We all know that we should be exercising for at least 30 minutes every day and that spring is the ideal season to prepare our bodies for summer but frequently, finding the time to go to the gym and the act of going there itself causes our fitness regimens to fall to the bottom of the priority list. Don't worry, though; your cosy home may contain the ideal answer.

Establishing a dedicated workout area at home is an excellent substitute since it eliminates the need for "donations" to the neighbourhood gym, is incredibly convenient, and lets you customise the area to suit your unique training needs. The best part is that it is not necessary.

The benefits of creating your own home gym:

1. Flexibility and Freedom
Forget about standing in line to use the machines, forget about running to the closest gym during your lunch break or after work, and never worry about getting a space in your preferred group exercise class. With a home gym, you may work out whenever it's convenient for you, for as long as you can, and you can try out various exercises and training methods without any constraints.

2. Consistency & Convenience
Many of us find it difficult to be consistent, and this is frequently related to accessibility. A home gym eliminates the obstacle of not being able to make it to the gym, which could be your schedule or the gym's location. This makes it easier to maintain consistency. Furthermore, it is often known that maintaining consistency is essential for reaching fitness objectives, lowering the chance of injury, and improving general health.

3. Comfort & Privacy
Sweat-soaked, form-fitting gym attire, together with the idea of leaping on a machine covered in sweat from other people, are not looks that many of us enjoy displaying in public. With a home gym, you may exercise in unparalleled luxury, privacy, and cleanliness—your family members will be the only one watching, and you are in charge of maintaining the cleanliness!

4. Tailored and Economical
The ability to completely customise your home gym to meet your needs and fitness objectives is the finest part about setting one up. If your goal is to gain muscle, you can set up a gym where people can do weight training. Pilates blocks, yoga balls, workout mats, and skipping ropes are among the equipment you might use if you like aerobic exercises like yoga, Pilates, interval training, or skipping.

While the initial investment to set up a home gym can be significant, you’ll save on unused gym memberships, potential travel costs and time. And over time, these savings only add up!

Creating your home gym:

Whether you’re a seasoned fitness enthusiast or just beginning your fitness journey, figuring out how to customise a space and what you’ll need is the biggest hurdle to working out at home. Here’s how to get started:

Find the perfect spot
Having a pleasant environment to exercise in is a huge motivator – it needs to be somewhere you enjoy spending time, not a dark, dingy cupboard you dread setting foot in. Choose a spot that will allow you enough space to move around in, separates you from your main home, and preferably has some natural light. It’s essential also to consider the current flooring, adding non slip foam mats if necessary. Other nice-to-haves to upgrade your workout space are large mirrors to check out your form and a decent sound system to blast your favourite motivational tunes. 

Good quality excercise mat
Along with decent flooring, an exercise mat (yoga mat) that is portable and light is a crucial addition to your set-up. Exercise mats reduce impact, deliver extra grip, and provide added comfort when stretching, meditating, or doing any floor-based exercises. A bonus is that you can roll it up and take it with you if you’re heading to Yoga or Pilates in the park!

Technology to bring the instructors to your home
A smart TV in your home gym is a nice-to-have, as it allows you to access online platforms and apps that bring instructors to you. From weight training workouts to high intensity sweat sessions and yoga classes, you’ll find plenty of content led by seasoned instructors. If a smart TV is out of the question, plug in your laptop or smartphone, and you’re good to go.

Cardio Equipment 
If spin classes are your jam or a good stint on the rowing machine is the only thing that fuels your fitness fire, consider bringing specialised equipment into your home gym set-up. But don’t go out and impulse buy right away. It’s a great idea to ‘try before you buy’ and rent equipment first. If you’re pretty sure you’re making the right choice, you can even rent to own – meaning you’ll pay weekly or monthly instalments rather than a large upfront sum.Many of the pricier pieces of equipment, come with subscription-based workouts meaning you’ll have ongoing costs to consider as well as the upfront investment.

• Affordable Additions 
  From workout benches to resistance bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, yoga blocks and skipping ropes, there are many additions you can make to your home gym set-up to broaden your options and work different muscle groups. Here are our favourites:
• Resistance bands – a great alternative to weights, these affordable strips of rubber use body weight to target specific muscle groups, aid flexibility, they are cheap and don’t take-up much space, making them a perfect addition to your home gym.
• Dumbbells and kettlebells – add a bit of weight to your workouts with some accessible and low-cost hand weights. They both have different functions so do a bit of research on which one is right for you – or grab both!
• Medicine balls – grab a weighted medicine ball, and get stuck into some explosive exercises. These are designed to be safely thrust (or thrown) in the air, working your core, flexibility, balance, and coordination.
• Exercise bench – not the cheapest, but a great addition to a home gym set-up. These add versatility to weight training and provide extra support and stability to any resistance work. There’s a lot of variety in bences so do some homework about what works for you.
• Yoga or Pilates blocks – if you’re planning on doing a lot of yoga or Pilates in your home gym, you'll benefit from blocks. They allow you to go deeper into poses while maintaining proper alignment, provide additional support for challenging poses and make every pose accessible no matter how flexible you are.
• Skipping rope – possibly the simplest piece of equipment to use that many of us haven’t touched since childhood, skipping ropes provide a quick cardio boost without the need for any bulky equipment. They’ll get your heart pumping, improve your coordination, concentration, stamina, and flexibility, and are entirely adaptable simply by increasing or slowing the speed of your skip.
• Foam roller – wrap up your sweat session (or start it) with some self-massage using a foam roller. It can ease muscle pain, increase blood flow, aid in muscle recovery and much more.

Track your Performance
While some fitness equipment will come with built-in tech that tracks your progress and provides real-time feedback, if you’re not going down that road, it’s worth investing in a fitness app or wearable device. These are invaluable tools to provide you with accountability, motivation and monitor key health metrics. It’ll help keep you on track with your goals, see your progress, and keep you safe while you work out.

Now its up to you!
Creating a home gym makes fitness a convenient, enjoyable, and accessible part of our daily lives. And while it’s essential to take the time to think about your fitness goals and create a space that facilitates reaching these, the rest is up to you. It takes a commitment to consistency, showing up, and the right mindset to really make a home gym setup worthwhile. If your home isn’t cutting it when it comes to reaching your fitness goals, call Real Estate Mildura We’ll help you find the perfect space to be your best self.

DISCLAIMER
The following advice is of a general nature only and intended as a broad guide. The advice should not be regarded as legal, financial, or real estate advice. You should make your own inquiries and obtain independent professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making any legal, financial, or real estate decisions.