7 simple ways to make your summer runs more enjoyable

Hot and humid days can make running a lot more challenging. Here are some simple tips to help keep your outdoor workout routine fun and safe throughout the summer months

Do it early

Studies show a direct relation between higher temperatures and lower performance for elite runners. For a 5K or 10K run, temperatures above 17 degrees Celsius can begin to hinder performance in female runners. In order to minimize the effects of hot summer days on your workout, schedule your run early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the temperatures aren’t as high.

Wear the correct gear

Try clothing made from technical fabrics designed to perform in the heat. Choose lightweight pieces that have vents or mesh to allow for maximum breathability,  fabrics that wick moisture in order to keep you dry, and itms that also have sun protection.

 

Don’t forget about your feet

It’s equally (if not more) important to wear socks that wick, cushion and keep you cool. Look for styles that feature padding around the ankle, in the heel and the ball of the foot, as well as some arch support, for added comfort. Toe socks are a great option to help prevent blisters from developing between your toes. For an extra oomph, dab a bit of peppermint oil to the soles of your feet before putting your socks on. Not only will this help keep your feet cool, but the oil’s antibacterial properties can help fight bacteria from developing during your run.

 

Kick hydration up a notch

It goes without saying that you need to pay extra attention to stay hydrated in hot weather. Although the amount of water you need varies depending on your body mass, the day’s temperature and the intensity of your workout, as a general guideline you should drink about half a litre of water before you start, and half a litre for every hour you run in order to maintain proper hydration. Make sure to not drink too much water as over-hydration can dilute your body’s blood sodium levels causing hyponatremia. The best way to know how much water you need to be drinking is to follow your thirst as your body is built with an amazing water-balancing mechanism.
A study has shown that adding a few drops of peppermint oil can also boost your performance by improving your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

Slow it down

As temperatures rise, the heart works harder to deliver blood to your muscles while also attempting to regulate body temperature, which can result in a higher heart rate at the same running pace. You’ll notice your pace automatically slows down as the days get hotter. Don’t fight it. You can safely run the same distance in the summer if you do so at a slower pace. Pay close attention to how you feel and add more walk breaks as needed.

 

Mind the chafing

Chafing can be worse in the summertime as sweat creates added friction between skin-to-skin and skin-to-clothing rubbing. Prevent this by wearing shorts that cover your upper thighs and a bra with flat or covered seams. Be sure the bra you’re wearing isn’t too tight as it can dig into the skin and chafe. You’ll also want to avoid clothing that’s too baggy since the added material can cause irritation. For other vulnerable areas, such as your underarms, apply sports lubricant or Vaseline.

Change your route

Temperatures in the city centre tend to be higher as concrete and asphalt retain more heat. Areas in shade and close to water, on the other hand, are typically cooler and breezier. Try taking your workout inside or outside of the city close to a wooded area with lots of shade, a lake, a river or the coastline. Not only will your environment feel cooler, it’ll likely be more picturesque, too.
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Perfect Your Form

Do a better squat, perform a better lunge, and fix your flawed technique

Lunges

What You Do Wrong:
You lean forward, causing your front heel to rise.

1/ "Narrow your starting stance," says Gray Cook, author of Athletic Body in Balance. The closer your feet are, the harder your core has to work to stabilize your body.

2/ "As you do the lunge, focus on moving your torso only up and down, not pushing it forward," says Craig Rasmussen, a fitness coach at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. This keeps your weight balanced evenly through your front foot, allowing you to press into the floor with your heel, which tones more lower-body muscle.

Squats

What You Do Wrong:
You start the movement by bending your knees.

1/ As you squat, imagine you're sitting down into a chair, rather than forward on top of your knees. Push your hips back first instead of beginning by bending your knees, which puts more stress on your joints, says Dan John, a strength coach in Burlingame, California.

2/ Women tend to lean forward on their toes, but they should sit back into their heels. Try this fix: Pretend that you're standing on a paper towel, says Charlie Weingroff, lead physical therapist for the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. "Then imagine trying to rip the towel apart by pressing your feet onto the floor and outward." This activates your glutes, which helps you use heavier weights and break through plateaus.

Straight-Leg Deadlifts

What You Do Wrong:
You round your lower back as you bend over.

