a complete home gym for $100? you betcha!

a commonstruggle among my friends is the ability to squeeze in their workouts betweenthe demands of their professional and personal lives. like me, they believe that exercise is animportant component of healthy living, but sometimes (often) their individual needsfall behind those of kids, spouses, work, and home.

in my20s, i managed to hit the gym or run ten miles at least five days a week. the frequency with which i went to the gym broughtthe average per workout cost down to a reasonable six dollars. enter my 30s.work demands increased, and i got a 4-legged kid who couldn't accompany meto the gym yet still needed exercise. i found myself hitting the gym less andless, thereby increasing my average per workout cost to an unacceptable $15.

i finallyquit the gym and sought cheaper and less time-consuming alternatives to gettinga good workout. i tried a variety ofthings, including outdoor bootcamps, pure barre, cycling, and at-home weight andelliptical machines. it took a fewyears, but i've finally found what works for me, and the good news is that it isconvenient and fun to do yet requires a monetary investment of only $100assuming you have 50 square feet of space and a tv/dvd or computer with a dvdplayer.

first essential purchase: david kirsch's ultimate fitness bootcamp dvd,which is available for $25 at http://davidkirschwellness.com/store/books-and-videos/boot-camp-video_dvd.the dvd provides a whole-body and core-focused workout utilizing freeweights, body resistance, aerobic activity, and yoga principles. if you haven'tdone a bootcamp before, i would suggest attending a few with a qualifiedinstructor before trying the dvd at home so that you can reduce the risk ofinjury by using proper form/technique.

second essential purchase: at least two sets of dumbbells. start light, maybe3/5 lbs or 5/8 lbs. i know that doesn't sound like enough, but believe me, theworkout is tough even with the light weights.

third essential purchase: a yoga mat. my favorite is the one available from pure barre for $40 (seehttp://purebarre.com/shop/dvds-equipment/pure-barre-mat.html).

while that'sit for the essentials, i also recommend a stability ball appropriate for yourheight, a jump rope (one of the BEST and CHEAPEST aerobic activities), flexibletubing, a mirror (just to check form; i intentionally workout without myglasses on or contacts in so i can't see my body too clearly), and a fan (ifyou're giving it 100%, it gets hot even in a basement).

and foraccountability, i use these dry-erase calendars from target to keep track of myworkouts.

and lastbut not least, i have a workout buddy. he is not the best spotter or motivator,but his presence makes the workout much more enjoyable.

for those skeptical of home workouts (i countedmyself among you by the way), i was able to test the effectiveness of same byattending a $5 drop-in, 60-minute intense boot camp at genesis fitness (www.genesisfitness.com)this past saturday, which as an aside, i would highly recommend.

my swollen andbruised knuckles from the punching bag notwithstanding, i was able to keep upwith all of the others in the class, both men and women, some of whom were 20years my junior. so yes, in addition to being convenient and cheap, the workoutworks.