Right after graduate school, my husband and I rented an apartment in the city.
We loved living within walking distance to all sorts of boutique shops, restaurants, bars, theaters, bakeries and coffee shops.
We joined a gym that was only a block from our apartment. The gym offered 24/7 access so we could workout whenever our schedules allowed. We often signed up for group fitness classes on the weekends, taking advantage of yoga, pilates, spin, boot camp and HIIT. I loved being able to use the steam room, tanning beds, treadmills and ellipticals. My husband preferred the wide variety of weight training options. Once we had kids, the apartment became overly cramped. We started looking for a house to buy. We wanted to give our kids their own bedrooms and a big backyard to play in. We needed at least two bathrooms, more closet space and a garage. We hoped to get a dog and possibly install a swimming pool. While we found the ideal house to buy, leaving the city meant giving up on a lot of amenities. It was no longer feasible to maintain our gym memberships. The drive is just too far, and we don’t have the time. Our schedules are hectic, but we still want to exercise everyday. The weather doesn’t always cooperate for outdoor bike rides, runs and swimming laps. By necessity, we’ve invested into the set up of a home gym. We were surprised by how expensive the equipment is. There is no way we will ever have anything close to what the gym offers, but we’re happy with our treadmill, kettlebells, resistance bands, yoga mats and an incline bench. I recently purchased a mini trampoline, and we’re now saving to add an elliptical and a weight lifting machine.