How to Set Up Your Own Home Gym on a Budget

Here is your step-by-step guide to creating the perfect home gym on a budget:

Step 1: Find a dedicated space in your home for workouts.
First, you need to decide where you want to set up your home gym. Whether it be the spare bedroom, office or a corner in the basement, you can transform any space into a practical work out area.

Step 2: Decorate with health and fitness ‘Feng Shui’ in mind.
It is important for your home gym to motivate you to want to work out. Make the space light and airy by leveraging natural light through windows and doors or recessed lighting with soft white bulbs.

If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated workout room in your home, use natural paint colors on the wall. Tranquil shades of green, blue or gray produce calming chemicals in the body. Consider complementing with bright splashes of color, such as red, orange, or yellow to create feelings of enthusiasm and energy. Adding large mirrors on the wall can also keep you motivated while you work out by allowing you to watch your form and visualize your results. 

Plants, such as bamboo and ferns are known for their air purification qualities and can be a nice natural touch to your work out space.

Step 3: Add gym equipment.
Workout equipment does not have to be expensive. You don’t need to buy big ticket equipment, such as a treadmill or Bowflex-type machine to attain your fitness goals.
You want to make sure you have enough space for the three basic workout essentials: cardio, weight-lifting and stretching. If your space is small, you may need to move equipment back and forth to accomplish these essentials.

A small recumbent bike or elliptical machine can serve as your main cardio equipment or even a simple jumping rope. Amazon offers an affordable 2-in-1 Upright Exercise Bike and Rowing Machine for $170 that folds away for storage in a closet or corner. A couple of yoga mats for stretching and a compact dumbbell weight set is all you need to get a full body workout in the comfort of your own home. After your workout, knead your muscles out with foam rollers to prevent soreness.

Install a small flat screen TV on the wall with an Amazon Fire TV Stick to do your favorite workouts on YouTube. POPSUGAR Fitness offers a wealth of fitness tutorials, workouts and exercises, including Pilates and Tabata, on its YouTube channel.

Step 4: Organize your home gym.
Once you’ve got all your equipment, organize your larger equipment in a way that allows you space for stretching. If you are using a shared space, you will need to store items between workouts. 

Use dedicated shelves or bins to organize everything you need for your workouts. Target offers large woven storage bins for under $10 to store yoga mats, stability balls or other fitness equipment.

Step 5: Use your home gym.
Now that you have your home gym set up, it is time to put it to use! Invite your spouse or close friend to join you for a workout if space permits. If not, enjoy the peaceful solitude of your own home gym without muscle heads clanging dumbbells or waiting for the next treadmill to become available. And feel good that you don’t have to pay for a ridiculously overpriced gym membership.