A Good Question...

A friend of mine e-mailed me the following question:

Q: Is it really physically possible for me to get in shape from the comfort of my own home w/o expensive equipment? I only ask you because you are in amazing shape and I trust you wouldn't lead me wrong...

A: The answer is YES it's absolutely possible!

I make my whole living training my clients out of the their home, and 90% of them have zero equipment of their own. I bring along any minor equipment that I think is relevant to aiding in that day's workout. All we need is a little open floor space for us to work within. I also use my surroundings to aid in specific exercises such as stairs, walls, counter tops, furniture etc. None of the equipment I use is very costly, and is nothing you couldn't find at Target or Wal Mart. So, no there is no need for expensive equipment. 

Most expensive equipment are gimmick fitness gadgets that work one very specific muscle or muscle group. You could spend way less on resistance bands, a kettle bell, or even a single dumbbell, and have a total body workout if you know what you're doing with it.

Exercise/diet knowledge as well as consistency in your workouts and discipline, I believe are the keys to attaining your physical fitness goals. These keys apply just the same in a home setting as they do in a gym. 

If you know what to do, why you're doing it, and how to do it properly you'll garner optimum results. This applies both to working out as well as your diet. If you have a background in these areas and know what you're doing then you are master of your own body and the sky is the limit! 

If it's NOT your area of expertise then you may need some guidance. Many people go to the gym with the best of intentions of working out, and stare out into a sea of equipment that means nothing, or makes any sense to them. They float from machine to machine doing a little on each, and then leaving with an uncertainty of whether they just wasted their time or not. Generally people lose interest in working out really quick because of this, and then they have a membership to a gym they never go to. This is where I come in.

My job is to guide my client though their journey, and educate them along the way so that they can carry this knowledge, and new found control over their body with them the rest of their lives. The money someone would spend for me to help them pales in comparison to what some may pay for that home gym they never use, the wasted gym membership, or the money that they may spend on doctors and medications for conditions that may have been prevented with good diet and exercise. 

Knowledge is truly power, and once you educate yourself on your own body, it's physical abilities, and chemistry you can make your body into whatever you want it to be. Even from the comfort of your own home :)