Are you looking to build a home gym? Consider doing it outside in your backyard. Green exercise, or exercising outdoors, offers so much more than just mirrors and weight machines, especially if you have a beautiful backyard. You get fresh air, natural vitamin D, a calming environment, and a safe place to exercise without anyone distracting you. So, go green. Forgo the gym membership and follow these tips for how to build a workout space in your backyard.
Create a Workout Plan
Do you want to practice yoga in the early morning sun? Maybe you would rather play basketball during the afternoon or lift weights in the evening. Once you know the type of exercises you’ll be doing, then you’ll know the amount of space you’ll need. You will also know the best place for it in the backyard. For instance, if you’re going to practice yoga early in the morning, it might be best to do it next to a flower bed.
Decide: Cover Or No Cover?
Determine if you want the exercise space to be covered or directly under the sun. If the space will have exercise equipment, you might want to protect it from rain or intense heat. Of course, if you’re playing a sport, rock climbing, or running around an obstacle course, you won’t need a cover overhead.
Pick the Right Floor
What will you need to exercise? Maybe you want to work out directly on the grass, or you might need an exercise mat. Then again, you may prefer a wooden deck, rubber surface, artificial grass, pavers, or just plain dirt under your feet.
Determine the Equipment You Will Need
You have so many options with an outdoor gym. This also means you have at least as many options for the equipment you will use: a jump rope, Pilates mat, free weights, an elliptical machine, a basketball net, a mini golf course, etc. Some exercise equipment takes up almost no space while other equipment requires a lot.
Don’t Forget to Fully Enjoy the Outdoors When You’re Working Out
Be sure to face the backyard while you’re working out instead of staring at a wall. If you exercise in a gym, there is probably a television screen somewhere nearby to look at while you work out. When you’re outdoors, Mother Nature replaces the gym TV. That’s one of the greatest benefits of green exercise. So, enjoy it to the maximum. Design the outdoor gym with both spatial needs and psychological benefits of outdoor exercise in mind.
Make Sure You Have Enough Privacy
While you want to have enough space to move around freely, you also want to ensure that you have plenty of privacy. You can build a fence or create a workout space between trees, behind garden structures, or around bushes. Other options include a privacy screen, hanging plants, outdoor curtains, a porch screen, or vines wrapped around a pergola. This will give you the freedom to do whatever type of workout you desire without your neighbors or another passerby watching you.
