Come Sweat with Me

Someone recently reminded me that I had never showed you the finished basement project.  So today you get a tour of my workout space, which is now more like a pleasant room than a dank basement.

The biggest change was the roller shades installed over the floor-to-ceiling open shelves.  I painted the wood that you can see and pulled down all the shades to create an almost-wall of a very neutral color.  The walls, including the cinder block wall, were then painted the same color.

The room is now adequately lit by two sets of track lighting on dimmer switches.  I can look up when lying on the floor and no longer be greeted by the two bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

The furnace is mostly hidden by a shoji screen, which my husband initially announced to be unbelievably ugly, but I like it a lot and it accomplishes exactly what I intended.

For entertainment to take my mind off what I’m doing, I have all sorts of possibilities on a very large flat screen TV.  With Apple TV, I can watch TV, movies, Netflix, or listen to music.  Most of the time I seem to go back to the 92 oldies played in a shuffle format.

I couldn't stand looking at all the cords hooked to the television, so I wrapped them in fabric that matches the color of the walls.  It cost absolutely nothing and I no longer even think about what's inside.

After the negative reaction to my idea of a blue sky with clouds overhead, I have resigned myself to looking at beams, pipes, and ducts.  They are really not so bad now that the rest of the room looks so much better.

My constant companion never seems to break a sweat as he lies on the floor while I do my daily workout.  Although he makes it necessary to frequently vacuum the rug, I appreciate his company!

I keep trying to entice friends and family to join me in the basement.  It really can be fun now!