Plan where you'll put the equipment before you actually purchase it.

• A spare room is ideal, but if you're short on space, the corner of your living room will work fine. Your bedroom or a dark basement aren't the best places for your fitness equipment, since you'll likely be less motivated to work out in these areas of your home.
• Your exercise room should be slightly cooler than the rest of your home so you don't easily overheat. Otherwise, plan on having a fan handy.
• Measure your intended workout space carefully. Will your fitness equipment fit through the door? Will you be able to move comfortably around the equipment once it's set up? Will your head touch the ceiling when you're using the equipment?
• Check to make sure the power supply needed to run the equipment matches what you have in your home.
  
  

Purchase exercise equipment only if you plan on using it regularly. Consider these tips:

• Choose fitness equipment one piece at a time or as your budget allows. Consider your fitness goals and the space you have available. After all, you don't want your fitness equipment to become a clothes rack!
• Don't skimp on the basics. Solid construction and smooth, quiet operation are important.
• Keep your options open. You don't have to choose either a treadmill or stepper. Other options include rowers, elliptical trainers and stationary bikes such as recumbents and Spinners.
  
  ness equipment options.
  
  

• Weight training, when combined with aerobic exercise, is the best way to build overall fitness.
  
• Stretching and yoga are often overlooked, but they can enhance your performance by keeping your muscles loose and elongated for greater flexibility and strength.
  
• Fitness balls, resistance cables and exercise videos can add variety and interest to your workouts, so you're less likely to get bored, and more likely to keep exercising.