Home Gym Makeover: BEFORE & AFTER

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It’s true what they said: a home is never truly “done” because you never “finish” decorating. Once life shifts….once the kids grow up…once you move on to another era of life, what used to be a beloved part of your home slowly morphs into a “forgotten” part of your home and it needs to serve a new purpose for the family.

That’s what happened to my basement office, which served as my “Thrift Diving Headquarters” office space a few years ago.

BEFORE

 

My basement office became discarded after I built my 16 ft x 26 ft “she shed” in my backyard, which would serve as office space and a workshop (so I didn’t have to do DIY projects in the stuffy, cluttered garage anymore).

This space sat there for a solid 3-4 years, and the only time that anyone used the basement, it was to lift weights in a cluttered session where I had tossed weights and a half-rack that my teenage boys used.

So I decided that this discarded, forgotten office needed an upgrade–something vibrant, motivational, and BOLD!

AFTER!

What’s crazy is that I have developed this unexplainable obsession with the color ORANGE. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’d know that I’m a pinks-blues-and-purples kind of Golden Girls “pastel-y” chick.

But I think there is truth to the idea of “mid-life crises.” Isn’t there?! Sometimes you do a 180 from who you’ve always been and what you’ve always liked, because you know there is more to discover and embrace however many years you have left.

That’s me right now. Especially when it comes to color.

Now at 47, I want to embrace the boldness that color can evoke. And while I’m not confident enough to use a pop of color like this in other parts of my home (yet??), for a home gym it’s perfect. Color affects mood, gives you energy, and this is just the right color to give that extra “hmph!” to get me through the final set on a heavy lift.

(Because, let’s be honest….as we age, women have to lift, to maintain our muscle and not completely fall apart after menopause, right?!).

Watch This Home Gym in Action!

Want to see this home gym come together? Watch it on my YouTube channel!

https://youtu.be/MoVr0QG0GnQ?si=baTjqwYH1nXpNPtA

Painting Over My History

There was something a little sad about making over this room, though. Have you ever felt that way about making over a space in your home? Maybe it was your child’s bedroom; they’ve since moved out on their own (maybe started their own family!). You made it into an office or craft room. Yet, there’s a melancholiness to painting over that history, even when you know what it will become will be amazing and useful.

I remember when I had painted this “Thrift Diving” logo on the office wall, using a thrifted overhead project, claiming the space as my own, as my office, around the time I had gotten fired from my “9 to 5” job in 2015.

I remember that time so well, because I was sure that Thrift Diving could thrive if I could just give it my full-time focus now that I had no “day job” to encroach on my time.

But I also felt guilty that losing my job just upset the balance of our household. Do I really have to pull the kids out of daycare because we can’t afford it now? Can we really make this work while I give this Thrift Diving thing a “go”?

I wasn’t 100% sure, but at least I had a space to call my own, with my name on it. So when I was painting this vibrant Behr Pimento orangey-red wall, I hesitated painting over it, because it felt like I was erasing a part of my history….a part of my memories of what this space had offered me: an opportunity; creativity.

But I also knew that painting over the logo didn’t erase Thrift Diving. I’ve got my “she shed” now. That’s such a significant part of my story, my history, my DIY growth.

No…what this meant is that I was turning this space over to another version of my family that now exists: a middle-aged woman who thrives off of vibrancy…..teenage sons who invest their time and autonomy into working on their bodies…for a husband who likes to lift a few sets after his morning walk.

This area now serves a new purpose, and is a reflection of who we are now. That’s why a home is never “done.” Your family is always changing. And our homes reflect that.

So Let’s Talk About This Home Gym…

I’ve been on a health crusade for the past four years. Actually, longer than that. I’ve always been active: baseball, basketball, track & field when I was younger and in my teens years.

But it wasn’t until 2021 that I really took a vested interest in being active, including lifting weights. I leaned into strength training and saw it working for me (you might have seen me flex on Instagram). I hit a goal that always seemed just out of reach: I finally was able to do chin ups! Whatever I was doing, was working. My local community center gym was adequate, and free! I went three times per week, like clockwork.

Then life got in the way. I lost my motivation as life stressors began to press on me. And we all know it’s easier to eat cookies and go for a walk than it is to run and lift. So that’s what I did.

It’s been a solid year since I’ve been on my grind. The point of this gym is to help me back on my grind. No excuses. And of course, you know I love me a good makeover, so there’s that. 😉

Ditching the Fluorescent Light

Who knows why I didn’t change these dreadful fluorescent lights in the basement sooner! Likely because electricity scared the crap out of me (and it should!).

But after taking Electrical Wiring during my Carpentry program in school years ago (not to mention that I ran all the interior wiring in my “she shed”), suddenly, changing an old light didn’t seem so daunting. I cut the power, removed the old mercury-laced tube lights carefully, and disconnected the old light.

When I got the new light up, it felt like such an accomplishment. 🙂 I installed a new LED light that was about 5000 lumens, so it is much brighter.

Finding the Mirrors

I don’t think you need a ton of space to have a home gym. But what you do need are mirrors. Not only do they make the space look more spacious, but they also allow you to check your form while you work out. And of course, to check yourself out. Are you liking the results? Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror?

