If your thoughts are turning to your fitness goals at this time of year, you’re not alone. According to YouGov, 46 percent of Americans will be making a New Year’s resolution to exercise more. And, research shows, the factor most likely to help you stick to your plan is ensuring that everything you need for success is right at your fingertips—in this case, a dedicated home gym.

Having a bespoke workout area in your home works for one clear reason: “Simply put, a home gym saves you time,” says Mark Reynolds, of British company WeMakeGyms. He’s right, of course. A home fitness space means you don’t have to get up early to travel to a workout, miss your lunch break, or forego socializing to cram in exercise.

Related: Smart House, Healthy You: The Future of Wellness Technology 

And there are other benefits to having your own dedicated workout space, says Reynolds. “You never have to wait for a piece of equipment, can choose your own music, don’t have to jostle for mirror space against a selfie taker, and always know you can drop everything if you need to and pick right back up where you left off. Plus, setting up a home gym means that the choice of equipment and layout can be tailored to your own health and fitness goals, improving your chances of actually exceeding them.”

With the right foundation for your home gym, you can achieve almost any fitness goal

You can create the perfect home workout area whether you’re a complete novice or a hardened gym-goer. Reynolds says that wherever you install it—basement, garage, or a room specially built for exercise—smart equipment choices are key. "Everything from a simple rower that folds up, a spin bike that has wheels, to using a load-bearing wall to fit a compact gym station with a folding squat rack and slimline wall-mounted cable machine."

Related: Meet the Company Creating Designer Gyms for Your Home—and Yacht

Reynolds suggests that a good home gym should include one total-body cardio machine; one variable-resistance machine, like a cable machine; and one compact, adjustable squat rack with complementary bar, weight plates, dumbbells, and adjustable bench to go with it. Flooring is also essential, he says. “With that foundation, you can achieve almost any fitness goal, and then add a multitude of more specialist functional tools like TRX, kettlebells, Bulgarian bags, yoga mats, resistance bands, or ViPR.”

Setting up a home gym means that the choice of equipment and layout can be tailored to your own health and fitness goals, improving your chances of actually exceeding them.

Reynolds also advises taking a multidisciplinary approach to your fitness regime. "I like to construct workouts that involve cardio, muscular development work (hypertrophy/weight lifting), core work, and mobility work, too."

But to ensure you stick to your fitness regime, he’s unequivocal. “The most important thing is to be consistent—a lesson for everything in life if you ask me. Be consistent with your training and give your body the daily nourishment it needs.”

wemakegyms.com

3 Accessories to Help You Shape Up in Style

Forme mirror

It may look like an ordinary full-length mirror, but touch it, and talk to it, and Forme becomes your very own personal trainer. The creation of acclaimed designer Yves Béhar, the Forme mirror streams everything from boxing, barre, and interval-training classes into your home. Additional pulleys and cast aluminium arms can be used for resistance training. The mirror also tracks and records your movements so you can see how you’re progressing.

formelife.com

Loro Piana weights 

With its “Art of Wellbeing” collection, Italian textiles company Loro Piana has reinvented cashmere as a gym essential. The collection includes weights padded with cashmere, a leather-handled jump rope, and a fitness ball covered in the softest of wools. There’s a meditation carpet, too, as well as kit for more advanced exercise like gym rings.

loropiana.com

Kenko kettlebells

Berlin-based Kenko says: “We create sports equipment out of an interior perspective, so our products become sculptural objects when not in use.” True to its word, the company’s kettlebells, in metal with a choice of American walnut or Canadian maple handles, look like something you might display rather than work out with. Ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in your hand, they’re available in weights from 17 to 35 lb (8 to 16 kg).

kenkostores.com

Banner image: A home workout space designed by WeMakeGyms, a company that creates fitness areas according to each client's needs and training goals