One Room Challenge Week 4: Creating A Space Saving Fitness Area

In case you missed it, this space isn't for a single purpose... but for many purposes.

WEEK 1 | WE EK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | REVEAL

One things that has been a priority for me in this space is having a fitness area. I have resolved that I won't be returning to the gym in the near (or even distant) future but I also can't let my hesitation/distrust of public gyms to cripple my fitness journey. In the past year, my health habits have tanked, specifically my physical health, and so I needed to give myself a space - even a small one - to comfortably workout.

To accomplish this, I made a few considerations -

my preferred type of workouts
my workout schedule
my equipment storage when not in use

The first thing I considered, with such little space to work with, was how I could use my walls to accommodate my needs. On my mood board you'll see aa custom sort of gilded "peg" board that was the inspiration for how I could potentially store equipment. After digging around the interwebs, I came to a few conclusions -

I don't want to pay to purchase or create a custom piece
I have absolutely no desire to DIY something similar

So where does that leave me?

Not being able to create the super pretty wall storage solution doesn't mean I can't have a wall storage solution.

I figure why now browse alternatives that will still allow me to maximize my walls for the purpose of storing things like hand weights, yoga mats, foam rollers, and resistance bands. Did you spot the "Easter egg" from my Instagram post in my week 3 update? In it you'll have already seen exactly how I plan to use my walls to store my fitness gear.

Thinking about how and when I workout, I knew I wouldn't need to make space for a whole lot of workout equipment.

Where some people require a larger footprint for equipment - ie. my husband - I don't, so just like my storage, my gear would take up very little space. And in case you're wondering, this fitness area is just for me since my husband prefers (and trusts) a gym environment. The largest piece of workout equipment I own is my stationary bike. Why a stationary bike? One of the most effective ways FOR ME to workout is through cardio, and that's usually via dance, an elliptical, or a stationary bike. When comparing the cost & footprint between the latter two, I decided to go with a bike.

Because we have the wall space, in a perfect world, another "on brand" addition to our fitness space would be a Tonal fitness system. When I first started exploring at home workout systems, I looked at A LOT of options. Tonal has continued to keep my attention because it's smart technology and a sleek design.

Other simple, but necessary, additions I plan to make are hand weights & resistance bands for weight training, a jump rope for additional cardio, yoga mats for focus & flexibility, and foam rollers for recovery. No matter what comes, I look forward to having a space, intentionally carved out, that I can consistently use to further my fitness journey.