Five inspirational tips for building a healthy home

As summer begrudgingly draws to a close and the nights start to grow longer, autumn is usually when we begin to look forward and make plans for the year ahead.

We all know that new health regimes and fitness schedules take centre stage in January, so why not future-proof your home so that you can tackle your wellbeing goals head on in 2020?

There are a range of simple and effective ways to create a healthier home, from generating more natural light to building a home gym, and hopefully we can inspire some subtle renovations this September.

How do I get more natural light?

Getting a good quality of light throughout the day and an absence of light at night is really important. Light can impact on melatonin and hormone levels in our bodies, so try to think about how you can arrange your home to maximise efficient use of natural light. Open-plan living styles typically lend themselves excellently to this school of thinking. Over-exposure to certain types of artificial light have also been linked to headaches, so making room for a TV-free relaxation space in your home is likely to benefit your wellbeing.

How do I improve the air quality in my home?

Dust, paint particles, and other building material particles may lurk in your vents and float through the air, which may cause breathing problems. Installing a whole house air purifier can clean your air of pollutants such as bacteria, mould, pollen, pet dander, and other allergy triggers. You may also find it useful to have a portable house humidifier in your home, as these add moisture to the air.

How do I connect my home with the outdoors?

Awareness continues to grow about the importance of eco-friendly living and introducing greener products and ways of life to our homes. It may seem like an obvious one, but houseplants are king. They turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, which is a great health benefit for humans. Potting a Ficus or Dracaena is a decent place to start. Why not plant some herbs, too? There’s no need to buy parsley from a supermarket when you can snip a few sprigs in your own kitchen. They’re best left on a sunny windowsill.

Are home gyms effective?

Some people are suited to training alone and having a home gym can be great for convenience. It should be pretty straightforward to build a fully functioning home gym for less than £1,000 – there are plenty of bargains to be had online at websites such as eBay, providing you don’t have your heart set on buying specific brands. Spare rooms and garages are ideal spaces for home gyms so have a think about what motivates you and fill your space with the imagery that’ll help you visualise what you are trying to become. This is the key to building an effective home gym. Tailor your environment to your personality so that as soon as you walk into the gym you’ll want to work hard.

What equipment do you need for a home gym?               

The cheapest, and quickest, way to build a home gym is to focus on surrounding yourself with free weights. Items such as dumbbells, pull-up bars, skipping ropes, medicine balls and barbells are great for this. You should be able to generate hundreds of effective workouts with these pieces of kit. Even if the initial outlay is more than a gym membership, if investing in a home gym has you actually working out on a regular basis, it’s a more worthwhile investment.