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There's No Place Like a Home Gym

At-home Fitness for Dads-to-Be

By Mark Stackpole

and has dedicated a lifetime to educating people about health and helping them transform their bodies.

"A dad can build a home gym on a shoestring budget," she says. Calabrese says a dad can start with body weight exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, back extensions and wall sits. "Adding a fit ball can add up to 100 exercises to the routine, which can not only strengthen most of the major and minor muscle groups, but they also work specifically on the core strength as well as balance and agility," she says. Adding a kickboxing video, or simply going for a jog, are convenient, low-cost alternatives to buying cardiovascular workout machines. And if you've got a pool, use it – swimming is excellent cardiovascular exercise.

If a dad has a little more money and space, Calabrese recommends he consider an adjustable bench and an adjustable cable column, which will allow him several exercise options for every level of fitness. In building a home gym, Calabrese doesn't think location matters as much as having a consistent place and time of day for your workout. "Exercising in the same place will save time as you get into the habits of performing one exercise after another," she says. "The least amount of resistance to starting and completing your routine, the better. If possible, you don't want to have to drag equipment out of the closet or move furniture. If you do have to rearrange, look at it as part of the warm-up and cool down."

Whether a dad decides to go with resistance bands and fit balls or full-blown weight benches and cardio machines, he needs to remember he is not just doing this for himself. After all, there are children watching and learning from Dad's habits, good or bad. While they might be too young to lift weights or be interested in a jog, there are ways to make sure your healthy message is getting across.

Want to see more?

• Is Joining a Gym Right for You?
• Heart-healthy Fitness: Great for All Ages!
• News About Nutrition: 9 Recommendations From the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
• Talk about it!