The more amenities available at your apartment community, the greater the value for you! Even if your apartment has state-of-the-art amenities, they provide zero value if you’re not taking full advantage of them. Some features like a swimming pool, game room, or playground are easy to enjoy on the regular, but what about your apartment fitness center? When was the last time you set foot in there?

Countless apartment communities offer on-site gyms for their residents’ well-being. These exercise areas allow even the busiest person on the block a chance to fit some movement into their day. If you’re struggling to take advantage of your apartment’s fitness center, here are some tips for getting you in those doors and starting an apartment gym workout.

6 Tips for Taking Full Advantage of Your Apartment’s Fitness Center

1. Start small.

Whether you consider yourself an experienced athlete or a beginner who’s just dipping their toes into the fitness waters, there is something to be gained from your apartment’s fitness center. You don’t need to spend hours at a time there, and you certainly don’t need knowledge of the newest high-intensity workout to reap the health benefits of regular exercise.

Start with simple apartment gym workouts like a stroll on the elliptical or a walk on the treadmill. Begin getting used to the weights by doing some curls or presses. Use the space and your body weight for squats, pushups or planks. There are so many simple exercises that are easy to learn and modify depending on your fitness level. Start small and be willing to build up slowly.

Just get comfortable with your apartment fitness center and what it has to offer without any huge expectations. Shoot for 10 minutes of activity per day in your fitness center. Gradually build up to 20 or 30 minutes over the course of a few weeks or months. Even a short amount of activity will benefit you greatly, so start with something so small that there’s no excuse not to do it.

2. Set some goals.

It’s hard to stick to a plan if you don’t have a goal in mind, so create some fitness goals that actually motivate you. These don’t have to be huge weight loss goals. Something as simple as, “I will work out for 20 minutes, three days per week,” is a good one!

Consider what you want out of your fitness center and set goals based on that. Maybe you want to be able to run a 5k, drop a pant size, crush a 30-minute apartment complex gym workout routine, or even just incorporate more activity into your daily schedule.

Whatever your goal, identify it, write it down, and start going after it.

3. Schedule your gym time and stick to it.

Blocking time in your schedule for going to your apartment fitness center, makes it much easier to stay on track. Skipping the scheduling step makes it much more likely that you’ll forget, get too busy, or fill your time with other activities. Don’t let this happen.

At the beginning of your week, review your plans for the next seven days and schedule in some gym time. Don’t assume it’ll just happen on its own or that you’ll “find the time.” Something more exciting will always come up, so you’ve got to be diligent.

Keep in mind that sometimes staying consistent with your apartment gym workout schedule means sacrificing other things. If you enjoying having drinks after work, you might need to opt for a quick morning weight session. Instead of spending an evening binging on Netflix, watch one fewer episode so you have time for exercise. Or better yet, watch those episodes while you’re working out!

4. Find an apartment gym workout you like.

There are countless types of routines to choose from. Don’t settle for an activity you aren’t fond of. For instance, don’t pick a treadmill routine if you find running torturous. Choose yoga over a dumbbell routine if the thought of weight lifting makes you cringe. There are so many ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Find an apartment complex gym workout routine you enjoy, because that’s the apartment gym workout you will stick to. Working out should challenge you and your body, but there’s no reason for exercise to make you miserable. Take the time to find something you like, and you might actually get some joy out of exercising!

5. See the value in your apartment fitness center.

Bad weather makes outdoor workouts a bummer and gym memberships get expensive! Having a fitness center in your apartment complex will save you money and spare you the inconvenience of trekking across town to the local gym.

Plus an apartment fitness center within walking distance helps remove any excuse not to get that workout in. Once you see the value your community fitness center provides you and your apartment lifestyle, you’ll be more likely to use it!

6. Take advantage of technology.

We live in a digital world. Use that fact to your advantage. Check out virtual fitness apps available on your smartphone or tablet. Most of these apps are relatively inexpensive, if not free.

You don’t necessarily need to create your own apartment complex gym workout routine. You can find apps with on-demand exercise classes that will take you through workouts using your apartment fitness center’s equipment. You can find apps that provide short, preprogrammed routines with photos and descriptions of how to execute each exercise. You can even find apps with virtual group exercise classes and personal trainers.

Why not take advantage of the option to combine an available fitness space with guidance from a professional? Word to the wise: be sure that you are using headphones so that your workouts don’t disrupt the other apartment fitness center patrons.

Tour Our Fitness Centers At Our Open House Events

The presence of a fitness center is one of the most common inquiries people make while deciding which apartment community to rent from. Although not everyone prioritizes a gym when deciding where to rent, it is a valuable asset to have available.

Once you make your personal list of apartment amenity must-haves, you can start your apartment search. If one of our communities catches your eye, attend one of our open house events or contact us to speak with a team member. We’d be happy to answer any questions about apartment amenities, features, and pricing!