1/ "When bending down, act as if you are holding a tray of drinks and need to close the door behind you with your backside," says Alwyn Cosgrove, co-owner of Results Fitness. This helps you push your hips back instead of rounding your lower back—a form blunder that puts you at risk for back problems.

2/ It's easy to put too much space between the weight and your body as you move up and down. Pretend you're shaving your legs with the bar or dumbbells, suggests Kaitlyn Weiss, a certified strength and conditioning specialist in Southern California. The farther the weights are from your body, the more strain on your back, which limits the work of your hamstrings and glutes.

Rows and Pullups

What You Do Wrong:
You ignore the muscles that draw back your shoulder blades.

1/ "Before you start the exercise, create as much space as you can between your ears and shoulders," says Rasmussen. Pull your shoulder blades down and back, which will ensure you work the intended middle- and upper-back muscles.

2/ "As you row the weights, stick out your chest," says Mike Boyle, owner of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Woburn, Massachusetts. This allows you to better retract your shoulder blades, which will lead to better results.

3/ "Imagine an orange between your shoulder blades," says Nick Grantham, owner of Smart Fitness in the U.K. "As you pull the weights or your body up, 'squeeze the juice out of it' by bringing your shoulder blades together."

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Changing Your Eating Habits

Here are some ideas that you can use to change your eating habits.  Most people want to eat healthy, but old eating habits are hard to break.  Try these ideas.  Also listed are some of the foods you should try to eliminate from your diet.

Because all of us have been brought up eating junk food, well most of us, it is not easy to change our eating habits. Your eating habits have developed since childhood based on what your mothers or fathers cooked and what your psychological make-up was during that time.

The foods you eat and crave help keep pass trauma and present anxiety in check. Food helps make you feel good when you start to feel bad. Eating is a natural defense mechanism that the brain-body uses to keep you from going crazy.

 

 So, you see, it is very difficult to change our eating habits. When we do, we start to feel bad. We start to feel uncomfortable, we feel pain, we have withdrawal symptoms, and we may feel sick. Is it any wonder that any of us ever succeed in changing our eating habits?

I consider every thing that has been packaged to be junk food. There are a few exception and you need to read ingredient labels carefully. Very few food manufacturers and even restaurants prepare food with your health in mind. Of course, they want to satisfy you, but they don't use foods that are in your best interest.

Most people eat junk food 85% of the time and then eat good food the other 15%. It should be the reverse of this - eat good food 85% and junk food 15% of the time.
To have better health, here are some foods to stop eating. Eliminate these foods over the next two to three weeks. 

·    Milk (non-fat or no-fat also) - is a mucus and acid forming food. Milk creates mucus in the body and makes the lymph liquid (we will talk about lymph later) in your body acidic, which attracts parasites and other pathogens. (In the place of milk almond milk or goats milk)
Cancer thrives in a body that is acidic.

o    Bread - white bread is also acid and mucus forming. It is also more difficult to pass through the colon and gives rise to constipation.
Sugar the #1 food additive. Sugar is in most of all the products that you buy.

·    Sodas (regular or diet)- are extremely high in sugar or artificial sugar - 7 teaspoons per can.  Most people drink over 35 gallons per year. Sugar is a body poison and leads to many disease - diabetes, obesity, tooth decay and osteoarthritis and so on.
o    Sugar, also, depletes your B-vitamins and calcium and magnesium from your bones and teeth.

o    In addition, since sodas are in aluminum cans, aluminum can go into the soda because most sodas contain phosphoric acid. Aluminum has been associated with senility and Alzheimer disease.

o    Calcium is also leached from your body to neutralize the phosphoric acid. (Its healthier to drink juices of all kinds) 

There is just no way around it. Sodas suck health right out of your body.

·    Regular salt (NaCl) - excessive salt intake is related to high blood pressure, edema, and imbalances in the minerals in your lymph liquid. Sodium, Na, in salt attracts water so the more sodium you eat that more water your body will hold. (Use sea salt, it has 25% less sodium, use low salt soy sauce, and herbs to flavor your food)

o    Most people eat too much salt - over 10,000 milligrams per day. We only need around 200-300 mg per day.

o    Excess salt is also in involved with kidney problems, cardiovascular disease, stomach cancer, and excess sensitive to stress.

o    Get your Sodium from eating vegetables that are high in sodium. When you get your salt from vegetables it is organic salt, which does not have the same effect in your body as inorganic salt from a shaker. You need a lot of organic salt or Na in your body. Your stomach is a Na organ. It needs organic salt, Na, to keep its lining from being eaten by the hydrochloric acid in your stomach - an ulcer.

o    Foods high in organic sodium are apples, apricots, asparagus, greens, red cabbage, carrots, celery, dulse, egg yolks, figs, fish, raisins, prunes, and lentils.

