How to create the perfect workout space at home

Spending time at home, for most of us, is a sacred time of joy, relaxation, and happiness. It is where we go after work to recharge our batteries, spend time with our family, catch up on reading, and do everything that builds up our personality. However, spending the majority of your daily hours at home can start to hurt your physique and well-being. For instance, working from home could negatively influence your physical activity and temp you to form lazy habits. 

Take the current global pandemic situation. People from a number of countries around the world are required to remain home to prevent the spread of COVID-10 or Coronavirus. Staying at home, at the moment, makes you a responsible citizen and is highly recommended. But how can we continue to live a relatively normal life and stay active and healthy during times like this? 

The answer is simple – by being as active as possible at home. In this article, we will go through a step-by-step guide on setting up the perfect workout space at home, which will allow you to tone up your body, stay active and motivated, even without going to the gym or your regular sports classes. 

Why set up a room for working out at home?

As you can imagine, creating a dedicated place in your home for a good workout carries a large set of benefits. For starters, it’s among the most convenient ways to stay in shape and good health. No need to waste valuable time to get to the gym as the gym is right next door. Another major benefit is affordability. Even if there is a small investment related to the creation of the working out space in your house, it will be nothing in comparison to spending regular money on gym memberships or separate classes. Last but not least, you can organize it according to your taste and preferences. So let’s get started!

Create a motivating environment

The atmosphere around you is essential when it comes to motivation, especially when we’re talking about staying physically active. Once you’ve chosen the room or house space that you want to transform into your mini yoga studio or gym, make sure that you choose the basics correctly. For instance, if you will be spending hours doing cardio workouts, choose energizing colors that will inspire you, such as orange, red, or green. If, on the other hand, you’re a big fan of yoga and nice, calm stretching exercises, choose light and relaxing colors. 

Having enough sunlight in the space is an important factor for any type of activity as it tends to increase concentration, focus, and helps you stay active. If sunlight is not a realistic option for the space you have selected, install a set of recessed lights with bright white bulbs to help you feel awake and inspired at all times.

Consider various types of workouts

Even if you have a set of preferable exercises that you mostly focus on at the time, you can never really be too certain about your preferences in a few months. Remember that equipping your workout space with a ton of gym gadgets may not always be a clever way to do things. It may also turn out to be a useless investment in the long run. 

Instead, think about the alternative of leaving more space free and open for different types of activities and instead of using large equipment, focusing on smaller things. For instance, getting a jump rope or cardio circuits will do the same magic as a treadmill or bike. Dumbbells are also a great, multifunctional option. Leave some space for a yoga matt as it can be used for a large variety of exercises on the ground to work all the different parts of your body.

Use a mirror 

Even if you’re not fond of following every movement in the mirror to reach perfection, you will be surprised by the range of positives they have in a room created for physical activity. Monitoring your reflection and tracking the changes in your body can be extremely useful for self-assessment and can ensure stable progress. You will be able to spot the strong and not so strong parts of your body and will be able to tailor your workouts to get maximum results. 

Besides, having a mirror in your workout room will reflect light, increasing the level of brightness in the space. The illusion of a larger training space will certainly increase your motivation to be active and will keep your motivation levels up.

Create flooring that will support your workout

Most people focus on the design of a workout space at home without really paying too much attention to one of the most important parts – the flooring. It doesn’t come up as a top priority on the to-do-list when decorating and organizing, but flooring does matter for two reasons.

First, you can easily sacrifice your floors and cause long-term damage through intense workouts. Second, hard surfaces can have an extremely negative impact on the body. For instance, word and concrete don’t absorb the impact during activities like jumping of jogging. Rather than absorbing, these surfaces push the energy back through the feet and legs, causing injuries and discomfort. If you want to keep your floor and your body safe, you can opt for a surface like a basket weave. Materials like maple are commonly used, even in professional gyms. An alternative is to go for a commercial-grade interlocking foam mat that will also do the trick without having to replace your floors and heavily invest in the buildup of your workout space. 

Think about storage and organization

Once you have in place the larger parts of your workout station at home, it is time to consider the smaller but also important bits to your special room – the storage compartments. Depending on your workout preference, your storage space could vary. Of course, you have the rest of the house to yourself when it comes to changing and keeping your equipment but it will always be preferable to have everything tidied up in one place, easy to access and use. 

Remember that you will need to be quick in accessing the necessary equipment, especially if you need it in the middle of your workout. Open spaces like cubbies are a great solution. Consider choosing open cubbies that are delivered with racks for your mats. You could also use drawers to store some of the basic things that you use from the start of your workout. Another cool storage option is a whole lifted shelving system that is bolted to the wall. This solution allows you to keep everything up on the walls an avoid wasting any flooring space. It may sound more difficult than it is and only takes a few hours to fully adjust. Of course, don’t forget that you’ll need to place a TV somewhere if you’re fond of using workout videos or tutorials, which are an amazing way to stay in shape. 

Getting into the mood

Now that you’re ready to start creating the ultimate workout space at home, it’s time to get in the right mood and zone for some active time. For some people, music is a great motivator! Choose a high-intensity workout mix on Spotify or YouTube and get your mind prepared. In addition, you will find that clothing does set you in a certain mood! So if you’re still in your pyjamas, it’s time to say goodbye and welcome a new outfit for our workout. 

Choose your favorite pair of leggings, put on your best sports bra and you’ll notice how you’re already starting to feel uplifted and energized! Don’t forget to stay hydrated and always have a bottle of fresh water by your side in your special workout station at home. The rest is up to you! Stay motivated and challenge yourself every day when it comes to your workout. You’ll be surprised to see what you can achieve from home, without the expense and time wasted to commute to the gym!

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