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 Does your home workout room consist of a treadmill in the corner and dumbbells collecting dust under the bed? If you’re tired of spending hundreds of dollars on gym memberships, create a luxurious home fitness center from top to bottom right at home.
LET'S GET WARMED UP!
First you must decide which room will be best for your fitness center.
If you’re an empty nester, turn a child’s bedroom into a fitness room.
Do you have a room that gets little use? Consider a rec room, guest
room, office or garage. If your budget allows it, adding onto your home
can give you limitless possibilities.
Think about how to best use your room. Plan the room around your
workout routine. You can divide the room into sections. For example,
make an area specifically for cardio with a separate area for a weight
bench and free weights. Do you want a special section devoted to
Pilates or yoga? One part of the room can have an area for floor mats
and exercise balls. You might want to include an area for relaxing
after your workout with plush chairs and a chaise lounge.
What is your budget? If you are building a home gym, consider luxurious
add-ons like a eucalyptus steam room, sauna, massage room, etc. Many
home gyms are accompanied with in home spas. A tanning room could
complete the gym, especially if you’re spending hundreds of dollars at
tanning salons.
When building a home gym, hire a contractor, decorator and personal
trainer to help you create the ideal gym devoted to your specific
needs.
MAKING A HOME GYM YOUR OWN
A home gym should feel inviting, so you’ll be more motivated to work out. Remember that this is a “home” gym, so you want to give it an inviting and comfortable feel.
Paint is an inexpensive solution to boring white walls. Choose colors that display your own personal style and create a welcoming appeal. If you want a feeling of relaxation, choose soft greens and blues. Reds, oranges and yellows can give a room a happy and upbeat feel. Hang pictures of family and friends to give your room that homey feel. Little decorative touches can go a long way.
You need lots of light, especially focused on areas with equipment. If possible, try to have a lot of natural light. Natural lighting can keep you from feeling sleepy and help you stay motivated, too. Instead of using fluorescent lighting, track lighting can keep it from looking like a stale commercial gym.
Think about the kind of furniture that would work well in your gym. If you have enough room, set up an area for relaxation. A massage chair can be a great addition to any home gym, especially after a hard workout. Imagine getting a head to toe massage every day after a long workout! Purchase a massage table and let a professional masseuse come to you! Add a few large comfy chairs or one big sofa and a coffee table. Keep health and fitness magazines around to help you stay inspired and motivated. Use a shelf or storage unit for storing books, magazines, videos and CDs. Add a hamper for dirty towels and mount a shelf for clean towels. Install a refrigerator and you’ll never have to step foot in the kitchen, simply stock it with refreshing drinks you love, and of course plenty of water. Stainless steel can give your gym a modern and sleek look.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fittest of them all?? What is a gym without a mirror? Whether you need it for step aerobics, dance or yoga sessions, mirrors are essential for working out and can make a small room appear larger. Stay away from typical wall-to-wall commercial gym mirrors. Install large framed mirrors with elaborate frames in dark rich colors for a modern look.
Even simple decorative additions like fountains and aquariums can give your gym a high class elegant look. Adding a fountain with flowing water is soothing and relaxing. Creating a unique and stylish gym will be the perfect reward after a work out.
GYM EQUIPMENT
The best way to find out what type of equipment to buy for your home gym is to consult a personal trainer. You need to focus on what your workout regimen will consist of and pick out equipment accordingly. It’s good to start out with the basic equipment, such as treadmills, a weight bench, etc. But consulting with a personal trainer will insure that your home gym will be filled with the most essential equipment for your workout routine.
MUST-HAVE EQUIPMENT
A few basic pieces of equipment to consider for your home gym:
- Treadmill
Treadmills are a “must-have.” Whether you’re using them for walking or jogging, treadmills are the perfect piece of exercise equipment.
Treadmilldoctor.com sells treadmills, parts and accessories, and offers great reviews on all types of treadmills. According to TreadmillDoctor.com, the Lifefitness T 35 is the “Best Buy” in the $2500-$3000 category. Not only does it have a longer running surface, but it also includes 15 workout routines with an easy to use control panel. It also includes a reading rack, chest strap and accessory tray.
