What is a Fitness Room?

I suppose this is an open-ended question, but it’s asked quite a bit:  What is a fitness room?

I will answer this question in multiple ways so that we can solve the issue for most of you. Lets break it down, in order of priority, by what is needed a fitness room:

Desire:  Without this you can spend a million bucks and get nowhere!  You don’t need to turn into Jillian Michaels overnight, but you have got to make a commitment to do “something” everyday. Consistency in workouts is the key to a successful fitness regimen and a healthy lifestyle.

A Place to De-Stress:  A fitness room is where you leave the stress of the day behind. While just about any kind of exercise will help to clear your head and boost endorphins, consider working out in a solitary place because this will put your body into a state of meditation. When you keep your body in peak condition, you feel lighter and more energized, leaving you prepared to manage life’s stresses.

Television Set:  Whether you are a 17 year old football player, a 45 year young mom getting ready to run a half marathon, or a 37 year old dad looking to reclaim the glory years, you need the diversion of TV programming in your fitness room. With the advent of free online programs, or inexpensive options like Amazon Prime and Netflix, you can binge watch TV series while shedding calories and build muscle. Having a one of the new Smart TV’s is a wonderful luxury, but an iPad or similar tablet also does the trick.

YouTube Account:  Its free! YouTube is the best source for free workout programs.  The quality of which is about as excellent as any offered in commercial gyms or sold on infomercials. A YouTube account allows you to subscribe to specific channels as well as view and choose workouts that you like in your “Watch Later” folder.

Some of my favorite YouTube channels are:

1. Fitness Blender
2. BeFit
3. The Daily Hitt
4. Tara Stiles
5. Tone It Up

Treadmill:  What is fitness room without a treadmill? Start by walking. Rain, snow, wind, heat, and all other excuses that outdoor runners have are discarded when a treadmill is in the basement. You will find yourself addicted to this machine. A 30-minute treadmill workout can be full of intervals, hill work, and sprints, which will challenge both your endurance and your speed. Things you can do on a treadmill:

1. Climb a hill
2. Pyramid intervals
3. Walk and Jog workouts
4. And many more!

Dumbbells:  As a rule, you’ll want to work with a lighter set and a heavier set of dumbbells during your workouts. Heavy weights will help build muscle mass, while lighter ones will work like a Pilates machines and stabilize joints and tendons. While there are a few different styles, for most purposes, a dumbbell is a dumbbell. There are dumbbells anywhere from 1 lb to 200 lbs.

What exercises can you do?

1. Squats
2. Tricep extensions
3. Chest Press
4. Dumbbell row
5. Shoulder press
6. Rotational punch
7. Russian Twist (no we are not kidding!)

Rubber Mats: Not to belabor the point here but you need something that will protect the floors from the treadmill, the dumbbells, and the YouTube workouts. Ideally, it would also help if the floors cushion your feet, knees, and back too.  There are generally two options when it comes to rubber gym mats:

1. Interlocking Tiles
2. Flooring Rolls

So you ask what is a fitness room and what makes a fitness room? Well it is all about the grit and I don’t mean the John Wayne, old Western, masculine version of this term. By grit and desire I mean how badly you want to be healthy, fit and happy. It is not about the 2 pounds you lost this week avoiding carbs or the tight Body Armor shirt purchased on sale last week. It is about consistently showing your face in this so called “fitness room” and leaving sweat on the floor. The grit needed to be there daily, regardless if the world has psychologically rained or shined on you.

So now we ask you one more time:  What is a fitness room?

It is where recoup and where you revitalize your body.