5 Easy Ways to Turn Your Home Office into a Home Gym

With gyms and fitness classes across the globe closed for the foreseeable future, there’s never been a better time to turn your flex room into a functioning fitness studio. Not only is it important to your physical health to stay active, but your mental health is equally impacted, and you can’t afford to ignore either. People who have experienced long-term isolation before reiterate how important a daily routine is, so as you build yours, make sure there’s a place for exercise in it.

Odds are that if you’re working from home, you’re using your flex room as an office space. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a shortlist of affordable items that you can add to your office, so it doubles as a fitness center. That means no big cardio machines or as-seen-on-TV home gym apparatuses. Everything here should be small and easy to store away in your closet once finished (but if you’re committed to staying fit during these strange times, better to leave them out; the visual reminder will make you less likely to forget to get your heart rate up.)
First thing’s first: make sure you have adequate space around you, so clear away any small furniture that might get in the way – you’d probably rather not have to explain to your boss that you can’t get on the video conference because you knocked your laptop off your desk doing burpees.

If you’re doing things right, you’re going to be sweating in no time, so make sure your room has good airflow. With the Spring weather still cool and pleasant, an open window should be enough, but as summer rolls around it’s not a bad idea to bring in a floor fan (and with Shea’s energy-efficient homes, using these fans to cool a room could save you even more on bills).



Now, we all know that we spend more time sitting than we probably should. This problem is often exacerbated when we work from home, with no more trips to the breakroom or walks down the hall to the bathroom. Not only is it important to stand up and move regularly to improve circulation, but you’re also going to want to make up for the lack of low-level cardio that daily walking brings, so get yourself one of the most effective pieces of cardio technology ever – a jump rope! Studies have shown that just ten minutes of jumping rope is as effective as thirty minutes of running. Take a break from your computer and hit the rope for a little bit – your body will thank you!

Circulation isn’t the only thing you need to look out for during long periods of sitting at home. Your muscles will tense and shorten, heightening your risk for injury and generally making you feel less mobile. A good yoga mat will encourage you to stretch out and stay limber, plus the stress-relief effect is bound to help right now.
For those of you that have stuck steadfastly to your New Year’s Resolution to get in better shape, this disruption in your routine can seem like a major set-back. Even if CrossFit is closed, don’t let all your progress go to waste. A few essentials will give you nearly everything you need for a full-body workout, so when you do eventually get back to the gym it won’t be time wasted. With a doorframe pull-up bar, a set of parallelettes, and a resistance band, you’ll have no problem doing modified versions of your favorite exercises. If you’re not sure where to start, calisthenic enthusiasts have created an excellent guide to get you started here.

With just a few items that can be easily stored in a closet when not in use, you can come out of this time in better shape than ever! Have a great fitness studio at home that you want to share? We’d love to see it! Share your pictures with us on social media. Be sure to tag @sheahomesaz and #sheahomesaz!

For more, visit sheahomes.com.

Please consult with your physician or health care provider prior to beginning any exercise program. Sales by Shea Homes Marketing Company (AZ DRE #CO550381000), Construction by Shea Homes Limited Partnership (ROC #195895).