8 More Amazon Finds for Rounding Out Your Home Workout Space
image created with Gemini Nano-Banana @pouncetothrive
Strength training and walking are essential for proactive aging. Here are 8 more of my favorite Amazon finds to set up in your home.
After my last post listing my 5 favorite home gym essentials, I got lots of emails asking what else I liked.
Let’s be clear. I don’t really have a “home gym.” It’s not like I have one of those rubber-matted dedicated bro-rooms in the basement filled with barbells, mirrors, and a Peloton.
I don’t even have a basement.
I’ve just a set up a small corner of my bathroom and a small space in front of my bedroom window. Nevertheless, it works for me. And I bet something like that would work for you, too.
So here they are: 8 more Amazon finds for rounding out your home workout space.
Honestly, a yoga mat should have been listed in my top 5. I use my yoga mat nearly every day for not only yoga, but also for a nonslip foundation while I’m lifting weights, during floor exercises, or just sitting on a cold floor for meditation.
You must be selective when choosing a mat. Too inexpensive, and you might end up with one that’s too thick, and therefore too squishy. Or with one that’s too thin and slick, and therefore too flimsy.
Be Goldilocks and find just the right one for you. If you have a chance to rent or borrow one at a yoga studio, perhaps that’s a good way to find your favorite brand.
That said, I’ve been practicing on a Jade natural rubber mat for over ten years. I wore my first one pure-t out, so now I have a new one in purple. It’s slightly on the heavy side, but I find that’s a good trade off for its durability and “feel” under my bare hands and feet. Plus, I prefer the natural rubber to other materials that off-gas right in my face during chaturanga dandasana.
unsplash/@mathildelangevin
2. Weighted Vest
Walking around the loop in my subdivision, I kept passing by and waving Southern greetings to neighbors wearing weighted vests. I finally stopped to chat one day last summer and learned that walking with a weighted vest has an official name: rucking. I decided to purchase one for myself and try it out.
To be real, I just couldn’t walk with it in the summer. It’s just much too hot here where I live in South Carolina to go outside in July with anything more than shorts, a sports bra, and a thin cotton tank — or a bathing suit, flip flops, and glass of iced tea. But once fall set in, I was ready to try out my new vest, and I set off rucking around the loop.
My first few days were fairly annoying; I could really feel the weight bearing down on my shoulders. It didn’t take long to get used to it, however. And once I slipped it off, I liked feeling super light and free walking around without it.
I think a weighted vest is a valid option for adding some oomph to your walks, especially on indoor treadmills or flat walking pads. If you are looking to power up your walks, weighted vests can be a great option for you. I really like mine as long as it’s not 98 degrees.
Read more about the benefits (and disadvantages) of wearing a weighted vest. Keep in mind that walking faster, according to recent studies, is also very beneficial, as is interval walking.
The bottom line: Mix it up. Have fun. Wear a vest some days if you feel like it and if it’s cool enough.
Just keep walking!
unsplash/@sweetlifediabetes
3. Ankle Weights
I first saw ankle weights being used outside of a gym by my youngest son’s teacher. Every day, she’d wear ankle weights to school. What a sneaky way to get in some extra strength training! I had never even thought of wearing ankle weights during normal activities.
So while I’m not standing up to teach a classroom, you’re likely to find me wearing mine around the house while I’m doing laundry or vacuuming. I also slip them on before doing my full range of motion leg lifts. Between the ankle weights and my favorite resistance bands, I have found it pretty easy to slip in leg-strengthening exercises in between my regular chores. Every little bit counts toward our overall goal!
unsplash @vdphotography
4. Pull-up Bar
I have to admit that every time I see a pull-up bar, I get a quick flashback to the days back in the Navy when I was tested for how long I could hang on up there.
I found it fairly easy 40 years ago, but even then, I couldn’t do one pull-up. And I still can’t!
But that doesn’t stop me from training for it. Hanging strength and grip strength are extremely important indicators of overall mortality rates. Learn more in this study in the National Library of Medicine.
