You want to work out at home, but your budget — or your living space — is as slim as you wish you were.

So if you can't invest in a full-scale home gym, are there low-cost fitness gizmos that can help you get in shape?

Absolutely, said Cheryl Boswell, a personal trainer who's the health and wellness director at the Oak Cliff and Lakewest YMCAs.

"You can get a lot of things to help get a good workout, and you don't have to spend a lot of money," she said.

To prove the point, we gave Boswell a $100 budget. Here's how she filled our shopping cart:

- A body sculpting program ($59.95). The set includes a step for aerobics, two 3-pound dumbbells, a resistance band, a workout ball — and three instructional DVDs featuring fitness instructor Cathe Friedrich.

The step provides a cardio workout, the dumbbells and resistance band tone muscles and the ball is a key to everything from sit-ups to crunches to enhancing any exercise that involves sitting.

"To balance yourself you use your abs, your back muscles, your glutes and your thighs," Boswell said. "You do the same thing, but you engage more muscles."

She said the DVDs also are an important part of the home gym package.

"If you're working out alone, you need to see if you're doing it right," she said.

- Workout mat ($19.99).

- One 8-pound dumbbell ($7.88). "As you get stronger, you'll want to add more weight," Boswell said.

Jump rope ($2.29). "A great, easy aerobic workout," she said.

- Pedometer or step-counter ($8.43). "You need to keep moving to burn calories," Boswell said. "The counter helps you keep track and encourages you to do more."

That's $98.58 before tax. You really ought to have a second 8-pound dumbbell, and you could spend a little more for a fancier jump rope and pedometer, said Boswell.

But you get the idea.

"The main thing isn't equipment," she said. "It's motivation."