I spent so much time scouring Facebook Marketplace for inexpensive mirrors. The problem I had, though, was finding mirrors that were all the same size. Frameless mirrors can be stacked side by side, and if you don’t mind the seam, you can get enough to cover the entire width of the wall. But when they’re different sizes, it makes it more challenging.

My mother-in-law had a couple of discarded bathroom mirrors that I took and used frameless mirror clips to hang them, pushing them together, then added a teal accent border to help “ground” the mirrors together.

And….oh my!….I found the perfect mirror at Community Forklift! It’s a salvage spot here in Maryland. I went on a day they were having a sale and found the perfect large mirror for the accent wall! While I would have liked it to be bigger, it would work. It was only $25!

When I saw it, I immediately knew I wanted it. There was a girl who had wandered off, and was looking at other things nearby. When she saw me pick it up, she came over and said, “I was just looking at that. I was thinking about getting it.” She didn’t say, “Hey, that’s mine, I was planning to get it.”

I guess she should have made her decision sooner! 🙂 This baby was coming home with me! We all know that when you find something that you think you want at a thrift store, you gotta put it in your cart, even if you change your mind afterwards, right?! LOL

Mama Needed a Treadmill

I’ve always wanted a treadmill for my house. I’m not sure if this one is going to work for the entire family, though, because it has a weight limit of 220 pounds. It’s great for compact spaces, and for smaller (shorter) people. My large husband and super tall kids (my oldest son is 6’4″!) may not be able to use it.

Yesoul had reached out and asked if I would accept the Yesoul T1M Plus treadmill to feature on my channel. It correlated nicely with me working on this space, so I decided to include it. It’s got its PROs and CONs, which I won’t get into the knitty-gritty here in this blog post, but you can watch the entire home gym transformation and get more details about the treadmill.

But I do love having a way to get some movement in right at home, especially if the weather is not conducive to working out outdoors!

While I liked the teal behind the mirrors, I wanted to add a 4″ border to help pull it all together, so I used painters tape and a level to add a 4″ horizontal border.

Adding a Huge Stencil to the Wall

The wall above the treadmill and horizontal teal stripe needed something. I could have hung more mirrors, but I couldn’t find any matches sizes that were used (although Home Depot does sell frameless mirrors that aren’t too expensive, but if you’re buying 3-4 of these, it can get expensive).

So instead, I did a large stencil using my Cricut Explore 3! Because it was going to be large, I had to cut it in sections. The best tutorial I was able to find that walks you through how to easily do this is HERE.

The key is that when you cut it into sections, you have to line up the vinyl “just so.” Here, I’m actually using the vinyl as a stencil and filling it in with gray paint, but I could have also used the vinyl to adhere to the wall. I didn’t have any gray vinyl, so that’s why I created it as a stencil and filled it in instead.

I loved how it looked as I removed the stencil, revealing the design! I even painted the fingernails. 😉

I lightened the nail polish a bit so it wasn’t so overwhelming to the design. But I like how it filled that space! I also created a WORK HARD stencil using my Cricut. And over the mirror, I bought a Good Vibes white neon sign, to help that vibrant color “pop” even more.

I bought a large padded mat to hang on the wall for when we want to stretch or do any floor exercises.

I already had the dumbbells, which I had bought a few years ago from Costco. If you’re in the market for gym equipment, January is a great time to find stuff at Costco, when everyone is going through their “I gotta get fit for the New Year” phase! 🙂

The Vintage Hardware

Isn’t it fun when you realize you have something around your house that you bought eons ago that you can finally use?? HA!

I had bought these vintage hat hooks from an online estate sale auction, and they were discarded somewhere in the garage for years. I installed them on the walls to hold the padded mat and the stretching bands.

Keeping the Weights Tidy

A couple of years ago when I got the inkling I wanted to use part of the basement as a workout space, I had bought this inexpensive half rack for bench pressing. The weight bench I bought years before at Costco. As for the half rack weight rack, I don’t recall if I got it on Amazon or where I ordered it from, but it’s similar to this one.

I needed weights for it, and a bar, which I bought (used) from my uncle. The kids would use the weights and have them strewn about the basement, because there was nowhere to put them when they weren’t being used.

So for this space, I bought a weight tree to hold the weights that aren’t being used, which keeps them tidy and less of a tripping hazard!

I also hung up cleaning spray so when we make a sweaty mess on the mats, there’s cleaner available and ready to wipe things up.

A Place to Work Hard and Focus

I feel like I’ve been so unfocused and lazy lately with my workouts and my eating habits. I am 10 pounds heavier than I was last year at this time, and I am weaker. I’ve begun to feel uncomfortable in my clothes. And Lord please don’t make me bare these pasty, dimply thighs to the world just yet…

My workouts right now consist of 3 miles daily walks in the morning. Nothing that gets the heart pumping like it should. No weights that make my muscles ache the next day. Not consistently, at least. But that’s what I need.

I’m hoping to be as strong as I was at this time last year, when I was celebrating my first chin-ups. When I was showing off my legs because I thought they looked tan and muscular. When my 13-year-old son wasn’t commenting that I look “pregnant.” (Yes, he really told me that one night, and he wasn’t lyin’….).

Slowly, I’ll find myself again, for this next phase of life. I’ll get right back on track like I always do.

And when that happens, at least I have a place where I can rediscover myself and my strength again–right here in my basement home gym.

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