So not to look like a simple advert for Nike Free 5.0 I’ll recommend some other foot ware for a variety of occasions. Terra Plana – ‘Vivo Barefoot’, Vibram – ‘Five Fingers’ and Onitsuka – Tiger ‘Tai chi’ to name but a few. Any shoe with multi-planar mobility will do. Slippers often fit that bill too!!

N.B. Mobile foot ware is best used periodically at first to allow for the change and increased motion. It is also prudent to re-educate the joints of the foot precisely with either professional advice or a structured foot mobility program. Z Health Certified Trainer, to train on your own use the Quick Start or Z Health R-Phase DVD.

Tiger - Tai Chi

So how do you get a quality workout at home?

Don’t have access to a gym? Can’t afford to join one? Don’t have the time? There’s lots of reason why people don’t exercise, but not having access to a gym is actually not a good one! Indeed, once you start thinking about it, there are plenty of ways to stay in shape without joining a gym.

The key to gym free fitness is to stop thinking along traditional lines. Of course it would be easier if you could join a class or have a huge range of cables, freeweights and medicine balls, kettlebells available to you, but even without them you can have great workouts. Look at martial artists, kettlebell users, pilates and yoga enthusiasts, they can excel with minimal equipment.

While working out at a fully equipped gym or health club is great, there is also a certain freedom to working out at home – no driving time, no crowds, you do it when you want, and you never have to wait for a piece of equipment to come free!

Plus of course you can listen to your favorite music!

Let’s look at some of your options.

The Workouts

Working out without an expensive gym doesn’t mean you should be restricted in your choices. Indeed, you’ll likely find yourself doing things you would never have done otherwise.

Cardio:

There’s loads of great choices for cardio workouts. These are the main ones:

Walking or running: All you need for this is a good pair of  mobile shoes. Research shows that walking or running three times a week for at least twenty minutes is a great base for overall conditioning, with either a brisk walk or easy jogging effective in getting your heart rate going sufficiently.

Other methods of achieving a good home-based cardio workout include:

• Stair climbing
• Kettlebell Circuit
• Skipping
• Mini-trampoline
• Martial arts (boxing, kickboxing, etc)
• Home versions of gym cardio machines – a stationary bike or stepper for example. These don’t have to be expensive – there are always loads for sale in local newspapers, at garage sales, or on e-bay.

If you are buying equipment for home use, look for good quality equipment, and choose a machine that you enjoy using – too many homes have stationary bikes or treadmills that are used for nothing more demanding that hanging the ironing!

Alternatively you could put on your favourite music and dance, or use a keep fit video of some kind (Kettlebells, aerobics, yoga, Pilates etc).

Resistance training covers all areas of strength training – free weights, bodyweight, Kettlebells, punch/kick bag, cable, TRX (suspension ropes) or resistance bands.

TRX Suspended Push Up

Resistance training should be a regular part of any exercise program, and it’s easy to achieve at home. If you have the money and space, a few dumbbells will allow you to do a whole range of resistance exercises for the whole body. Or try resistance bands – they are surprisingly effective, particularly if you also get a video or DVD that shows you how to use them.

Another piece of equipment that will add a great deal to your home workouts is an exercise ball. They are infinitely adaptable, and are not just for core work – they make a great substitute for a bench with many exercises.

Finally, if you have absolutely no equipment, you can still get a good resistance workout using just your body weight – the following exercises would form the basis of an excellent workout:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Calf-raises
• Push-ups (or modified push ups)
• Wall push-ups/Counter height push-ups
• Chair triceps dip
• Curls (holding anything!)
• Abs bridge (two legs/one leg)
• Crunches

If you’re not sure how to do any of these exercises, just Google them – there’s plenty of sites with good illustrations and descriptions.

The beauty of working out at home is that you can do it whenever you want – even in front of the TV if you have to keep yourself up to date, though focus on your workout is ideal. It’s amazing how much easier a set of crunches are when you’re working out to ‘Eye of the Tiger’!

So if lack of funds or opportunity is holding you back from working out, it’s time to be imaginative. Once you start to look for ways to workout at home, it becomes easy.

On recent trip to Phoenix I thought I’d fill my travel time with a short book that I had been recommended to read by Dr Cliff Oliver several years ago, so it was finally time I got round to it. A must read for anyone interested in enjoying the ride whilst learning new things or achieving the highest levels in anything in life!

The book is by Aikido master George Leonard, and is written with the intention of setting out the pathway to mastering all endeavours in life, not simply Aikido. In todays fast paced and results orientated world we can get to hooked up on progressing to the next thing and the next thing with ever taking the time and engaging in the deep practice needed to master one practice. Whether that is a sport such as Aikido or a habit such as eating, a new hobby or even a new relationship. They all have similar though processes in common, the mindset of dedication and enjoyment of the practice itself, not simply the getting to the final goalpost!

In this simple yet powerful reflection, Leonard describes the 5 Essential Keys to Mastery, the tools needed to achieve such a state, how to master your athletic potential and the three personality types that are obstacles to mastery and how to avoid these pitfalls along the path and more… Click the image to have look at the book!