Most of us have a pretty hectic daily schedule and we seem to be in a constant rush. Work, commuting, doing errands, preparing food, and cleaning our homes, but also finding time to see our family and friends, leaves us with very little time for any other activity, besides sleep. However, this doesn’t give us an excuse for not being psychically active. You may think to yourself “but the closest gym is so far away from my house”.
Well, this simply means that it is time to set up your own, dream at-home gym. The benefits of having an appropriate space for working out in your own home are immeasurable, and we bring you a few tips on how to start organizing your gym.
Establish your fitness goals
Having a clear plan of what your fitness goals are and when you want to achieve them is extremely important. This is essential for anyone who is starting to work out, but it is especially crucial for busy people, who have little time to dedicate to this type of activity. By knowing what it is that you want to achieve, you will get extra motivation to persist in your efforts.
Moreover, knowing that you want to lose a few pounds by June or to get in shape to run a half marathon in September, will make working out a priority in your schedule, so that you certainly find time for it. Thus, write down a list of your goals and start with your fitness journey at your at-home gym.
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Personalize the space
If you have dedicated an area of your bedroom, garage, or even a whole room for your at-home gym and have just installed the equipment, the space may seem a bit cold and uninviting, thus, your motivation to enter it may be low. So, to help yourself establish and endure an efficient fitness routine, you need to make this space look like a real gym. Thus, hang up your fitness calendar of your plans and targets, get a few towels, water bottles, some speakers and/or TV, and why not, a poster of your favorite Marvel action character and make this at-home gym a real paradise for working out.
This way, you will have more energy to start with your gym routine and faithfully respect it on a daily basis. Moreover, this kind of interior will positively influence you on a subconscious level, as you will have a visual and mental representation of an actual gym, so that you can truly focus and not think about washing the dishes or taking a nap.
Quality essential equipment
If you think that you need every possible form of equipment in your own working space so that you could start exercising, you are very wrong. The focus is not on quantity, but on quality, especially when you have just started with the organization of your gym. Luckily, there are plenty of online stores that offer high-quality gym gear, such as Catch Fitness, where you can easily find and order basics. Start with things like a rubber gym mat, resistance bands, foam roller, medicine balls, and a few dumbbells.
This will be enough for you to be able to work on your strength and to weight lift, to work your upper body, and stretch and massage the muscles after the workout session. As you progress, you can add new equipment that will be in accordance with your fitness plan and goals.
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Invite your friends
If you liked working out at the gym because you liked socializing with people and because this gives you additional motivation, you can still have this type of atmosphere at your home. Simply invite your friends over so that you can together embark on a new fitness journey. Actually, you can even decide to start with a whole new healthy lifestyle that will include not only exercising, but also a more balanced diet with freshly cooked meals, all prepared at home.
Working out with friends has a number of benefits as you can encourage one another not to give up and share the joy of reaching a milestone. It is also a great way to get two giggles from one tickle, as you get to catch up with your friends and do your daily exercises.
Keep everything clean
Once you have organized the gym space and started working out, it is important not to forget to keep everything sanitized. Make sure that the air is fresh, vacuum and dust regularly, and clean your equipment with clean, wet towels. If the instructions allow it, you can even use a cleaning spray or wipes to disinfect the gym gear. Some gym and yoga mats can even be washed in the washing machine, so make sure to clean them too from time to time.
In conclusion
To conclude, we can say that an at-home gym is certainly a great idea for anyone who can’t or doesn’t want to exercise at public gyms. With the abovementioned tips, you can set up your personalized working out space in no time and start reaching your fitness goals.
Written by Mike Johnston
Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash
