Turn Square Footage Into Sweat Footage!

As they say, New Year = new you! There’s nothing like kicking off a New Year with New Year’s Resolutions that include fitness! Anyone who has started a new fitness routine in January knows that this is not an ideal time to be a newbie in a fitness center. The places are packed and it’s hard to find equipment, especially when you are getting used to new machines and routines!

Instead of going out to the gym, many people opt to bring the gym home. A home gym helps to save money over the long term and provides much-needed flexibility, especially for parents who have to juggle babysitters to find time to hit the gym. Still knowing how to organize your new gym space can seem daunting. Where do you begin!

If you are lucky to have a third-floor bonus room, such as the ones featured in many of our Eastwood Homes floorplans, then you have the perfect space to set up your treadmill, yoga mats, free weights, and maybe even hang a barre for those ballet-style workouts. You may even be able to fit a kid’s jungle gym so the youngsters can wear off some of that energy while you build up muscle!

But if your bonus room is already set up as a movie room or kids' retreat, or you don’t have that desirable third floor, then you may have to get creative with what space you have. Here are a few ideas we’ve compiled on Pinterest to help you transform that square footage into sweat footage! ­

Technology needed – Chances are you are going to want a television or music to listen to during your workout. Mounting a flat-screen TV on one wall will take up the least amount of space. Be sure to hide those wires with a simple technique using an electrical wire snake! By adding a wall-mounted sound bar, you can stream your music or your favorite shows loud enough to cover any workout-induced grunting! Speaking of streaming, many workout shows can now be streamed directly to your television from your mobile device!

Valuable Wall Estate – Your walls can do much more than hold your technology like televisions, they can also be used to hold the rest of your workout necessities. By simply hanging a peg board to one wall, you have the ability to add hooks for towels, headphones and hanging buckets for other goodies, plus wire can be used as magazine racks for hanging your reading material. Paint it a bright color that will keep you cheerful while enjoying your organized space.  Next to it (or on it if there is room) hang some clipboards featuring your workouts and any other materials you need to access often. Spray paint those clipboards a coordinator color, or gold or silver like in the Pinterest post, for some added fun. And every workout space needs some inspirational quotes on the walls. Look for pre-designed wall decals or simply have one made that fits your lifestyle perfectly. If you don’t want it affixed directly to your wall, other options include printing the sayings on canvas, or making a second bulletin board of quotes and inspirational photos (like a dream vacation where you’ll be wearing that two-piece bikini when you sweat off those Christmas cookies!)

Storage that won’t make you sweat – Your home gym will likely have some larger, moveable items, such as yoga mats, exercise balls, and blankets, that will need a home when you are finished for the day. A large decorative crate or basket could be ideal, or a short bookshelf could work well, too. A built-in shelving system at one end of your space could be attractive but very useful, and if done right will work no matter what the room becomes in the future. Ideally, storage should be beautiful and functional!

Color is key – Did you know that the ideal paint color will vary based on what you’re home gym will be used for. If the room will be used for bulking up with weights, consider painting it blue because research has shown that weight lifters lift heavier weights in blue rooms! No kidding! If it’s used for aerobics, a bright color like red, orange, or yellow is ideal. For yoga spaces, calming colors are best like ocean-inspired blues and grass-inspired greens. Surprisingly, black is a great accent color for yogis’ rooms because it invokes feelings of strength!

We have pinned several great ideas to help you reach your fitness goals while you are at home, and we hope you’ll take a minute to check them out and repin your favorites! Tell us below if you have some home gym organization or design tips for the rest of us. We’d love to hear it!