5 Steps for Creating Your Own Workout Space

Want to get in better shape? Create a workout space in your home with these 5 easy steps!

Whether you’re planning a holiday and want a beach body, or you simply want to lose a few pounds, diet and exercise are the key. When it comes to finding a space to exercise, gyms can become quite expensive. Add up the average £35 monthly bill and you’re looking at a yearly fee of £420! You can get an all-inclusive for that. Year after year, that will really start to add up.

My advice? If you’ve got some free space in your home – be it the spare room, the conservatory, the garage, or even the attic, turn it into your own personal workout space! I created one in my shed, and it cost next to nothing.

1) Create a mirror wall

First off, taking inspiration from the studio at the gym, you’ll want a mirrored wall. This helps you check your form. There’s no point doing an exercise with bad form – it’s less effective, and you can wind up with an injury. Mirrors aren’t too expensive. Use a couple of full-length mirrors, or invest in some mirror tiles.

2) Add a cushioned floor

Next up, you’ll need a comfortable but firm floor. Cork tiles are great for this. Cork provides a cushioned floor for sit-ups, press-ups (if you’re taking on the 22 press-up challenge), and a bunch of other low-to-the-ground exercises. If you’re partial to yoga or Pilates, you can still lay out your traditional mat.

3) Stock up on workout equipment

It’s time to get some equipment. You don’t need to spend thousands buying expensive machinery. You can get a good, thorough, fat-burning, tummy-toning, full-body workout with just a few basic essentials.

For a good cardio workout on a budget and with space restrictions, forget about cross trainers, treadmills, bikes and rowing machines – get the old skipping rope out! That will get the heart pumping and the sweat dripping.

Here are some other great additions:

Medicine ball
Set of kettle bells
Bosu ball
Workout steps
Bar with plates

Don’t feel like you need to buy all of this brand new. Look around car boots, and keep an eye on Facebook selling pages. You can even ask your friends and family if they have any unused exercise equipment stashed away in the shed or the loft. A lot of them will, and they might give it to you for free. Even a hula hoop is a great start!

Here’s a fab 15-minute full-body medicine ball workout, to help you get the most of your new arsenal of exercise equipment!

4) Buy some speakers for your workout space

If you’re tired of listening with earphones, grab a speaker dock that you can plug your phone or iPod into and amplify your tunes. High tempo tracks can help you to push yourself longer and harder, so make a playlist and play it loud!

5) Introduce a water dispenser

It’s important to stay hydrated when you’re working out – you need to replenish the fluid you’re losing when you sweat, so grab yourself a mini water dispenser on Amazon, and sit it in the corner of your workout space.