That fact alone keeps me motivated to keep trying. I’ll jump onto my pull-up bar a few times a day and see how long I can hang. The bar is extraordinarily sturdy for not being mounted. It simply levers itself against any appropriately sized door frame. You can take it down and move it very easily, and I frequently do just that .
Try it out. There are good tutorials on YouTube for both training to hang and for learning how to complete a pull-up.
5. Jump Rope
I love my jump rope! It’s about as much fun as the mini-trampoline. Skipping rope just sends me right back to my childhood. I can still remember so vividly jumping by myself with small ropes and using the big, long ones with two or three other kids. We’d jump and sing all through recess out in the dusty field back behind our school.
Shoot, I can still remember some of the rhymes that went along with it:
Cin der rel la
Dressed in yel la
Went upstairs to kiss her fel la.
Made a mistake and kissed a snake.
How many kisses did she take?
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Remember that?
I just can’t stop myself from singing those old rhymes while I’m jumping rope. It’s super fun to do outside (inside, too, if you have the space), and there are certainly some very entertaining jump rope reels on Instagram and YouTube these days if you need to relearn how to do it.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn a round. I wonder if the younger influencers know that jumping rhymes even exist?!
If you can remember another rhyme for jumping, leave it in the comments. I’d love to read it!
unsplash/@chichi1813
6. Fitness Tracker
If you don’t have a Fitbit, an Apple Watch, an Oura ring, or a similar tracker, I truly encourage you to start wearing one.
I rely on my Apple watch to help me monitor my sleep, and I’m particularly interested in my HRV, or heart rate variability. HRV is something you might want to take the time to investigate here with the Cleveland Clinic. I’m always trying to raise mine as it seems chronically low, something I wouldn’t have known about had I not been tracking it over several years.
Fitness trackers can help you get to know what’s normal for your body, so that if things do go a little off, you’ll be aware of it. Many of the systems that can be tracked are foundational for harnessing hidden powers, one of the Pounce Pot’s five essential actions.
Fitness trackers frequently monitor the following:
✔️ Steps
✔️Distance walked
✔️ Heart rate
✔️ Heart rate variability
✔️ Calories burned
✔️ VO2 max
✔️ Blood oxygen levels
✔️ ECG (electrocardiogram)
✔️ Fall detection
✔️ Stress levels
✔️ Skin temperature
✔️ Sleep patterns
I don’t yet have an Oura ring, but I’d like to try it out one day and see how it compares to my watch. Leave me a comment if you have one, and let me know what you think about it. Worth the hype?
unsplash/@aprillaugh
7. Stability Ball
What could be more fun? Stability balls, also called yoga balls (although we certainly don’t use them in traditional yoga classes!) can add a ton of entertainment and variety to your home gym. If anything, they’ll provide some good belly laughs!
I think there’s a reoccuring theme in my favorite workout gear, don’t you? I like fun and playful products like trampolines and jump ropes. Giant, bouncy balls are so much fun!
Besides being great for your core, stability balls can be used as a desk chair replacement, stretching your back muscles, and improving your balance. Read more here about their benefits.
To find the right size for you, use your height. Use a 55 cm ball if you’re 5'1" to 5'8", a 65 cm ball for 5'9” to 6'2", and a 75 cm ball if you’re super tall like my husband and over 6'2".
unsplash/@mrleecanburn
8. Grip Strength Trainer
I hadn’t really considered using a grip strength trainer until my husband, Sean, developed a wrist problem and was prescribed one for rehabilitating his grip strength.
Turns out, grip strength (like overall strength) declines with age unless we proactively work on keeping it level. This means, of course, that we need to add grip strength training to our routine or else we might not be able to open pickle jars later when we need hamburger toppings for our grandkids.
But of course, it’s much more than that. Watch this short reel for a brief explanation of why your grip strength matters. Or take a moment and read this report.
I’m sure there are other ways to practice ramping up your grip strength, but using the trainer is quick and portable. Try it out while you’re otherwise scrolling or just watching tv.
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