Gyms certainly aren’t for everyone. Outside the high membership fees, gyms can be either intimidating or simply not your idea of a fun way to get fit. So to that I say…no gym, no problem. Stand up all you DIY RADicals. You can build a gym right in your very own home. And guess what? You can build it on just about any budget. So no excuses. Commit to get fit at the crib.

OPTION 1: FREE

Use what you got to get what you want! Gone are the days of having to drop cash in order to drop pounds.

Recycle for Fitness. Next time you down a bottle of water don’t toss it…fill it. Jam anything you can manage into the spout. Pennies, sand, anything that can create some weight. Now use those DIY hand weights to do traditional strength training exercises; bicep curls, squats, overhead press etc. I see you EcoFit RADical!

Shake What Yo Momma Gave Ya. Any heart pumping activity that gets your heart rate going is considered cardio, so use those 206 body parts in a way that is F-R-E-E. My favorite cardio workout sans equipment is locking and loading my favorite booty shaking playlist, turning the volume up, and doing a 30 minute circuit of 30 jumping jacks, 30 high knees, and 1 minute of funky freestyle dancing. I do this circuit over and over until I am either out of breath from the butterfly or from laughing. Try it! So fun, so efficient, so free.

Surf the Web. And then there was the internet! On days when you have no energy, no motivation, and no time to workout, log on to your comp and let “www” work you out. There are so many workout videos on the internet you could do a different workout everyday for a whole year if you wanted! I love love Exercise.com and Workoutz.com…each have thousands of free videos available to stream 24/7. So Google that!

OPTION 2: $20-100

The Basics. A little bit can go a long ways. The sky is the limit once you own this minimal amount of equipment.

Top Three Toning Tools. Three super cheap tools you need to tone up are, an exercise mat ($10-30), resistance bands ($8-12 each) and/or hand weights ($15-20 per set). Both the resistance bands and hand weights can be bought in either sets or separately. I always see both resistance bands and weights on the low low at TJMaxx, Ross, Marshall’s etc. No matter what, when shopping be sure to make your money last by buying a resistance level or amount of pounds that are challenging but not unbearable; that way as your strength increases your equipment can grow with you. Basically don’t waste your dinero on 3lbs weights…opt for weights in the 5-8lb range.

Jump To It. Take it back to the 3rd grade and snag yourself a jump rope ($8-15). Depending on intensity, jumping rope can burn 11-20 calories per minute…same as jogging for the same amount of time. Hello. Not into jumping rope, invest in a step ($30-75). It’s dual function is definitely worth it…use it for cardio drills or as a exercise bench.

Red Carpet Ready. Name a celebrity that doesn’t have a fitness DVD out. Definitely a trend, and a lot of them are actually worth the investment. Couple this with all the nations top fitness gurus pumping out DVD’s constantly and you can build yourself a serious library. However, I say borrow before you buy. There are tons of titles out there on Netflix, so rent away!

OPTION 3: $100-500+

Worth the splurge. Investments that are worth the return.

Balancing Buddies. Makeover your workouts by throwing yourself of balance. Literally. Here are my two favorite pieces of equipments that challenge your balance and work your core in a major way. 1-Stability Ball ($12-40) Extremely versatile and super fun. Make sure to get the right size for your height and weight. 2-Bosu Trainer ($100-160) This is one of my faves for sure…provides a full-body workout and takes up very little space.

Trendy Yet Top Notch. The hottest trend in the fitness world today is most definitely suspension training. Who knew gravity was such an awesome workout partner? So if you are bored with traditional exercising methods get ready to have your mind blown with the TRX Supension System ($160-200).

Pays to Play. The marriage between Mrs. Fitness and Mr. Video Game is one lovely union. You can Yoga it out, Zumba away, or get buff Biggest Loser style with over thousands of games available for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ($150-400). Not all consoles are created equally so find out what system is best for you.

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