- Dumbbells
You will want a variety of sizes in dumbbells. Irongrip.com has a number of dumbbells to choose from. They offer urethane and solid steel dumbbells from 5-150 lbs.
- Floor mat for yoga and/or Pilates, exercise ball
Mats are essential when practicing yoga so you receive the proper cushioning and support to avoid injury. Check out www.jadeyoga.com. The Harmony™ yoga mat is made out of natural rubber and contains no PVC. It is slip resistant and is available in a variety of colors. Exercise balls can be found at almost any sports store. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. Thera-Band® Exercise Balls come in a variety of sizes and are used to help tone and strengthen muscles.
- Exercise Bike/Elliptical machine
Many people love being able to ride a bike without stepping foot outdoors. Life Fitness Lifesycle 9500 RHR can be used for any fitness level. It includes Lifepulse Contact Heart Rate which allows you to check your heart rate at any time during the workout. Plus, it comes with many other features including an extensive console and 12 resistance levels. Elliptical machines are now as popular as treadmills. The Nautilus® NE 3000 Elliptical machine comes with seven workout programs, two custom programs and a fitness test. The best part about this particular machine is it’s cordless, so you can put it anywhere.
- Workout bench
If you’re a weight lifter and are seriously looking to build some muscle, check out the Nautilus® NT 1400 International Combo Bench with Spotters. It’s a heavy duty weight bench with added adjustable spotters for your safety.
ADDITIONAL GYM ACCESSORIES
A great accessory for treadmills or other cardio machines is the Cardio Caddy™. It attaches to almost any machine and can hold a water bottle, walkman, cell phone, TV remote, etc. If your treadmill doesn’t already come with one, a reading rack is a great add-on. You can flip through your favorite magazine or catch up on some work with a reading rack. Buying a mat to go under your equipment will help to prevent scratches, dents and unwanted marks on your floor. Mats can also minimize noises from machines and are great for storing free weights.
TRENDS FOR THE AT-HOME-SPA
Tired of making appointments at the spa for massages or steam baths? Build your own home spa and never leave the house! More and more homeowners are showing an interest in having their own home spa.
A trendy idea is to create a “wet” room including a sauna, steam room, and a luxurious tub with jets and massagers. Adding a steam room may be easier than you think. Kohler offers a Steam Generator Kit that you add-on to an existing shower.
Steam rooms are growing in popularity among spa enthusiasts. BainUltra has come out with an in home steam room called the Temazakal. The origin of this strange name comes from the Aztecs. This “Mexican bath” was built out of stone or mud and was used for “therapy” or “purification.” This steam room made of Lucite is a combination of dry heat, aromatherapy, constant heat and circulating air. It includes a wooden seat and an intense full spectrum light which promises to “reset your internal clock.” The Temazakal can help with insomnia, seasonal depression and even jetlag. You’re sure to come out of your own steam bath relaxed and rejuvenated. Plus, you can use it as a regular shower. Check out all the possibilities at www.bainultra.com.
Why not go for it all? The Hydrotone Thermal 3 from Hydroco is an all in one steam bath enclosure, Vichy shower and Hydrotherapy tub. Get all of your spa treatments in one! The controls are easy to program for your personal needs. Check out www.spaequip.com.
IT'S MUSIC TO MY EARS!
How can you have the perfect gym without great music? The best part of a home gym is being able to choose your own songs! Hire a professional audio/video expert to install a surround sound system complete with speakers, high definition TV’s, etc. You might want to set aside an area to store your favorite CDs or DVDs. Remember to choose music that is motivating! Music is a great way to stay motivated and get you through a strenuous workout. If you already have an existing sound system in your home, an installer may be able to wire it to the gym.
Plasma televisions are hotter than ever. From upscale hotels to celebrity homes, plasma televisions are a necessity in at least one room of the house. So why not have one in your home gym? Mount one or several in different areas of the room, so everyone can enjoy.
READY TO WORK OUT?
Creating a home gym can be as easy as buying a few pieces of exercise equipment or as complex as adding steam rooms and top-of-the-line equipment. Just remember to stay away from the look of boring commercial gyms. Make it your own. This gym is in your home, so make it appealing, inviting and comfortable.
- Brooke Crichton
Bottom photo: Blaze2 by Bowflex
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