I am not the type of girl that likes going to the gym and showing off. It just never appealed to me and now that I have a husband, kids, and a career, it just seems silly.
But that doesn't mean I didn't want to stay fit.
In high scool I was in the cross country team and loved it. College is were I was introduced to tennis and now I do play but not enough to stay fit.
What I do have time for though is some exercise at home. And while the idea was attractive at first I really can't justify buying all of the home gym stuff. The space that it takes is well, yeah, wasted. And they cost a lot. This is what my home gym looks like. I have a yoga mat, exercise bands, weights, a pull up bar and an exercise ball (WebMD is where I learned a lot of my exercise ball exercises). A lot of times, exercise balls come with a little poster or booklet of workout ideas, but my mom gave me her ball and there was't a booklet along with it. It's worth having these things. It's cheaper and more convenient than going to the gym.
Most people I know who have bought stationary bikes/ellipticals thinking it would help them "save on gym membership" never used them and ended up giving them away/selling them. They never went to the gym that much to start with, they were hopeful purchases, they buy aspirationally, thinking they want to be the type of person who will use this stuff, but never actually do.
For me I am more motivated to use the basics and they are easy to get out, use, then put away. If you already know you'll be committed and disciplined enough to use it in most cases you don't need them.
Most equipment is cheaper than a year's woth of gym membership, though.
