We’ve all done it. We get motivated to lose weight and get in shape. So, we go out on a whim and buy some kind of fitness equipment with high hopes of changing our life and body. Sadly, after a few months (and maybe only a few days) our new equipment begins to collect dust or turns into one giant clothing rack.

The good news is; this doesn’t have to happen to you. While there are many people who have home gym fails, there are people succeeding at working out at home.

In this blog, I hope to help you become one of those success stories with just a few tips.

8 Tips to Creating the Perfect Home Gym Experience

1. Think before you buy.  

Joyce Meyers says, “Let emotions subside, before you decide”. Unfortunately, people often make quick decisions during an emotional “I feel fat” moment. It’s never smart to make a decision when you are emotional – whether you are super discouraged with your weight or super excited about getting in shape.

That’s why it is important to take your time and think before you buy. You can’t decide to buy something based on good marketing or unrealistic promises. You also shouldn’t make quick decisions based on cheap offers. Your health is worth investing in – and you should base your decision on what is best, not what is cheap or easy. The best is rarely cheap or easy, but the best decision can get you the best results.

So, use your noggin and really research your options. Invest in quality products, like Matrix Fitness new luxury residential gym equipment. Know what you are buying, know how to use it and be certain it will meet your needs.

2. If you don’t LOVE it, don’t get it. 

How many times have you bought a shirt because it was a good deal, but you never end up wearing it? This happens to me all the time. On the contrary, how often have you splurged on something special, only to love it more every day? The same goes for fitness equipment.

We all like a good deal, but you need to LOVE it so you’ll use it. Rickety equipment that is not comfortable to use, or isn’t the quality you need, can set you up for failure. While you may not need apps on your console, like Matrix Fitness treadmills offer, it sure can make walking at home a lot more fun when you can watch a movie on Netflix or surf facebook.

You wouldn’t believe some of the features you can get in a piece of quality home fitness equipment. Matrix Fitness offers built-in Polar heart rate system complete with heart rate strap, blue tooth technology and web access. You can get consoles with build in apps for Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. They even offer immersive workouts, which match your pace to make you feel like you are moving through some of the most beautiful scenery across the globe.

While fun features are indeed extras, these extras may be the little extra you need to fall in love with fitness. Just remember, you are spending too much money if you buy something you don’t love and don’t use, no matter how good the bargain is.

3. Be honest. 

You CAN change. Even if you have a history of being lazy, you can turn into a very active fit person. But, what you can’t fix is a problem you don’t admit you have or a circumstance you refuse to admit.

If you want to have home fitness success, you need to be honest with yourself. You must know what you are willing to do and what you are willing to spend. You must go in knowing it will take work. Even the best equipment will not do the work for you. If you go in this with realistic expectations, you will get realistic results.

4. Choose what you need, not what you want. 

This is a biggie. Many people get side-tracked by flashy fun fitness toys and leave out the staples. Or, they will purchase a weight set when they really would benefit more from buying good quality cardio equipment.

Before you make your first purchase, make a list of your goals and then decide what equipment will help you reach those goals. THEN, you can buy some of the fun extras if you still have money left over.

You will quickly discover there is no gimmick or fitness trend that can ever compete with the fitness basics, which are cardio, traditional weight training and a healthy diet.

Tip: Machines that require you to be weight bearing (on your feet) and encourage arm swinging like the treadmill and elliptical burn more calories and are great for weight loss. However, if you have back or knee issues, you may want to choose a machine that is easier on your joints like an elliptical or recumbent bike.

5. Choose the perfect space. 

Even if you buy the best equipment on the market, your success also depends on where you put it. I had a treadmill in my bedroom for the longest time and I think I got on it maybe 2 or 3 times. However, when my mom stayed at our house while she was doing construction on their home, she pulled that old treadmill out into the living room and used it every morning and night. It was the same piece of equipment, but my failure became my mom’s success simply because she put it in a better place.

Another issue is some people is space. If this is you, you may want to purchase a folding treadmill (like the Matrix TF50 or TF30) or something that is more practical for the space you have.

Many times we tend to put our gym equipment where it looks best instead of where it would be used best. Although my house looked neater when my treadmill was in the bedroom, it proved to be a bad decision. Placement is super-important.

6. Prepare a happy place. 

The next factor that is essential when setting up your fitness space is comfort and practicality. If you have to go to the back of the house, where there is no TV or air conditioning, you are probably not going to be very successful. You need to look forward to visiting your home gym area.

This area needs to be your happy place. You may want to hang motivational posters or post motivational quotes on the wall. Think of the things you need to make this space more special and helpful. Do you like cranking up the music or do you prefer a good view?

One of the things I used to do is only watch certain shows while doing the elliptical. Since you can stream your favorite TV show on Matrix Fitness entertainment consoles, you can turn your cardio time into TV time.

One thing I do know is you can’t expect to get on a treadmill that’s crammed in a guest room facing a blank wall and be too thrilled about it.

7. Have a plan B. 

Once you have decided on what equipment you need and where you are going to put it, have a back up plan in case it doesn’t work for you. In other words, think of all your options. Just like my treadmill, you may have the right equipment in the wrong space.

If you find you are not using your home gym equipment, make some changes. Whether it’s where you put it, when you use it, how you are using it or who you are using it with. It’s imperative you keep troubleshooting until you find what works for you.

8. Commit to be fit. 

When you commit space in your home and commit to making the financial investment to take care of your health, you must also commit to using it. This means you need to have a workout plan in place. If you wait to have extra time to jump on the elliptical, it will never happen.

The same way you would set time aside to drive to the gym, you must set time aside to workout at home. You need to protect this time from interruptions if you want it to be a success. This means you don’t answer the phone unless it’s an emergency. You don’t switch out loads of laundry in between sets or stop in the middle of your workout to let the dog out.

If you treat your home workout like you do a gym workout, that means you let the dog out, feed your kids, switch loads and finish up whatever else you may have going on before you start exercising. That way you can dedicate all your energy to making the most of your workout.

Try some of the built-in programs. For instance, Matrix Fitness has a wide variety of programs you can follow to take your workouts up a notch. The more effective the workout, the more successful you’ll be.

Lastly, if your home workouts are not “working out”, keep trying. Making a change requires consistency and the willingness to keep trying even if you fail. You never know what will make the difference. It might be timing or it could be the accountability of a friend. But, you will never know what works unless you keep trying different things so you can weed out what doesn’t work.

No matter how many times you fail, you can still become a great success as long as you never quit.

– This post is sponsored by Matrix Fitness. All opinions are my own.