New Year, New You: Get Fit for Less Than $50 - East Idaho News

New Year, New You: Get Fit for Less Than $50

  Published at

Getty 110711 ManWorkout?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1325873121706George Doyle/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Looking for ways to jump-start your health in the New Year?  Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are to save money and to lose weight, but gym membership fees can be pricey.

Instead of spending at least $100 per month on a gym membership, celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak says you can build your own gym at home for less than $50. You only have to spend the money once, and then you’ll be fully-equipped for a full-body workout routine all year long.

Pasternak, a co-host of ABC’s new show The Revolution, brought the five essential items you need to create a gym in your own home to Good Morning America and demonstrated a simple workout circuit to shed calories and burn fat. Now there’s really no excuse not to exercise.

1. Jump Rope, $2.75:  There’s no need for big, heavy and expensive treadmills or other cardio machines, you can warm up and get your cardio on with a simple jump rope. Jumping rope for 15 minutes can burn well over 200 calories.

2. Blow up Ball, $15:  With a blow-up ball, you can improve your posture, tighten your glutes and, over time, get a perfect six-pack. The ball can not only be used for crunches but can double as a chair for balance and posture outside your standard workout.

3. Set of Dumbbells, $8:  Dumbbells can be used to work your triceps, biceps, rhomboids and all sorts of muscle groups through tons of different upper- and lower-body exercises. To wok your thighs and butt, Pasternak recommends a reverse lunge with a set of dumbbells. The curl press works your shoulders and arms.

4. Yoga Mat, $7:  A standard yoga mat is an essential for any at-home gym. You can do floor exercises on the mat, work your abs and glutes, as well as stretch, which improves your posture and flexibility to prevent injuries.

5. Hula Hooping, $9: 
While it’s important to burn calories during your workout, it’s also important to burn extra calories outside the traditional workout window. Instead of sitting on the couch while watching TV, during commercial breaks, get up and hula hoop. An hour-long television show has about 15 minutes of commercials, so you could burn an extra 120 calories just by hula hooping in that time.

For more lifestyle tips, watch The Revolution, which premieres Monday, Jan. 16, at 2 p.m., ET on ABC.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION