Photo by Flickr user Porto Bay Hotels & Resorts.
There are plenty of reasons to love going to the gym, but also plenty of reasons that we put it off. If you’re a member of a good gym, then going there will likely involve running for only some of the time – and the rest of the time you’ll probably be sitting in a sauna or a hot tub relaxing, or taking a nice hot shower. If you’re a member of a proper health spa, then you’ll be able to improve your health, confidence and appearance, and at the same time enjoy some luxury and indulgence.
The problem is that going to the gym does still involve that running or lifting heavy weights for at least part of the time, which isn’t particularly fun and can actually be quite boring. Add to that the fact that you’ll actually have to travel to get to the gym – which means taking a big chunk of time out of your day – and you’ll find that you often end up just staying at home instead.
So imagine if you could turn your garden into a health spa and gym – not just a weights room with a treadmill, but a full-on space to train in a way that suits you, to indulge and to relax. It’s actually more possible than you think…
What You’ll Need
Pool
You can’t stick a treadmill outdoors, so what I’m suggesting instead is a swimming pool which you can use to do CV (burning fat by doing lots of quick laps) as well as having fun. Swimming is low impact, it’s fun, and it’s incredibly good at toning your whole body.
At the same time, you’ll also be able to use a swimming pool for various other things – from treading water, to doing aqua aerobics. That said though, if you hope to use the pool in cold weather, then you might want to get an indoor pool instead, or at least put yours under shelter or give it a retractable roof.
Training Equipment
If you want a more varied workout than just a few swims though, then there are plenty more things you can get for your garden that will do the job. This can range from the simple (pull up bars, exercise balls, skipping rope, pogo stick) to the larger (monkey bars, outdoor resistance machines, trampolines). Most people who build full gyms will focus on building them indoors, but using the garden will provide more space and more options for most people. Best of all, the extra space in your garden will be perfect for doing circuits and allow you to keep up the intensity in your training.
Hot Tub
Now for the relaxation part, you may want to start with one of the most common ‘spa’ features to find in the garden: a hot tub. With a hot tub, you’ll be able to sit back and relax after your workout while the heat massages your muscles and triggers the release of growth hormones. It will give you more incentive to work out and it’s a great way to warm up if you’ve had a cold splash in the pool.
Sauna
Another way you can get many of the same benefits is with a sauna. Infrared saunas can be installed in your garden relatively cheaply and will provide you with a way to sweat out toxins, relax your muscles, and recover after a hefty workout that you can enjoy in any weather.
Additional Features
Additionally you may want to install some other features to help make more of your outdoor gym – such as heaters for training when it’s cold, exercise mats which you can keep in the shed, and sound systems for listening to motivational soundtracks.
Of course all these features have a host of other benefits, such as use in entertaining guests. Have a swim together, relax in the sauna, and enjoy chilling in the hot tub. A kid’s jungle gym can even double as a bodyweight training station. You’ll find yourself looking for excuses to work out because it will be so much easier and more fun and that’s when your body will really be transformed!
Author Bio: The author of this post, Vikram Shenoy, is a freelance blogger who often writes for B-Rod Pools. He likes to write about lifestyle, home improvement, music and more. You can also follow him on twitter @ShenoyTrivikram.
