Your home gym could cost you as little as in the tens of dollars, and fit into a backpack. No kidding.

Many people think of home fitness equipment as the state-of-the-art machines heavily advertised in December and January. Although some of these make excellent investments, they can also be prohibitively expensive, bulky, and intimidating, and they can reinforce many people’s impression that effective exercise is out of reach.

I provide an assortment of portable equipment for my personal training sessions so that my clients can have plenty of variety and challenges from their very first day.

I am also providing this free list of some of my favorite inexpensive equipment. I would like to encourage everyone to see exercise as everyday self-care, much like brushing your teeth, and to seek out routines that address your personal limitations and needs. All prices listed are approximate, and all items are readily available in stores and online.

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Long, medium-resistance elastic tubing

• Description: Rubber tubing with a handle at each end
• Uses: Hook around feet or furniture for upper-body training. Use handles as stirrups or stand in the center to add resistance to lower-body training. Also good for core.
• Pros: Small and light, great for travel, very versatile.
• Cons: Resistance is limited and varies with the degree of stretch.
• Price: $5-10
• Kids: Strangling hazard; keep out of reach of children.

Assorted elastic bands

• Description: Sheets of rubber, often 6” x 4’ available in packs of 3, with variable resistance.
• Uses: Similar to elastic tubing, but no handles.
• Pros: Progress resistance by using 2 or 3 at a time
• Cons: I can’t feel a difference in resistance between low, medium, and high grades. Very strong new-car smell until they’ve had ample time to air out.
• Price: $10 for 3
• Kids: Strangling and smothering hazard; keep out of reach of children.

Assorted dumbbells (3 and 5 lb pairs)

• Description: Simple small dumbbells, preferably vinyl-coated for comfort and with flat sides to prevent rolling
• Uses: Primarily upper-body, although holding weights adds resistance to squats, lunges, etc.
• Pros: Mimics functional activities; proper controlled use promotes muscular balance and stability.
• Light weights (3-8 lbs) remain useful for circuit training regardless of strength and fitness level
• Cons: Users desiring greater loads will have to buy heavier sets
• Price: Usually well under $20 per pair
• Kids: Very tempting, and dangerous when dropped; keep out of reach of children.

Swiss Ball aka Stability Ball

• Description: Tough inflatable ball 45-65cm in diameter
• Uses: For sitting, leaning, or propping feet. Adds balance/stability challenge to most exercises, engaging and training more muscles.
• Pros: Can be used to progress or regress many exercises. Can be used as an unstable chair to add neuromuscular work to otherwise sedentary activities.
• Cons: Very bulky if left inflated. Must be kept away from sharp objects.
• Price: $15-25
• Kids: No hazard, but they might not let you have a turn.

Pedometer

• Description: Small device that clips onto your belt and counts your steps and/or mileage
• Uses: For tracking cumulative daily activity; excellent motivational and practical tool for busy people with sporadic schedules.
• Pros: Small, light, simple to use.
• Cons: Can be discouraging when conditions reduce walking opportunities; recommend using in conjunction with indoor aerobic exercise modes.
• Price: $5-20
• Kids: No hazard, but they might nick it to make pirate treasure maps.

Aerobic Step

• Description: Wide, sturdy plastic platform
• Uses: Aerobic exercise, progressing or regressing upper-body or lower-body strength exercises such as push-ups or lunges.
• Pros: More compact than a stationary cycle, can be used indoors.
• Cons: Somewhat bulky. They strike me as overpriced; however, any handy appropriate elevated surface may be substituted.
• Price: $25-100