8 Tips for Organizing and Maintaining your At-Home Gym
For the past few months, many of us have taken advantage of our extended free time to get back into shape or create healthier habits for ourselves. Because most public gyms still remain closed or highly regulated due to the coronavirus pandemic, finding an open space at home to “get a sweat in” can be extremely convenient and effective – both physically and financially.
Yes, working out at home may sound unclean or difficult due to lack of space and equipment. However, with a little guidance on how to utilize the space you have, find multipurpose equipment around your house, and keep your exercise area tidy, the public gym won’t even cross your mind! Here are 8 tips on how to organize and maintain your at-home workout space.
Create a fitness plan
Understanding your fitness goals will help you decide how much room you need, what equipment you should find or buy, and how to organize your space. Take a few minutes to write down your goals, make a calendar, and most importantly, get motivated!
Identify or build a workout space
This can be permanent or temporary, and indoors or outdoors. If you lack space to create a full, equipment-filled room solely for exercising, you’ll need to find an area where furniture can be moved around temporarily. If you want to be able to check your form, find a place with a mirror or with sufficient wall space to install one. Driveways, patios, back decks, grassy yards, or garages can also double as gym space if the weather permits.
Set a budget
This will go hand-in-hand with your fitness plan and available space. Not everyone wants to spend a fortune on new, expensive gym equipment – luckily, spending extra money isn’t always necessary for getting in shape or completing an effective workout.
- Start small and use your bodyweight: If you’re newly adjusting to at-home workouts, you may not need the extra equipment yet. There are countless workouts based solely on your bodyweight, which work well for smaller-home owners or money-savers. All you need to do is find a comfortable place to work out depending on your exercise – think about what ground surface you need, and how much you’ll be moving around.
- Next step, essential equipment: If you want to stock up on a few, essential items that are small enough to move and store in your home, consider investing in a yoga mat, resistance bands, a couple kettlebells or dumbbells, medicine balls, or a door-mounted pull up bar. You can find these in varying prices depending on where you purchase them.
- Go the extra mile and invest in something bigger: If you have an empty garage or extra bedroom and want to turn it into your personal gym, go for it! You may have been working out at home for a while and feel ready to take the next step in purchasing advanced equipment, so research new fitness technology and find what works best for your routine and budget.
Find sufficient storage space
If your living room, bedroom, or at-home office offers the most space for you to work out, make sure you can store your essential equipment so your space looks and feels as it did before you exercised. Shelving units, hollow ottomans, cabinets, closets, or under-the-bed space can act as adequate storage that you may already own or can purchase.
Consider extra amenities
To make your at-home gym feel most like the one you attended months ago, make a place for towels, a speaker, and a TV or laptop for training or entertainment purposes. Many gym instructors now host virtual classes that you can follow remotely, and YouTube provides videos for almost any workout you can complete from home. As an additional tip, keep a hamper nearby for your after-workout towels, and make sure your space has several wall outlets for electronics.
Keep it clean
A clean gym is also a healthier gym, especially when you’re working out in another living space. Sweat, dust, and grime accumulate on any space, surface, or equipment used during exercise. When you can’t call Home Clean Heroes to help with maintaining the cleanliness of your at-home gym, here are a few things you can do yourself until HCH can save the day.
- Wipe down weights and machines. Simply take an antibacterial wipe/spray and clean off your weights after every session. This will prevent the spread of germs and bacteria between those who use the gym. If you choose to work out in your bedroom, living room or office space, feel free to wipe other surfaces in the room to assure the surrounding areas are clean as well.
- Run a cloth over your treadmill, elliptical, or bike. First, use a clean, dry cloth to wipe up any sweat or moisture after your cardio workout. Once a week or so, use a damp cloth to wipe the electronic screens, and vacuum or sweep up the machines’ surrounding areas. Remember to only use water for these three items, as soap, bleach, and polish can damage them.
- Maintain your mats. If mats are not cleaned regularly, they begin to smell or even collect mold from the moisture and dirt they accumulate over time. If your mat is small and made of fabric, check the tag to see if it’s washing-machine safe. If it’s rubber, wipe it down with a fabric cloth soaked in dish soap and warm water – then let it hang to dry. Try to avoid using a paper towel, as the paper particles rub off and stick to the rubber.
- Keep the air fresh. Public gyms usually have multiple AC units, fans, and door traffic – these allow for consistent airflow that your at-home gym may not have. If you’re exercising in a room without a fan or strong AC, it could end up smelling less than ideal over time. Keep the air fresh with an odor-neutralizing spray, essential oil diffusers, or air fresheners. And if you can, get a fan.
Practice healthy habits at home
Staying active, especially during a stressful time like this, can provide extreme benefits not only to your physical health, but to your mental health too. Getting your body moving releases endorphins, and since we’re stuck at home more than usual, it’s important to make sure you keep moving to keep those endorphins pumping. While staying active is important, it’s just as important to make sure you’re keeping a well-balanced diet. Putting healthy foods into your body will help keep you feeling energized so you can follow through with your goals and create consistent habits.
Call HCH to fight your at-home gym grime
If you’re unable to clean your at-home gym yourself, make sure to call Home Clean Heroes to get the dirt off your dumbbells at 844-439-4376. Because everyone lives and cleans differently, we focus on providing thorough, personalized service for our diverse customers. Let us know where you do those weekly workouts, and we’ll make sure we fight the grime there just as fearlessly.
When you choose to create or upgrade your at-home gym, remember to make a plan, do your research, and maintain its organization and cleanliness. The cleaner and healthier your workout space feels, the more you’ll actually want to use it!
