by stacey gottlieb WEB RESOURCES Cheap Workout Tips Check out how Tripod members like to feel the burn, or submit your own cheap workout tips. Video Fitness Includes reviews of hundreds of workout videos and video instructors and a pro/con review of the concept of workout videos. Reebok Bulletin Boards General sports and fitness discussion Why Warm Up and Cool Down? Choosing an Exercise Program Depending on whether you want muscle tone, weight loss, flexibility or overall fitness -- this page helps you choose type, frequency and level of exercise. Cybercise Fitness information, events, music samples, products, and chat room. Exercise Equipment Yahoo's directory of exercise equipment on the web. American Yoga Association Benefits of Yoga to Modern Life Usenet: misc.fitness.aerobic misc.fitness.misc misc.fitness.weights alt.yoga

The Blizzard of 96, the winter from hell, weathermen flushed with excitement and even Georgia getting snow -- it's all over, and only the Weather Channel is sorry to see it go. Whether or not you indulged in weather porn, it seemed only sensible to pile on the clothes and curl up with a good book and a hearty meal. So your work-out regime slipped, and restarting a fitness regime is right up there with doing laundry -- you know it is has to happen eventually, but what's another day? That's why fitness gurus purport that the easier you make it to work out, the more likely you'll be to stick with the program. Short of paying an oversized trainer to haul your butt out of bed each morning, the next best alternative may be to bring the gym into your home. Don't scoff. Your health-club-at-home need not be limited by the size of your pad or the size of your wallet. In fact, many of the things you'll need to keep a fitness regime up at home are either easy to find or already there. With little pain and even less cash, you can reinvent the concept of the rec-room -- at the very least, you'll have an exercise outlet too close at hand to ignore. For less than thirty dollars down, you can purchase a few key gym accessories that will service almost every body part -- without turning your foyer into a weight room. These items are not only inexpensive, but unobtrusive -- not likely to make your home look like an indoor jungle gym. Rubber Bands These toning bands offer a range of resistance, depending their size and capacity to stretch, and can be used for legs, thighs, arms and chest area. A few brands to choose: Dynabands, in packets of three, $13 Joe Weider packet, three different-sized bands, $6.99 Richard Simmons, two-pack, $7.99 Weights Nothing beats results seen from a steady free weight program. Dumbbells are easy to incorporate in a fitness program, and can even double as push-up handles (which sell for up to $20 in stores). Accordingly, adding even a one pound cuff-weight to each wrist or ankle during toning exercises can make a difference in the speed at which you'll see results. Free-weight Pairs: Discount stores offer a pair of 1 lb. weights for $8 and up, depending on the weight size. A brand-name survey includes: Jack LaLanne 1 lb. $9.98, 5 lb. $31.98 Weider 1 lb. $10, $15.99 Ivanko rubber 5 lb. $18, cast iron 5 lb. $13. Cuff-weight Pairs: Can start at $24 and rise from there. Shop around for best value, some comparisons include: AllPro weights by Weider, adjustable for wrist or ankle, 1 lb. for $9.99, 2.5 lb. for $14.99. Mat Though your used Oriental carpet may hide party stains and foot traffic, a surface for stretching and toning exercises that won't slip and provides the necessary cushioning for a comfortable work out is essential -- and worth the money down to avoid rug rash. Some brands: Weider, 2'x5', $14.99 Frelonic, 22"x58", $30-40 Bollinger, 24"x68", $12.99 Chin-up Bar Easy to install, easy to use, and tough on arm muscles. Need we say more? Some brands: Tunturi $15.99 Bollinger $11.99 Jump Rope A catalyst for memories of more carefree times, this childhood toy makes for an excellent cardio work out if kept up at a brisk pace for twenty or more minutes. Greatly ignored for the intensity of session it can provide -- especially when adding jumps and double jumps -- this kitschy fitness antique gets top ratings from almost everyone who has given it a second lease on life. Body Bar Like a long metal dumbbell wrapped in a plastic coating, without the weights at the ends. These bars are favored by trainers and physical therapists for their versatility, as they can be used for arm curls, in squats, for waist and leg work. The original is by Body Bar comes in 9 lb. to 18 lb. sizes, and costs $39.99-$49.99. If you find working out at home is something you can really stick with, it may well be worth a slightly larger investment to outfit your house with one piece of fitness equipment that will take care of the foundation of any exercise program -- cardiovascular