Fitness Accessories

1. You've seen them at the gyms, Pilates studios, your friends' houses... but how did they get there and what do they do? Exercise balls help stabilize your balance, work your core, and add variety to your workout. Choose one according to your height. If you are between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 11 inches, go with the 65 cm exercise ball. Shorter or taller, go with smaller and larger versions, respectively.

2. You can't just roll up to your favorite natural foods grocery store and pick out one of the exercise mats they have on display and call yourself done. You'll probably want to see what's out there, and the best place is online. Yoga, Pilates and aerobics can all be complemented by different mats; they are not all the same.

3. Adding resistance to your routine used to mean storing a pile of dumbbells in the corner, most of which never get used. Buy a selection of fitness bands, adjust the resistance by taking up slack, and you'll never have to worry about dropping iron on your toe.

4. Fitness DVDs are remarkably inexpensive and designed for all skill levels. Gone are the days of watching aerobics on TV and calling it exercise. For a modest investment you can have a library of workout routines to motivate you and keep your regimen varied.

5. If you're like most people, some exercise accessories you purchase don't get used too much. We must say, though, you'll never regret buying a good pair of fitness gloves. With weights, pull ups, biking, and countless other activities, your blister problems are done.

6. Gravity boots (sorry kids, not to be confused with "anti-gravity boots") are designed to comfortably support you upside down for purposes of exercise or back and headache therapy.

7. Similar to gravity boots are gravity racks and gravity bars. These are similar to inversion tables, but take up much less space. When used in conjunction with gravity boots, they are a very safe and effective way of inverting yourself for various exercises.

8. Modern contraptions abound for consumers looking for a new way to work their bodies. Ask around, though, and you'll see that few exercises are as effective as pull-ups for working your upper body. A decent pull-up bar need not take up any space, and the benefits are considerable.

9. Few things are as easy to store and use on a regular basis than a compact stepping device. Larger machines may have more adjustments and features, but the idea is the same. Slide this out from under your bed in the morning and step your way to fitness without a trip to the gym.

10. Yet another fitness accessory that is very useful and compact, but not necessarily one that people immediately go for is the trampoline. They provide a highly kinetic workout for those with bodies that constantly need to be moving.