For the next two weeks try adding the following foods to your eating habits.

·    lecithin - is 30-40% choline, which is used throughout your body. This is why you want to include it in your diet.
o    choline is one of the main chemicals in our cell membrane.
o    It is used in our brains to create the neurotransmitter acytlcholine, which is required for thinking and memory. Consider lecithin brain food.
o    It is used by the liver, which helps to prevent a fatty liver. A fatty liver prevents you from losing weight around your belly.
o    it helps to break up fats into tiny goblets so that they are easily digestible and will reduce your cholesterol.
o    it helps to keep cholesterol from clinging to your artery walls.

·    flax seed oil - is an essential oil, omega 3. This means your body does not make it and it is necessary for you to eat it so that you can live without illness or pain.
o    it helps to detoxify the liver
o    it stimulates the production of bile. Remember that bile helps to breakdown fat so that the liver can better metabolize it.
o    stimulates the body to burn fat.

 

 Apple juice and apples - are high in vitamin A, in Potassium and have other minerals that strengthen the blood. They contain malic and tartaric acids, which keep the liver healthy and promote good digestion. Apples help you to lose weight by providing fiber and keeping you regular.

o    fiber - you need 30-35 grams of fiber every day. Most people only get up to 10-15 grams. Fiber is one foods that reduce your transient time in the colon. Fiber helps to keep your colon clean, reduce cholesterol, remove toxins from your body and eliminate constipation.

There you have it.  If you can accomplish these changes in one year, you will notice a big difference in the way you feel and the health that you have.

Damian@FitnHealthy

The Advantages, Disadvantages, and Exercises on a Fitness Ball

The Advantages, Disadvantages, and Exercises on a Fitness Ball

Most people dream of getting into shape, losing weight, and exercising more. It can mean signing up at local gyms. However, many fitness enthusiasts prefer to purchase home fitness equipment that can be effective for them. They can take the benefits of a total workout while at homes and within flexible times. 

One of the best options to consider is buying a fitness ball. It is the time for you to experience a unique workout at home. There are various reasons why this equipment has become very popular. In fact, it is utilized by most physical therapists to treat their patients from back pains.

 

A fitness ball having a diameter of about 55 to 85 centimeter is made of elastic rubber. It is utilized in exercise and physical therapy. There are various names for a fitness ball such as exercise ball, Pilate's ball, gym ball, therapy ball, balance ball, body ball, yoga ball, sports ball, and Swiss ball.

The major benefit of a fitness ball exercise is enabling the body to respond to the ball's instability while keeping the balance and engaging more muscles as well. Keep in mind that the muscles are strengthened upon struggling to maintain the balance. The core muscles of the body, back muscles, and abdominal muscles are the target of the fitness ball programs of exercises.

Exercises done on a fitness ball will never bore you. In fact it can challenge your stamina, patience, perseverance and, self-discipline. This is the true form of exercising, working the entire core muscles to achieve the best results.

A fitness ball is effective because of its rounded shape. It can create instability to induce your core body muscles to work. Compared to floor crunching, the muscles that are only working are the upper abs, but when you do the crunching on a fitness ball, the core muscles including abs muscles, back muscles, pelvic muscles, and hip muscles are working together in helping you stay on the ball.

Try doing a few pushups using a fitness ball, your hands on the floor and your feet on the fitness ball or vice versa. This exercise gives more stability when the feet are spread apart and tougher when the feet are put closely together.

 

 Although a fitness ball provides many advantages, there are also some pitfalls especially if overused. Strength coaches revealed that it can cause injury and approximately 70 percent of fitness ball exercises are considered worthless.  Nevertheless, it is still prescribed by some therapists in treating patients with back pain.

Incorporating a fitness ball in your fitness program can mean surpassing all the difficult levels involved during the exercise. Each requires support from your stomach muscles and back to help in keeping the trunk muscles firm. More often, a fitness ball is good for people who have lower back pain. Other uses include developing overall strength and control of the body's core muscles, increasing the strength of back and abdominal muscles, learning proper posture and body mechanics when lifting objects, and increasing mobility of the lower back.

