Plan to Get Back in Shape

I had a wake up call last weekend: I am alarmingly out of shape. Not that I’m getting fat or anything but 10 minutes into a basketball game I was getting very winded. Contrast this with a year ago when I was in the best shape of my life after hitting the gym regularly for a year. I attribute my current state to the sedentary nature of my work and general laziness. But no more neglecting my body! Battle stations!

Obviously, the next logical step would be to join a gym. I considered that but then I started looking into home workouts because I wanted to start slowly before jumping back into lifting. Now I’m actually going to buy a weight bench and adjustable dumbbells. With this setup I can pretty much do any exercise I’d like and work any muscle group.

I decided against getting a gym membership for the following reasons:

1. For cardio, I’m going to run outside at a local park (Alley Pond Park) so I don’t need the treadmills. I may get monthly gym membership during the winter.
2. There are 2 gyms close by. One is Bally’s which gets crowded and has a restrictive 3-year contract. Lower tier memberships do not give unlimited access (only every other day). I need to be able to go whenever I want and not have the gym dictate my schedule. I’ve also read this local Bally’s is mediocre in service and facilities. The other gym is too pricey, especially when there’s no guarantee I’ll get to the gym regularly, which brings me to my next points.
3. Having my own home workout setup means I can work out at any time in accordance with my schedule and do not have to waste time for gym commute or preparation. I don’t need to bring any towels (or use the public ones, bleh), water/drinks, or wait to use equipment.
4. By far my biggest issue is getting motivated enough to head out to the gym. My mind will make up every reason not to go. Having the home workout setup means I can start working out any time. It definitely helps to have a gym buddy - in school I had a workout buddy I went to the gym with (thanks Tom).

So I’m purchasing these items for my home workout:

Bowflex SelectTech 5.1 Series Bench

110lb Weight Set

I’m in bad shape and it’s time I do something about it!