Turning a Bedroom into a Gym or Exercise Room

The children are moving out and/or going to college! It's the day you've waited for for many years. Some parents have waited seventeen years, others maybe 30 for that adult child who just never got up the nerve to just spring from the nest. Well, it's about time for empty nest syndrome! You're about to start missing those sweet children, even though they came in late, always asked for money, and made noise with their loud stereo systems on Saturdays when you just wanted some peace.

The children moving out means you'll have an extra room available for something you've always wanted: an exercise room or gym. You've grown tired of having to drive back and forth to the gym and pay hefty membership fees. When the weather's bad or your schedule's tight, you just don't have the time. And, putting the room to good use might make you feel better that your children have just moved out. Maybe you can avoid that empty nest syndrome from setting in. This article will explore how to turn the child's bedroom into an exercise room.

1. The first step is to assess whether you will keep the old wallpaper. If Johnny had footballs all over the wall, this could in fact be inspirational. It could also remind you of your child each time you work out. However, if you want to make a fresh start with the room, try using a somewhat bold solid color that will get you motivated. Or, if you're feeling creative, try a design that gets you motivated. For me, what would motivate me to want to work out would be a nice grassy field with blue sky, or a beach. So, I would paint the ceiling light blue with clouds, and have part of the wall light blue. The bottom half of the wall would be a grassy color.

2. What will you need? Think about what gym equipment you used when you went to the gym. Consider everyone who will be using the exercise room. Will your husband use it with you? How about younger children who are still in the home? What types of exercising do they like to do?

Different options include a stationary bike, a treadmill, weights, a mat for stretching, and an elliptical machine. The size of the room will greatly dictate what exercise equipment can be placed there. A small room might only allow for one or two items, whereas a larger room might fit four items.

For your exercise room, you want to get a variety with your workout. This means you want a way to stretch out and warm up/ cool down, you want something to build upper body strength, lower body strength, and a way to get your heart rate working, such as with cardio exercises.

First consider the mat for stretching. If you're on a budget, you'll want to try and use some of the things that were already in the room so you don't have to buy new things. You could use the old mattress as the warm up mat. Keep in mind, though, that a mattress is thicker than a mat, and will limit you some. However, it will be more comfortable when you lay on it to stretch out.

Otherwise, you might be able to get a mat from a used sports equipment store, like Play It Again Sports. Or, you could talk to the local school to see if they are about to get rid of their old gym mats and purchase new ones. You might even want to make a trip to the gym to find out if they have old mats they want to sell for a small price.

Having a mat or two gives you many options. You can do pilates, yoga, or exercise tapes. You can lie down and lift weights. You can do various stretching exercises of your own.

Second, consider having something to use as a stairmaster, without purchasing an actual stairmaster. Using a crate or something sturdy will do the trick with a much lower cost. Your child might have been using a crate to store some items, so you could just turn this into your own stairmaster. Simply step up and down on and off the crate, rotating right leg, left leg. We've come to believe that we need an expensive machine to do this, but it's not necessary. (Could be more interesting, but it isn't essential.)

Next comes the weights. If you're not into lifting heavy weights, you still want to consider weights. You'll need to develop upper body strength, not just use your legs. You can start with small one pound weights and work up to five pounds. For the budget-minded parents, you don't have to purchase new weights. You can use things in your child's room. Maybe they have some trophies that happen to weigh just the right amount. Or, maybe they have bookends that would work just fine. Keep in mind that your children may not want their items disturbed. If this is the case, get some used weights at a used sports equipment store, or find them for an inexpensive price somewhere like Walmart.

Your third piece of equipment will be something to build up your legs. You could get a treadmill or an elliptical, both seem to do the trick. You might even consider a stationary bicycle. If you have weak knees, avoid the treadmill. These three machines will help you build your lower body and legs as well as get you a cardio workout. You want to get your heart beating faster so that you benefit the most from the exercise and burn more calories. If your budget doesn't allow for buying a new treadmill, look for used ones in the newspaper. Craigslist seems to have ads for sports equipments every so often. If you have an even tighter budget, try running in place on the mat. This might get boring, but if you run to music, it will help.

Minor pieces of equipment to add to the room would include a television, stereo, and towel rack. Think about putting a small television in the room with a VCR or DVD player. This way, you can watch exercise tapes and work out to them. Or, you could watch a movie while you are running on the treadmill or even keep up with the local news. If music is what motivates you when you work out, put some type of CD player in the room, like a boom box. Your child could have left one of these behind, how convenient! The towel rack comes in handy because you are always going to need a towel to wipe off with after working out. If you put it on the rack, you'll find things aren't always all over the floor, making a mess of things. One other item you might want is a mini fridge, to put bottles of water and small snack items like fruit.

3. What will you do with the old furniture? Now that you've planned out the room, you'll see what items of furniture you were able to make use of. Whatever is left, you'll have to put it somewhere else. Storage is an option, if you think your child will need the items later. For instance, that single bed might come in handy when they have children of their own. If the child doesn't want the items, and you don't need them, get creative with how to use the items. Sell what will sell at a yard sale or on Craigslist. Whatever won't sell you can donate to the Goodwill or another nonprofit agency to get a tax credit.

Creativity could include using the old wooden headboard for firewood in your fireplace. Or, you could take the old curtains and make them into a table cloth or work clothes for around the house. Maybe that old desk could become a display table in the dining room for photographs.