Damian@FitnHealthy

Low Calorie Diet - Does It Work?

Looking for a quick and uncomplicated solution to drop a few pounds so that you can fit into that little black dress of your desires or just to attain your pre-pregnancy figure? Many diets out there are boasting ultra quick weight loss results.
From a dietitian's perspective, that is total rubbish. In order to lose the fats in a controlled manner the low calorie diet plan would be recommended. There has been proof that this diet works and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to carry it out.
Before I elaborate in depth about the low calorie diet, lets get the basic terminology right. The term calorie(kcal) refers to a unit of measurement for energy, and more commonly applies to the measurement of energy in food. So what's the big deal about calories? We need food to give us the energy to carry out our daily tasks. And our body uses these calories to carry out its daily activities or to fuel our workouts.
The problem with most people is they are eating way more calories than they actually need.
Calorie in > Calorie out = Weight gain
Okay now that you understand what causes us to gain weight, follow me though a 3-step plan to help you embark on a low calorie diet plan effectively.

Step 1: Find out what your daily calorie requirement
The amount of calories your body needs is a combination of your basic metabolic rate (BMR) and activity level. So basically anyone can calculate their BMR following the equation below.

Women:
BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kilos) + (1.8 X height in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)

Men:
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kilos) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

To estimate your daily calorie requirement, multiply your BMR using the following table:

Activity Level Total Daily Calorie Requirement
Sedentary (BMR x 20 percent) + BMR
Lightly active (You exercise 1-3 times a week) (BMR x 30 percent) + BMR
Moderately active (You exercise 3-5 times a week) (BMR x 40 percent) + BMR
very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis) (BMR x 50 percent) + BMR
Extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training) (BMR x 60 percent) + BMR
I would assume many of us would be classified as 'lightly active'. Most of us will fall into the category of sedentary of lightly active. So let me give you an example on how it works. The estimated calorie requirment for a 47 year old sedentary woman who is 68kg and 163cm tall will be:
BMR = 655 + (9.6 X 68) + (1.8 X 163) - (4.7 X 47) = 1380 kcal
Total daily calorie requirement = (1380 x 0.2) + 1380 = 1656 kcal

Just to give you an idea, a typical western diet provides 3000-3500 kcal a day which is twice the amount that an average woman needs. This is not surprising given the number of overweight and obese people.

Step 2: Decide on how much you need to cut out from your diet, create a calorie deficit
To lose weight, you need to eat less than what you body needs. If you cut out about 500 calories from your daily diet, that would mean 3500 calories less in a week.
So to put it in simple terms, the lady who requires 1656 kcal will lose approximately 1 pound after a week if she consumes approximately 1150 kcal per day. This is in theory. I would not suggest anyone consuming less than 1200 kcals per day as this will cause your body to lose it's effectiveness in burning fats.
3500kcal deficit = 1 pound of weight loss
If you need to lose 10 pounds, you will need to create a deficit of 35000 kcal. One thing to rememeber is to slowly cut your calories. Don't start jumping on the wagon and starve yourself for the entire week to create a 35000kcal deficit.
A healthy weight loss diet is one that helps you lose 1-3 pounds per week
There is no STATIC DIET. What it means is that if same lady who consumes 3000 kcal per day makes a conscious effort to cut down her calorie intake to 2500kcal daily, She will shed those unwanted pounds. This is because even though she is still consuming more than her actual calorie requirement, her body is reacting favorably to her decreased food intake. Sounds easy in theory? Think again. The hardest part is in the execution.

Step 3: Take note of what you eat
By taking down what you consume you will have a better understanding of your eating habits. You may discover that you are taking in more calories than needed. Okay I admit it is a chore but I guarantee you won't regret it!
Write down all the food and drinks you consume and the estimated amount (in household measurements e.g. cups or tablespoons etc) over a period of 3 days. Try to be as detailed as possible. Do include condiments you may consume e.g. salad dressing, sugar). Remember, keep your diet as normal as possible.
There are many online tools that can assist in calculating your daily calorie intake.
By doing this, you can easily know where the unwanted calories are coming from. You can then decide what to remove from your diet to create the calorie deficit.
As with all dietitians, I love to write meal plans. Here is a sample nutritionally balanced low-calorie meal plan.

