Our Tiny Gym
The new year brings a renewed desire to get in shape and make up for everything we ate during the holidays.
Finding a place to workout can be a challenge for the full-time RVer. This is particularly difficult during the winter months up here in the Pacific Northwest.
Gym memberships are not a practical option for us. Most require a long-term commitment and hefty monthly fees.
Over the past few years, we’ve been collecting workout equipment to use at home. Because we live in a small space, we've chosen our exercise equipment very carefully. It must be:
easy to use
compact
lightweight
affordable
So, here is the equipment that made the cut.
Resistance Bands
Our house may be tiny, but that's no excuse to opt out of resistance training! Excess weight in an RV is not an option, so we've opted for resistance bands instead of dumbbells or other heavy equipment.
This kit from Amazon has been great the past few years. We purchased it while living in an apartment, because we were tired of making trips to the gym. I love that it has the weight on the bands, so you can track your improvement and set goals as you would with traditional weights.
Mini Stepper
This mini stepper is our newest addition to our “gym on wheels”, and we love it! For only $50 on Amazon, it keeps us moving in the RV when it’s cold and rainy out (which feels like all the time right now). Loren and I have really missed the cardio equipment at the gym since living in the RV, so this is a great addition.
The resistance on this little stepper is adjustable, so it’s great for all levels. We like the resistance bands on it too, so you can get an arm workout while in doing cardio.
Yoga Stuff
Loren is definitely more the yogi, but Dottie is coming in a close second! I (Chelsea) have finally come around. Yoga is great to do anywhere, so it's perfect for the RV or tiny house. If you're not ready to make your own yoga routine (like me), I recommend trying Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube! She's got a video for just about anything you can think of - including one for small spaces!
We opted for this 65-75cm yoga ball instead of a chair at our dining table. These are great for sitting and for working out! They aren’t great for puppies, however. I have yet to find a puncture-proof yoga ball. We are already on our second - due to puppy teeth/nails!
We invested in the Enkeeo Yoga Swing from Amazon (similar to this one, but ours is no longer available). It’s been lots of fun, although I wish we could hang it in the RV so we could use it all the time. It helps with back pain - we noticed a difference after just one week! The only issue is that we have to take it to the playground to set it up, so it's not the most peaceful place to practice. We plan on building or buying some sort of portable contraption to hang from soon. Any suggestions on how to do that would be much appreciated!
Get Outdoors!
This is our preferred way to do things! Getting outside and taking a hike, going for a bike ride, or just walk around the campground. Of course, we are in the middle of winter in the Pacific Northwest right now, so we only get little bit of outdoor time.
We always had trouble running /walking in cities (probably due to air quality), but now that we are far from any highways or smog it's much easier and funner!
Data Tracking
To make things fun and measurable, we use this Bluetooth scale from Amazon. It’s pretty amazing for only $25. It not only measures weight, but also body fat percentage, muscle mass, skeletal muscle, protein, bone mass, and more! It has it's own app that will sync with Fitbit and other fitness apps.
As far as pedometers go, we've had Fitbits and the new knockoffs. Unfortunately, we can’t say we were impressed with the off brand tracker we tried. The one we got died within a few months. We do really like Fitbit trackers as well as the app they come with.
How do you stay in shape? Do you have a tiny gym or home exercise equipment? Leave us a comment below!