?!! They're about $2 to $15 per barbell. Or, check Craigslist and your want-ads for a set of used weights. They're weights right? How much can someone screw them up? I've seen 100 pounds of used weights go for as little as $10. People who quit exercising just want this stuff out of their house. I picked up an $84 stair stepper (brand new) at a garage sale for $10!!! Look around. You can get equipped for under $100. My splurge was the rebounder...$99 and shipping. But Walmart has some great deals on weights, balls, cords and other stuff, and you can always just walk, or find some stairs. My outdoor exercise is walking up and down the driveway (steep) to the road.