Breakfast:
a wholegrain bagel with a thin spread of light cream cheese (300kcal)
1 glass of low fat milk (90kcal)

Mid-morning snack:
1 cup of Low-fat yoghurt (130kcal)

Lunch:
Wholegrain sandwich bread, with a spread of mustard, salad veggies and lean meat (chicken/beef) (350kcal)
1 serving Minestrone soup (150 kcal)

Afternoon snack:
1 serving of fresh fruit (70 kcal)

Dinner:
cup of pasta with tomato sauce + 1 palm size grilled meat/fish or chicken OR cup of lean mince (400kcal)

Side salad with fat-free dressing (70 kcal)
1 serving of fresh fruit (70 kcal)
Total Calories: 1630 kcal

This is just an example and not a definite eating plan. If you follow through with the food diary activity and get yourself familiarized with the general calorie content of foods, you would have already known by now what are the high calorie foods that you need to reduce your intake of.

Here are some easy ways by which you can reduce your calories
1) Go for a diet soda instead of a normal soda
2) Use fat-free salad dressing and low fat mayonnaise
3) Have 2 servings of fresh fruit instead of 2 cups of processed fruit juice
4) Use less oil in your cooking
5) Always choose lean cuts of meat
6) Reducing your portion sizes by a quarter
7) Sharing a dessert instead of having the whole thing by yourself
8) Cut down on the amount of fried stuff you consume
9) Switching to low fat dairy products
10) Drink less alcohol

The key to a successful low calorie diet plan is consistency. Treat yourself to a little something 'sinful' at every milestone. Just don't end up eating a whole chocolate cake and regret it later. Do not be hard on yourself in you exceed your daily calorie intake. It is a collective effort over a period of time that will help you get to the weight you want.

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At Home Exercises - Crossfit Workouts At Home - Pro Trainer Live

At home exercises - Crossfit Workouts At Home - Pro Trainer Live. Do you want to go to the gym? Why not try the benefits of exercising at home. Visit the site for more home work out tips.
You've probably heard the newest craze in the athletic arena, it's called Crossfit and it is tough stuff. CrossFit was founded upon the strength and conditioning programs used by many government academies such as police, military and special ops units. However crossfit is not solely entitled to those in elite fields, in fact you could do your own Crossfit workouts at home by yourself and still achieve results.
CrossFit was designed to be used by elite athletes and elderly individuals alike. The only difference is the amount of load used in the workouts and the intensity. That's all that separates you from an elite athlete. Yes you could be essentially training with the same workout used by some of the fittest people on Earth. The only thing you would adjust is the amount of load and intensity that is right for your body and experience level.
Crossfit workouts at home are a great way to lose weight, gain lean muscle and improve cardiovascular health. So what kind of movements does Crossfit entail anyway? Well, it's a combination of plyometric exercises, Olympic style lifts and non-traditional lifts with equipment like kettlebells, bags of sand, pulley systems or weighted items filled with water. Sounds like fun right? Well it is if you have the right mind set. Although it can be fun it is considered a high impact workout. On a scale of 1 to 10 Crossfit would easily get an 8 - 10 rating on the list of high impact workouts.
The benefits of CrossFit are mainly due to the high intensity of the workouts. The intensity and power exercises are effective for burning up high number of calories in short periods of time. At the same time these high impact workouts are improving your aerobic fitness and producing the anabolic hormones such as testosterone, HGH and IGF-1 that are responsible directly for muscle growth. Here is the important thing to remember: CrossFit is an excellent workout program for any exercise enthusiast, however if you are just starting out with exercising then you need to take it slow. Use reduced volumes and intensities to build up a fitness base first and progress from there. The average Crossfit workout is not a recommended for people just starting to exercise or returning to exercise after a long break.
If you are starting out with Crossfit workouts at home to get into shape here are some great exercises you can employ at your own pace. You will need a couple of light dumbbells, or pop bottles filled with water, or any object that has a weight of 3 to 10 pounds.

Singe Arm Snach: Works the butt, back, shoulders and arms.
Single Arm Snatch For Crossfit Workouts at Home

Standing with your feet wide and toes turned€out slightly, place a dumbbell on the ground between your feet. Squat down low, and pick up the dumbbell with right hand. Move back up to a straight position onto the balls of your feet. As you move upwards pull the weight close to your body and over your head reaching for the sky. Bring the weight back down and repeat. You can do 10 reps on each arm and 3 - 6 sets of each.

