By John Valentik, MS, CSCS, NASM-PES, FMS
Staying fit and healthy doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. With a bit of creativity, you can choose everyday household items or inexpensive equipment for effective tools in your wellness journey. Here are some budget-friendly options that can help you stay in shape without spending a fortune.
1. Furniture Movers
Furniture movers, those small discs used to slide heavy furniture across the floor, can double as excellent exercise tools. They are perfect for lower body and core exercises. They can cost less than $3 per slider and take up next to no space if your bringing them with you on the road. I’d suggest keeping their usage to carpet to protect the slider and your floors! Here’s an Instagram post with some live demos from earlier in the week in case you missed it.
2. PVC Pipe
A simple PVC pipe can be a versatile piece of equipment for strength training and mobility exercises. It’s lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to find at any hardware store. Here are some ways to use it:
- Shoulder Mobility: Hold the pipe with a wide grip and perform shoulder pass-throughs, moving the pipe from in front of your body to behind your back.
- Balance Training: Use the pipe as a balance aid while performing exercises like single leg holds, inline holds, or split squats.
- Core Work: Hold the pipe overhead while performing exercises like lunges or squats to engage your core muscles. This will also help make you aware of certain mobility deficits that you may have (beyond scope of this writing!)
3. Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are a fantastic addition to any home gym. They are affordable, portable, and can be used for a wide range of exercises. In addition to some of the movements you’ve probably seen, like bicep curls, rows, and shoulder presses, here are some more integrated patterns for pushing, pulling, lower body, and core!
4. Household Items
You don’t need fancy equipment to get a good workout. Many household items can be repurposed for exercise. Here are some examples:
- Gallon of Water: Use a gallon jug of water as a weight for exercises like bicep curls, overhead presses, squats, or Russian twists.
- Backpack with Books: Fill a backpack with books to create a makeshift weight vest. Wear it while doing bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, or lunges. Be cautious with how quickly you add weight as it can be deceiving when the weight is directly connected to your torso versus being held in the hands.
- Your Own Furniture: Your furniture can also be a great resource for home workouts: Chair dips, couch squats tapping the cushion lightly with your butt, couch bridges lying on the floor with your heels on the couch, and step-ups, as long as you have a sturdy (and non-sliding) chair or bench.
Conclusion
With a little ingenuity, you can create a comprehensive workout routine using items you already have at home. If you’re feeling frivolous, go ahead and spend the $5-25 for some items referenced in this article like furniture sliders, a PVC pipe, or resistance bands! Even if they seem non-traditional, items like water jugs and backpacks can all be transformed into effective exercise equipment, especially if you’re in a bind.
Remember, the idea here is to remove barriers to either beginning or maintaining a program. Something is always going to be better than nothing. So, by all means, keep your current membership or equipment, but remember that the wheels don’t have to fall of your whole program if you’re traveling or don’t have access to your typical gym for a bit. Enjoy!
Happy Valley Wellness Solutions 
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