A couple of months ago I received this comment on a post I published about some unconventional ways we save money on one income.
Like Luke, we save money on gym memberships every month by exercising at home. We do this without a dedicated home gym. Our exercise equipment lives wherever it fits and wherever we know we will use it most consistently.
This article is about the system we use to exercise because I think the idea of having a “home gym” can be a little intimidating.
My husband is a stay-at-home dad who does flexible freelance work in the evenings, and I work full-time remotely.
Ever since my husband stepped back from his career to raise our boys, we are both more consistent about exercise than we were when we both worked full-time. This is partially because we are both home, but the biggest reason it works is that we started building exercise into our schedule and daily rhythm in the same way as meals and bedtime routines.
My husband exercises in the afternoons, every other day. If I’m tied up with work, he makes it happen while he’s with the boys. If I’m able to clock out, he does it solo. I exercise on the opposite afternoons. Essentially, we take turns.
Neither of us waits to feel like it or until we have free time. We put it on the calendar just like every other commitment, and we show up for it (most of the time), which is the only system that has worked for us long-term.
When we both worked full-time, exercise was treated as optional more often — it was always the first thing to go when other competing priorities popped up.
There would be weeks when we exercised reliably, but then months when it barely happened at all.
Shifting to one income changed the structure of our days enough that we could build exercise into our daily schedule.
And I want to be clear that none of this is to say that we never skip exercise days. We are humans after all. But exercise over the past couple of years has been more predictable (not perfect) than it was before.
Technically yes, but I don’t like this framing. It puts exercise into the same category as bubble baths and pedicures. In doing so, I think it creates a mindset around exercise that makes it easier to put at the back of the line after every other commitment.
Calling exercise “self-care” makes it easier to skip.
Unlike many types of self-care, exercise is a part of our family’s infrastructure. It falls in the same category of importance as getting adequate sleep, drinking clean water, and eating healthy food.
Living intentionally means putting your money, time, and energy toward the things that you value most. We value being physically capable, mentally clear, and emotionally available for our boys and for each other.
Exercise is one of the ways that we protect all three.
Our exercise equipment is scattered throughout the house.
We have some adjustable weights, a kettlebell, and an exercise bike in our bedroom, which is where my husband and I exercise most of the time.
Our walking pad lives in our guest room, which doubles as my office, and I sometimes walk on it while working during the day.
On some evenings, I carry the adjustable dumbbells into the living room after the boys are asleep, complete an on-demand workout through BODi, and then put everything away again when I’m finished.
The full list of equipment we have and use regularly is linked here.
We gradually accumulated the equipment and found places for it throughout the house that made the most sense. And our setup works because it’s designed around our real lives.
A workout at the gym requires packing a bag, driving across town, finding parking, or coordinating schedules. A workout at home requires walking into another room. Working out at home saves us money every month on a gym membership, but the biggest advantage is that we’ve eliminated friction.
Our boys imitate us because children observe the behaviors of the people they live with and adopt them as their own normal.
Our oldest does squats, unprompted. In the kitchen, in the backyard, and during weekly FaceTime calls with grandma who lives in another state.
Our middle one loves “doing cardio” by running laps around the house.
Both of them have picked up water bottles to do shoulder presses because they have seen us do it.
That is the part that feels most like everyday rich to me. The fact that we’ve designed a life intentionally so that our boys are growing up in a house where taking care of your body is just what people do. The same way that cooking dinner, reading books, and spending time outside is just what people do.
If you are waiting for free time to show up so that you can exercise consistently, I’m sorry to say that it probably isn’t coming (especially if you have kids).
If exercise is important to you, you need to decide when it will happen, put it on your schedule, and treat it (as best you can) as a non-negotiable. Just like a work meeting or doctor appointment you can’t miss.
And when the time comes and you inevitably have days when you don’t feel like exercising (this happens to me more often than not, honestly), remember why you put it on the calendar in the first place.
Maybe you want to be strong physically. Maybe you want to be a calmer parent. Maybe you want your kids to grow up seeing you engage in healthy habits.
Whatever the reason, remember it. Then dig deep, put your sneakers on, and get it done.
Jenny :)
P.S. Please reply and let me know if there is anything you’d like me to address in an upcoming Ask Me Anything.
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