Bear Crawl or Knee Tucks: Works the entire body.
Running Knee Tucks

This is one of the best Crossfit workouts you can do at home. Here you get down on all fours in a higher than normal push up position. From there you either do 30 reps or 30 seconds worth of knee tucks. Pretend you are racing an opponent and you need to move as fast as you can to beat your opponent. Drive one knee up to your chest and the other leg drives back to the ground. Doing 3 - 6 sets of these will work your entire body and leave you breathless.
Dumbell Swings: Works the butt, back, shoulders and arms.
These are perhaps the most fun and dynamic of the exercises. Simply stand with your feet wide and toes pointed out slightly. Hold onto your weight of choice starting with the weight on the ground between your legs. Move the weight dynamically from the ground all the way over your head reaching for the sky. Repeat 10 - 20 times maintaining a good rhythm and fluid movement. Do 3 - 6 sets of each.

The Sumo High Pull: Works the butt, back, shoulders and biceps.
Sumo High Pulls

Like doing cleans, stand with your feet wide, hold on to your dumbbells, either one in each hand or use a bar with light weights on it. Squat and lower the weights between your legs. Go back up to a standing position pulling the weights up to your shoulders focusing on keeping your elbows high. Repeat 10 - 15 times performing 3 - 6 sets.

Box Jump: Works the lower body.
Box Jumping for Crossfit Workouts at Home

Find a step or a box that is at least 8 inches off the ground. Simply jump off the box backwards to the ground. Focus on reacting quickly when your feet hit the ground to jump off again and land on the box. These are extremely high impact and should only be done if you are already in decent shape. Start with 3 sets of 6 - 10 reps and simply increase the number of sets up to a maximum of 6 as you progress.
Doing Crossfit workouts at home are a great way to get into shape at your own pace. Utilize some or all of the above exercises at your own pace and start the journey on getting the body you want on demand. For more information on at home workouts with a personal trainer online contact us.

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Five Essentials For Indoor Home Gyms

Making the switch from a commercial facility to creating your own workout space is only the beginning. While personal preferences are and should be at the top of your list when building your own personal, home-based facility, you may also want to take into consideration the following tips that may help you make your workout space as effective as possible. Here are five essential equipment pieces that all indoor home gyms, including yours, must have.

Weights/Barbell and Plate Set
It doesn't matter how old you are or what your particular fitness goals may be. Everyone needs a quality set of weights. Indoor home gyms just are not complete without them. A barbell and plate set can easily serve as the foundation for your workout routine. With a good barbell and plate set, you will be able to tone and tighten your legs, back, shoulders, arms, and chest. Additionally, depending on your particular goals, you can also build muscle through workouts with weights.

A Bench
Naturally, if you are buying a weight/barbell and plate set, you will need access to a bench. As a result, all indoor home gyms ought to have a bench as part of the list of essential equipment pieces. You may want to consider a bench that has dual functionality: incline and decline. Whether your current workout routine requires one, both, or neither, don't rule out the fact that you may need them in the future.


Cross Trainer
Weights are good, but nothing beats feeling liked you've worked out. All indoor home gyms need a good cross trainer. Cross trainers provide that much-needed cardio workout that helps to get your heart rate up for maximum performance, and of course, increased fat-burning potential. A good cross trainer should have multiple programs and resistance levels, as well as maybe even a built-in fitness test to help you gauge the rate of your improvement.

An Abdominal Workout Device or Machine
Let's face it; most of us really don't like the thought of enduring traditional abdominal workouts on the floor. That is why it's important for your home workout facility to have an abdominal workout device or machine. You can choose a traditional abdominal roller, a ball, or you can splurge on a more sophisticated machine. As long as you add something to your personal gym that focuses on your abs, your workout space is guaranteed to be that much more professional in look and feel. A good abdominal workout device or machine will position your body to effectively work your entire core, typically through a variety of moves.

  
Flooring
Perhaps one of the most essential pieces of equipment for indoor home gyms is the flooring. Often an oversight in home workout facilities, proper flooring is critical not only for safety purposes, but also for a good workout. You'll want to invest in professional grade foam flooring to ensure proper traction, which will then keep you safe during your workouts.

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