Seven Fitness Investments That Are Totally Worth It

Whether you’re an old gym rat or just starting out your fitness journey, there are a few handy things to keep at home or with you. Fitness, especially weightlifting, can be a money trap where people spend too much on things they don’t need because they look cool. It’s actually much simpler than you may realize – and you only need to make a few simple investments to help you in the long run!

Any Kind of Cardio Machine

This is the most expensive one and the one you can probably skip. That said, it would help you so much. Sometimes after a grueling workout, you’re simply too tired to hop on the treadmill for 20 minutes. However, if you have one at home, you can get your cardio in at any time.

Whether it’s a small treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical machine, or any form of cardio machine, you’ll make sure you never neglect your cardio. Even better, they can also help you break through a workout plateau. 

A Good Food Scale

We used to think people who weighed their food were a little bit weird, but then we found out they were actually totally right. Once you start calculating your calories and your macronutrients, having a food scale is impeccable. You know how much difference an ounce or few grams of peanut butter makes? A lot.

A food scale can make you beat the misleading calorie labels and make sure you’re getting the right amount of calories that you want. Surprisingly, it can even get you to eat some of the things you think are no-no’s (like ice cream!), since you’ll know exactly how much you’re eating.

A Fitness Tracker

These things work like magic. They track your workouts, and the high-end ones even give you information like heartbeat and calories. Most importantly, a fitness tracker tracks how many steps you’ve made.

Tracking your steps could be life-changing once you start racking up a lot, like 10,000 or more steps every day. In fact, just walking and tracking how many calories you’ve burnt while walking can replace a whole exercise.

Protein Powder

The world of supplements is big, complicated, and sometimes scary. There are so many options out there, and so much science, that most people who start to work out either think they need too many supplements or get scared of buying any in the first place.

As a beginner, you don’t need to go for all the complicated labels just yet. If you’re trying to build muscle, a simple tub of protein powder is convenient to get enough protein in from shakes. Do you absolutely 100% need it? No, you can get the protein through food, but it makes it much easier.

Comfortable Clothes

The gym is no fashion show. That being said, however, you don’t want to be the guy or girl looking like they just came from a sleepover. Appropriate gym attire can make or break your workout. Have you ever tried running in normal sneakers? It’s not ideal.

Because working out exerts you so much, you want high-quality materials that will keep you comfortable but will also last. You don’t want your biceps tearing through your shirt sleeves every week, after all.

Tupperware

Our moms were right all along: everyone needs Tupperware. Once you get far enough into fitness, you’ll find yourself skipping the office takeout and having your own food with you. Not only is it cheaper, but it’s also better for you and will taste better, too.

Meal prepping is much easier when you have the right containers that won’t break or leak any plastic smells. You’ll want to get different sizes for different meals, though, since you really can’t mix your tub of quinoa with the tub of strawberries. 

Home Gym Equipment

Even though the gym is great, has so many options, and is the perfect social environment, nothing beats a good home workout. Working out at home has so many benefits. You can use any machine or area you want with no one telling you they have 6 sets left. You pick what you hear in the background (we suggest podcasts), and you can just jump in at any time.

Investing in some good garage gym equipment can completely change the way you look at fitness and give you a minimalistic approach, which is totally viable. Do you need super-advanced expensive machines for every muscle? No, you just need something heavy and your creativity. After all, it worked for Rocky!