Ever since my 50 Days No Excuses Fitness Journey this past summer, exercise has become a regular part of my life. I didn’t take any days off during the fitness challenge, but now I make sure to have some rest days. Most weeks I have been successful to get at least 5 or 6 workouts in per week using my gym essentials. One of my goals is to have a “summer body” year round. My gym essentials have gotten me on the path toward that goal.
As I’m nearing in on graduating from my MD/MBA program, that means I’ll also be moving out of my apartment building soon. Once I got serious about fitness, I realized how blessed I am to have a gym in my building. Although I don’t know where I will be for residency, I know that there’s a chance my future place of residence won’t have a gym. That’s why I’ve started to compile a list of the items that I would buy if I need to create an at-home gym. My gym essentials are the elliptical for cardio, dumbbells for strength training, exercise gloves to prevent callouses, and a yoga mat. Other items at the gym are nice to have, but these items represent what I can’t do without. If you’re looking to buy some new gym equipment or workout gear, check out the links below to get some good deals on the items on my wish list for my future in-home gym.
ELLIPTICAL
Ever since I learned that I have arthritis in my feet, I have relied heavily on the elliptical as my main source of cardio. It provides low impact on my joints, while still challenging me cardiovascularly. My cardio sessions last between 30 minutes to an hour, depending on which shows I haven’t caught up on. (I watch TV while on the elliptical!)
DUMBBELLS
Free weights are some of my gym essentials, especially since I started using the free Nike Training Club App workouts. In my goal to get fit, I want to get as strong as I can be so that 60+-year-old Atasha isn’t frail.
YOGA MATS
I have gradually incorporated yoga into my gym routine. It helps me to relax and improve my horrid flexibility. I also use yoga mats to do my core workouts.
WORKOUT CLOTHES
Something I really want to improve moving forward is my workout clothes. I honestly rank this lowly on my list of gym essentials, but over time, I will work to wear things other than random Tshirts and my high school track shorts to the gym lol! But I have started wearing working gloves while lifting because calluses are not cute.
POST WORKOUT RECOVERY SHAKES
Protein shakes have become gym essentials for me because I often need ways to quickly replenish the calories I burn from my workouts. I can easily burn ~900 calories from an hour on the elliptical. When I’m eating healthily, it’s hard to gain back those calories using salads and meat protein.
I hope that the above products are helpful for you if you’re looking to get some new fitness equipment. I wanted to share with you some of my gym essentials that have helped me get to where I am today on my fitness journey. I’m not even gonna lie, Teyana Taylor is still summer body goals, but I’m VERY happy with the progress that I’ve made to date. I feel stronger, healthier, and more confident, and that’s truly all that matters to me at the end of the day.
Peace and blessings,
Atasha Jordan, MD (to be)
