Exercise Tools

The equipment industry would like you to believe the barrier is gear. It is almost never gear.

What needs nothing at all

Walking. Stairs. Squats, push-ups, lunges, planks. A brisk half-hour walk most days delivers the large majority of the health benefit of exercise, and the entry cost is a pair of shoes.

What is genuinely worth buying

A skipping rope - the best cardiovascular value per rupee ever made. Resistance bands, which travel, cost little and cover most of the body. A mat, if the floor is what stops you. A pair of adjustable dumbbells, once you are certain you will keep going.

Buy the equipment after the habit, not before it. Gear bought to create motivation becomes furniture.

What to be sceptical of

Anything promising results without effort - vibration plates, electrical muscle stimulation belts, "spot reduction" devices. You cannot choose where fat comes off; that is decided by genetics, not by which area you exercise.

Starting safely

If you are over forty, have been inactive for years, or have a heart condition, diabetes or joint disease, have a word with your doctor before starting something strenuous. Not to be discouraged - to start at the right level.