My New Year Resolution: Guilt Free

It is the new year and with it comes the usual resolutions to get in shape, do yoga, join a gym, be a better person, you know the same old crap.  I am a seasoned failure at resolutions at this point in my life, so I know not to commit to anything long term, i.e. gym memberships.  They get you to join and sign a contract even though its 40 dollars a month that you know you are pissing away.  I mean with the money I have wasted over the years on gym memberships, I could have bought pectoral and ab implants.  I did it anyway because the idea felt good.  I could be that person with enough discipline and drive to workout three times a week.  This year was no different for me, I made the usual empty resolutions and goals, but I got wise to the gym membership and bought two pieces of equipment for my house instead.

The first is a pull up bar that goes in a doorway(that's me in the picture on the left).  It has some catchy name I forgot(looked it up and its the Iron Gym).  I bought it at Walgreens on sale for 20 bucks.  It is actually pretty sweet and doesn't require any bolts or screws to keep it up.  I leave it in the doorway all the time in case the spirit moves me to do a couple pull-ups here and there (wouldn't recommend it if you are over 6 feet tall though).  It doubles as a push up bar on the floor so you don't have to touch your floor and think about how dirty it is before you exercise.  Probably, the most useful function is just swinging on it like a monkey which I am sure is good for my abs or shoulders or something.

The second piece of equipment I picked up at Goodwill for $1.99, the Ab Wheel.   Goodwill is a treasure trove of outdated home gym equipment, thigh masters, nordic tracks, and anything by Chuck Norris.  Essentially the ab wheel is a bar with wheels.  It is nearly impossible to do properly in the kind of shape I am in right now, but sit ups also require me to think about how dirty my house is and thus inhibit a good workout.  Fundamentally, with this thing, I don't have to touch the floor either.


If nothing else, buying new equipment for under 30 bucks makes me feel like I accomplished my goals guilt free, and I didn't have to commit two years of 40 dollar a month.  If I end up not using this stuff, Otis and Moses love to hang from the pull-up bar and they play with the ab wheel like its a truck.  Win/Win situation.  Happy New Year.