New Project Reveal: A Reimagined Wellness Studio
Come take a tour of my former office turned new home gym!
I would have never imagined being the kind of person who would want to put a fitness room in the center of her home….but here we are. Pandemic life, right?!
The Fitness Story
So before we get to the real reason you are here (to see pictures and get sources, of course!) I want to briefly explain the reason why I decided to put a gym in the middle of my home. :) Let’s take it back to this time last year….my depression was at an all-time high as was my weight, not to mention my self-confidence was in the toilet. I didn’t feel beautiful and I really didn’t feel happy either. Also, I was about to turn 40. Some might describe this as a mid-life crisis. I think that is part of it, but also I felt lost, uninspired and tired in general. I wanted to feel good + strong, have energy and feel like the best version of myself. Not to mention being able to fit into my old jeans! (forgive my vanity!)
So I made a commitment to eat healthier (I joined Noom and loved it), move my body every day, and truly focus on taking care of myself both mentally and physically. I did this at the beginning of 2020 and would often get my workouts in at the YMCA. And then Covid happened and all the gyms closed. whomp whomp. So I started running outside and doing YouTube fitness videos in my kitchen in the middle of virtual lessons for my kiddos (which was HELL)…lol…But I made it work and slowly started to see and feel progress.
So how did the idea of the gym come about?
The Fitness Story
It was actually my husband’s idea! And at first, I thought no way! What about resale value? Will it looks strange for the gym to be the first room you see when you enter our house? Also, I loved my office as is. Where was I going to put that amazing desk or my modern leather sofa or the Christmas tree?! In normal times, this design direction would have been questionable, but we are living in the days of Covid! So throw the rules out the window and let’s build a gym! Besides, no one is coming into my home anytime soon!
The Design Story
And now the fun part! I knew I wanted the room to function as a home gym but also to be an extension of the style and aesthetics of our home. Here is my original sketch.
I wanted to keep that amazing moody blue color (Farrow & Ball Hague Blue) but add on to it a bit with some custom wall moldings to accent the mirrors and large Frame TV I was planning to install. My husband and I teamed up and tackled the accent wall together. I watched a couple of how-to videos on installing picture molding (get a nail gun!) and after a couple of false starts (and many trips to Lowes) we knocked it out in a couple of weekends. I’m going to talk about this process in more detail in another blog post in case you are curious!
But for now, let’s get into the meat of this post and enjoy the final results:
rebounder / floor mats / Frame TV / bench / wall color / millwork / wall mirrors / chandelier / floor lamp / curtain panels / roman shades / wallpaper
It would be remiss of me to not mention that rebounder and my devotion to LEKFIT! We completed the studio in late summer/early fall which was right about the time I started regularly started streaming their classes. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had working out, not to mention it’s also a killer full-body workout!
And if you are wondering if I actually use it and love it, the answer is YES!! It’s amazing, comfortable, convenient and I feel genuinely lucky to have this space to work out in every day! Actually, the whole family gets in on the fun! I truly feel like it’s been one of the best upgrades (to my home/life) to date!
I hope you enjoyed this post and may it inspire you to live a healthier life in the new year!
Thanks for reading!
And as always, I’ve got a roundup of all the sources below. Find the links directly below this image.
