Lifting Weights at Home

Exercising at home is the perfect solution for many people. Here are the main reasons why working out at home makes sense:

• You live too far from a gym. Although more than 13,000 fitness centers exist in this country, not everybody lives near one of them. If you don’t live or work within ten minutes of a club, lifting weights at home may be your best option. Or if you can afford it, not only join a club that you can get to on days when you have time, but also invest in some basic weight the drive (preferably choose an active way to get to the gym; that way you’ll already be warmed up).
• Your schedule. If your club doesn’t have childcare or you can’t leave the house for some other reason, buying your own equipment makes sense. The same applies if you work unusual hours and the gym’s schedule doesn’t jive with yours. If your den is equipped with dumbbells and a bench, you can exercise at 6 a.m. on Sunday if you want.
  
• You’re self-conscious. If you can’t bear the thought of exercising in front of other people — or just need a little time to get used to what you look like in a pair of athletic shorts — by all means, work out at home. Videos, DVDs, or personal trainers give you instruction and help keep you motivated. However, don’t let self-consciousness keep you away from a club for too long if you have other compelling reasons to go. For the most part, health club members are too busy looking at themselves in the mirror to notice what you look like.
• You don’t like crowds. Some people simply like to be alone with their dumbbells.