There’s hardly an aspect of our daily lives that hasn’t radically shifted over the past few months, including the way we work out.
Even though most states are in some phase of their reopening following coronavirus shutdowns, gyms are still falling a bit behind in public sentiment. Some locales have also opened and then subsequently re-closed gyms, such as was the case in California.
Some people opt to head outdoors to get their exercise in lieu of the gym, but for other people, home fitness has become part of their routine.
Home fitness isn’t necessarily new—for example, consider Jack LaLanne’s exercise TV show geared toward housewives in the 1950s.
Now, however, home fitness is targeted at all audiences. Millennials in particular seem to be receptive to the advances of home workouts. Seventy-six percent of Millennials recently said they exercise at least once a week.
The trend has created the careers of fitness influencers on Instagram, like Kayla Itsines and Emily Skye. Peloton has become a mega-success with their at-home spinning bike paired with live and interactive content, and Beachbody has an on-demand workout for every need from weight training to Pilates.
It’s also leading to certain real estate trends—namely, more buyers might seek out space for the perfect home gym.
Beyond the current situation, home gyms can, over the long-term help you save money and ensure that you spend more time with your family if you’re spending less time commuting to work out. If you have a dedicated work out space, it can also help you stay motivated to keep up with your fitness routine.
Whether you’re thinking about selling your home or you just want to transform it into a lifestyle oasis, the following are some key tips for designing the ideal home gym.
Logistics
If you’re going to add a workout space to your home, you want to find an existing room that has high ceilings if you’re going to do certain activities like jumping rope. You’ll need enough room to move around, and you want to make sure you don’t set up shop in a room that’s going to create a noise disturbance for everyone else in your home.
Choosing an area of your home that’s private can also be useful because it’ll block out distractions.
A lot of people choose the basement as the space for their home gym. If you don’t have a basement, consider a guestroom or a garage, although you’ll need to figure out a way to add some climate control if you go with the garage.
You want a space that’s well ventilated with windows and fans.
Convenience
When you’re designing your gym, you want it to be convenient so that once you go in there to work out, you have everything you need and you don’t have to go back and forth.
Think about a mini-refrigerator for your water, and a place where you can store spare towels.
If you’re going to be working out on demand, make sure the space you choose to set up your gym has a strong Wi-Fi signal.
Equipment
You don’t have to spend a fortune on equipment to have a functional, effective home gym. The basics you should have include a yoga mat and some kettlebells. Resistance bands are also great because they’re inexpensive and don’t take up any space.
Then, you can gradually work your way up as you figure out your needs and your preference in your workouts and perhaps splurge more on equipment such as a stationary spinning bike, a treadmill, or a dumbbell collection.
Also consider as part of your initial set up a medicine ball, which is also an inexpensive and versatile piece of workout equipment.
As people increasingly spend time at home for one reason or another, it’s changing the landscape of real estate as well, including the priorities potential buyers might have in their search.
