The new year is here, my friends, and with it come goals to improve our health. Are regular workouts on the top of your list of New Year’s resolutions? If so, you should consider building a home gym to help you reach your health goals!
Why a home gym? Well, with no end in sight to the pandemic, going to gym or workout studio can be risky—not to mention difficult since they have to shut down every so often to clean all the equipment.
That’s why many of those who are wanting to improve their fitness are opting to build home gyms, according to Forbes. Are you one of them? If so, you might be wondering…
How Much Does a Home Gym Cost?
There are some home gyms that cost upwards of $10,000 and even nicer ones that cost $28,000. If you want a home gym with a wide variety of nice equipment, then you can expect a high cost.
But if you’re needing to build a home gym on a budget, you can always look for gently used equipment. You can also save money by only buying what you really need. How many people have purchased a complete set of dumbbells ranging from 3 to 100 pounds only to find out they don’t use most of them? That’s thousands of dollars wasted.
If you’re frugal and only need a few pieces of equipment, you could set up a home gym for several hundred dollars. That’s a lot more affordable than $28,000!
That said, the majority of people will find that the cost to build a home gym that fits their needs is somewhere between those two extremes.
What Equipment Should I Buy for My Home Gym?
This depends on what kind of workouts you plan on doing. If you like to focus on strength training, then you’ll need dumbbells, barbells, and perhaps weight machines. Kettlebells, resistance bands, ankle weights and weighted jackets are also great tools for strength training and toning.
If you’re a cardio nut, then you’ll probably need a treadmill, an elliptical machine, a stationary bike or a stair-stepper. If you’re building your home gym in a tight space, then a foldable treadmill is a great idea!
Next, you need to think about flooring. If you do any type of calisthenics, then you probably don’t want carpet in your home gym. But you also don’t want the floor to be too hard. Ideally, you would have a hard floor with a foam mat that’s big enough for you to move around comfortably on.
Some cardio alternatives to machines I just mentioned are jump rope (which is a relatively inexpensive purchase), boxing (you’ll need a punching bag and gloves), and rowing (you can use a machine for that).
How to Stay Consistent With Your at-Home Workouts
Once you have your home gym, the key is to use it on a regular basis! Sadly, many home gyms go unused for way too long. But this year, you can choose to stick to your New Year’s health resolutions. You just need a little extra motivation.
One of the best ways to stay faithful to your at-home workouts is to hire a virtual fitness coach. Yes, those exist!
Your coach will schedule regular appointments with you, which may be done over Zoom, FaceTime, or any other video meeting options. Hiring a coach means you’re committing to showing up, giving your best, and getting the results you’re paying for!
If hiring a virtual coach isn’t for you, though, consider scheduling regular workouts with a friend. They can either join you in your gym if you’re both comfortable with that, or they can join you virtually. Simply having that appointment can help you stick to your regular workout schedule.
But maybe you prefer to work out totally alone. In that case, maybe some self-accountability can work for you.
Write down your specific fitness goals for each month, and then journal your workouts each time. At the end of the month, look over your journal and reward yourself if you hit your monthly goal.
Shopping for a New Home? Look for One With a Home Gym
If you’re on the hunt for a new home, why not look for one that already has a home gym? There are plenty out there, waiting and ready for you! You just need to find them.
At Jessica Foote & Associates, we excel at finding homes that match our clients’ specific goals and preferences. So if you want a house with a home gym, we can help you find one!
Interested in getting started? Click here to reach out to us.
Photo by Carl Barcelo on Unsplash