photo courtesy of Salford University flickr.com/photos/salforduniversity/8598293728/Many people have home gyms that are uninspiring, containing only gym equipment in a plain white box.
A home gym should be a happy place where you want to go spend time working out.
Here are a few ways to decorate a home gym to be more inspiring.
Color
The exercises you do in your home gym should dictate the colors you decorate the room.
If you do high energy exercising, you should decorate the room in bold and bright colors.
If you do yoga and more quiet exercises, select more muted and calming colors.
View
If possible, open the curtains and let the light pour into your home gym.
Aim your treadmill to look out the window and enjoy nature.
Floor
Many people like to decorate their home gym with rubber mats.
Luckily, rubber mats come in many different colors to coordinate with your decor.
Walls
Decorate the walls to be inspiring.
Consider hanging artwork showing nature, inspirational posters, memorabilia from your favorite sports teams, or your personal sports awards.
You can even install an entire wall mural.
Mirrors are good for displaying your form when exercising.
You may also want a wall mounted television, a clock, and a chalkboard to keep track of your statistics.
Storage
Ensure that you have enough storage for all of your workout equipment and other items you use before, during, and after working out.
At the end of the day, there should not be any free weights, boxing gloves, dirty towels, or jump ropes sitting on the ground where they could get tripped over.
Music
If you like to listen to music when you workout, consider installing speakers in your home gym.
Make sure to be able to accommodate your equipment so it is not visible.
Even if you use a portable device, consider making a designated space for your device when not in use.
Refreshments
Adding a small refrigerator to your home gym would be a bonus so you can have access to whatever beverage you desire.
Natural Elements
Adding live plants to your home gym will make it feel less sterile.
You can also decorate with wood and stone to bring nature into your home gym.
Ceiling Fan
Most people get very warm when working out.
Consider adding a ceiling fan to your home gym to help you cool off during and after working out.
Make sure that the ceiling fan blades will not get in the way of any exercising that you will be doing in that area, such as lifting your arms in the air or jumping.
Lighting
The lighting you need in your home gym depends on the exercises you plan on doing.
If you only plan on using a treadmill, standard lighting would be acceptable.
If you plan on also doing yoga and want a more dim light level, consider putting your lights on a dimmer.
You might also want to bring in multiple light sources to use at different times.
You can add lamps, wall sconces, or candles.
