Have you been struggling to incorporate physical activity and general wellness practices into your lifestyle? Natural elements like cold temperatures, strong winds and heavy rains can make it difficult to head outside regularly to jog, bike or run. Additionally, you may not always have time or motivation to head downtown to your local health club or gym.

However, redesigning your basement with travertine tiles can be a great excuse to build a personal gym in your home. After you have removed the clutter and spruced up the structural elements in the room to make it a usable space, you will have a convenient and private space to focus on your health and fitness goals.

Here are three things to keep in mind about converting your basement into a functional gym following a travertine installation project.

Floor padding
Whether you’re interested in lifting weights, practicing yoga or enjoying a cardio workout on a new treadmill, it’s important to include plenty of floor padding in your gym basement plans. For starters, this will protect your beautiful travertine tiles from impact damage or abrasions caused by heavy equipment.

Rubber or thick foam padding is also important from a physical activity perspective. Many workouts involve sitting or getting close to the ground, and placing these protective mats in key areas will give you a safe and comfortable place to exercise without worrying about compromising the beautiful travertine installation in your basement.

Plenty of mirrors
Those muscled, toned workout fanatics you see staring into the mirror at the gym aren’t doing it out of sheer vanity (OK, well maybe that’s part of it…), they’re also inspecting their form while exercising. Using mirrors while you work out helps you practice the motions as they were meant to be done.

Because of this, you should make sure there are plenty of mirrors in your home gym. Whether you devote a wall to reflective surfaces or have a few mirrors positioned in different areas of the basement, this will improve your overall workout.

It also doesn’t hurt that mirrors can make a small, dark area like a basement feel more open, inviting and well-lit.

Helpful distractions
If you frequently find yourself getting bored while you run or lift weights, it may be that you need a partial distraction to take your mind off those exhausting exercises. Installing a surround sound system in your gym will allow you to crank up the tunes while you sweat, or you could place a large TV in the corner to watch the news or a movie.