work. These three items are all significantly less than a yearly gym membership, a new mountain bike, or pair of skis -- and as the adage goes, size is not necessarily important. Each can be folded and stored under your bed or in the broom closet -- just don't let them stay there for long. Another note: the "hot" workout of the moment isn't necessarily the best for you, and likewise, those that have fallen from their status of being en vogue are still excellent fitness regimes, if they were to begin with. In other words, what's hip in gym culture has little to do with the effectiveness and compatibility of a work out for you personally. These are some old favorites (some older than others) that get the job done. Slide Mat This trend -- c. 1994, coming on the heels of the Step Aerobics craze -- may have already come and gone from your gym, but it still offers a great low-impact, heart-raising workout anaerobically or aerobically, depending on the intensity of your moves. With the booties on (like slippers that glide), you can slip and slide like a pro ice-skater. All mats come with a video demonstrating the side to side technique that builds and conditions the lower extremities, including quads, gluts and hamstrings. Models available: Reebok, about $85 Super Slide by SLM, $59.99 Kim Alexis $30-40 Aerobic Step Reebok revolutionized low-impact aerobics and picked up several hundred female (and male) addicts with the introduction of their Step work out in the early 90s. Though considered passé in many a gym, step aerobics undeniably offers a great cardio boost without the strain of high-impact -- or the blast to your downstairs neighbors. Even if you've tried it in a gym, watch the videos carefully for technique -- it's not uncommon to twist an ankle with sloppy form. All come with videotapes. Reebok Step, $79.99 on average Jane Fonda Step, $59.99 Richard Simmons' mini step, $24.99 Trainer This little gadget -- long known to avid cyclists, and fitness Prom King of the '70s -- turns a regular bicycle into stationary bike by fastening onto the back wheel and raising it on a rolling bar to allow circular, but not forward motion. Some have additional attachments that connect to handle bars and allow for resistance control. Shop around, prices vary. Cycleops, with video, $219 Blackburn $170-$220, depending on options Even if you haven't got a dime to spare, you can still pump iron in front of your TV: Free Weights: fill empty shampoo bottles with sand or water and go for it. Weight Resistance: dips off of a chair, hold sitting position with back pressed against wall, calves at a 90 degree angles to the floor. Step Aerobics: a staircase, stacked phone books or another sturdy box double as the real McCoy -- that's how the Reebok inventor found the idea, playing around with a milk crate. Toning exercises: Sit-ups, pushup, leg lifts, lunges, and squats: all can be done, even with the "Friends" laugh-track for music. The last word in home fitness routines, no matter which you choose, is to use the same caution and smarts you would at your local gym. Physical therapist Renato Grammitca of The New York Sports Club in Eastchester, New York, says even in the gym people often don't use the proper form in their weight- and cardio- training and don't take the time to warm up before starting a circuit. He warns this can lead to serious injury, and even more so at home where there are no trained professionals around to assist. To ward off such problems, Grammitca recommends buying a good work out book or video (ask your doctor or trainer to suggest one) in order to hone your expertise and technique. Joe Spalone, a Manhattan physical therapist, echoes the sentiment that stretching out both before (only after a period of light cardio to get blood circulating) and especially after every work out-no matter the type-is a must. Spalone also emphasizes that you should research which stretches are essential for your body composition and usual routines and use them instead of a generic set of stretches which could be less effective and less preventative of injury. In addition to being plain good sense, extended stretching exercises at the end of a workout can have a therapeutic effect on your mind as well as your body. Take a trip to the library (or check out the web resources to the left) to learn about the positive effects that yoga and stretching can have on one's overall state of mind (including: increased clarity, relaxation, better sleep cycles, mental clarity and decreased stress). Finally, remember to consult a physician before beginning any type of exercise program -- even if it's done in the comfort of your abode. Injuries don't discriminate on the basis of age, fitness level, or location. Stacey Gottlieb is the associate editor for "Beauty" Magazine. She was formerly assistant editor for "Manhattan File."