How to Integrate a Fitness Area in Your House

There is no denying it – most of us have turned into couch potatoes ever since with the lockdowns and restrictions. Furthermore, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the upcoming months. 

So, if you had any hopes of restarting your fitness routine and going to the gym as the new year starts, they should be gone by now.

Some people still go to the gym, but for safety reasons, most of us switched to outdoor exercises and home workouts.

Sadly, if you’re not diligent enough, your daily workout can easily turn into a glass of wine, watching the latest hot thing streaming on Netflix.

But, we shouldn’t give up so easily! After all, physical exercise has many benefits that can help us feel better and continue living some sort of a normal life. 

So, in an effort to help you be more active and keep a better mood, here are some tips on how to integrate a fitness area inside the house (whether it’s big or small).

Once you have a dedicated area and some basic equipment, it will be easier to keep up with a daily routine. 

1. Decide on the Size

Since it will impact the interior design of your house, you first need to decide on the size of the area. 

For instance, will you be able to dedicate an entire room for your fitness area?

If not, are you willing to sacrifice an area in the living room? Or maybe you’d rather turn the office into a two-function room (office by day and gym by evening).

You should also consider the needs of other members of the family (currently living in the house). As such, the size of the fitness area can also be decided by the number of people who want to use it. 

Quick tip: if you really need a separate area but don’t have space, the alternative option would be to heat up the garage and use it for your workout. Of course, this means leaving the car(s) outside, so it’s best to carefully weigh the pros and cons. 

The thing with the garage is that you can add bulky equipment such as an Olympic bar, a pull-up bar with a power rack, and more.

This way, you can truly do your routine, like you would at the gym. 

2. Prepare the Space

Once you have an idea of the size and location of your fitness area, you need to start preparing the space.

Depending on your budget and type of equipment, this could be a simple reorganization of the furniture or a full-on remodeling project. 

Quick tip: if you want to turn this into a DIY project, you can also expand your current skillset by taking an online trades class. This way, you will know what to expect and how much to invest in this new project. 

Overall, you should invest in some protection for the floor (there is a type of floor that can be easily installed over the existing one) and the walls.

We also recommend installing a mirror (or mirrors) on the walls where you’ll work out. Seeing yourself working out helps keep up the motivation, but it also helps you keep the right form.  

3. Decide on the Equipment

First, we want to specify that you can still do your workouts with just a mat. Exercises like pushups, squats, lunges, and more don’t need equipment.

If you feel you need more, you can use water bottles or any other household items to increase the difficulty. 

However, if your fitness level is higher than a beginner’s, you will need some equipment besides the mat. You should at least get some dumbbells with adjustable weight, a barbell, maybe an exercise bike (if you don’t like using the regular one outside), a bench, and a pull-up bar. 

As you can see, most of the devices mentioned above need a bit of space and they should not be installed directly on the floor (use the floor protection we mentioned in the preparation segment).

In fact, even if you’re using just a yoga mat, it’s best to have floor protection (it keeps the floor safe & clean and ads extra adherence to avoid any accidents).

Quick tip: if your space is limited and you want something a bit more advanced than body exercises, a bedroom treadmill or bike may do the job. They sit in one place, and once installed, you don’t have to worry about them. Also, the machine will be right there when you wake up so you can do your routine first thing in the morning. 

Also, it’s important to only invest in equipment you know provides results. For this, avoid infomercials that promise fast and easy results without much effort!

The basic tools are the best and you can even find them at a lower price if you buy second hand. 

Wrap Up

While arranging your own at-home fitness may sound like a lot of work, the benefits outweigh the inconvenience.

Also, a small home renovation has its benefits as well, especially in a time when there’s not much to do.