Your essential home gym kit

The past few years has made many of us reconsider our expensive gym memberships and look at ways to work out at home instead. It’s easier to get into than you’d think and, contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t have to involve a whole new wardrobe or a load of equipment piled up in the garage/spare room/study.

Start with some multitasking sportswear and a few key accessories, such as wrist or ankle weights, which will make any workout more challenging. 

Resistance bands will help you activate your glutes before a run and can also be used to add resistance for a targeted lower body workout without weights. Gliding core discs challenge your abs, boosting balance and stability.

A yoga block can provide extra support to help you ease into the poses or offer a little help in balances, while a yoga towel provides grip – sometimes needed for those trickier postures. A yoga mat can make certain poses more comfortable, while yoga or barre socks are great for slippery floors and chilly feet. 

Your muscles, heart and lungs adapt and grow stronger when you rest between workouts, and recovery time also helps you avoid injury. Therabody massagers can give deep, targeted treatment even in hard-to-reach areas (plus they feel amazing). 

If you’ve got outdoor space, now’s the time to invest in a Lumi Therapy ice bath. This insulated pod, which keeps water at a steady (read, cold) temperature, is used to ease muscle pain to help recovery and lower blood pressure. Build up the time you spend in it, while slowly reducing the temperature over a few weeks.