How many years have you told yourself the same thing: This is the year you're going to get into shape? With images of your new, slender body so clear in your mind, you rush out and join a gym. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months. Perhaps you went a few times, but getting to the gym is simply too difficult. You don't have the time or energy to get there. Now you're stuck in a three-year contract that's costing you $40 per month--with no results to show for it. The contract will let you cancel at any time, but that would be admitting defeat.

So now what? You could forget about it and become a permanent fixture on the sofa, or you could realize it's not you, it is the very industry itself. Fitness clubs are business enterprises, and they want to turn a profit. If you are one of those super-motivated individuals, health fitness clubs have tons of great (and not-so-great) gym equipment. For the majority of people, the idea is to get them to spend a lot and yet not come to the facility. After all, the gym equipment and the space for it are not free.

How did super motivated people become this way? Being successful at something, more than anything else, makes you more confident and provides needed motivation. That success can begin at home. If you start with just the things you really need and work a little every day, you can convert you living room, or garage, or your backyard, into a working gym.

I have tried a home gym, you say. I purchased gym equipment, that big cable and pulley thing that now is used as a clothes rack (that started out looking like a torture device, maybe one of those racks that stretch you.) I bought that bike too, with the big fan for the front wheel that sends me lurching up and down with the moving handle bars. Makes a great towel rack though.

But I'm just talking about the stuff you use, not fancy fitness equipment. To get started, you should try some basic exercises such as pushups or deep knee bends; however, it is important to make sure that you are using proper form. Your knees should not hurt. Another option is to purchase a duffel bag from your local military supply store, along with some 50 lb bags of playground sand from the home supply store. Separate the sand into 5 lb portions using plastic bags wrapped with duct tape, and load them into the bag. Exercise by lifting the bag from the ground to overhead and back again. Even if you get an expensive duffel bag, this should only cost you around $25.

When you feel you're making progress, then add a cheap barbell set, and maybe a way to get the bar off the floor so you can do barbell squats and standing military presses. Skip the dedicated bench press things, they're not really worth it. Whatever you ultimately do, though, be sure to have your doctor check you out before you start (oh, look, another excuse to use to put off that workout!).

For more information on Home Fitness and equipment try visiting http://homefitnessgym.info, a website that specializes in providing helpful home fitness tips, advice and resources to include and more.