No gym? No problem!

It’s time to put a positive spin on the ideas of social and physical distancing.

Why not consider distancing to be a form of exercise in itself? We already know that good physical health requires cardiovascular exercise, among other healthy habits.

Meanwhile, mental and emotional health thrive when the body is in shape and the mind is stimulated intellectually, creatively and socially.

Since March, fitness buffs have learned to adapt without their indoor gym memberships and other members who feel like family to them. Dining rooms, bedrooms

and even kitchens have become workout spaces. Driveways, streets and patios have become basketball courts.

Some people have even installed swim-inplace pools that, with built-in counterpressure jets, create the feeling of swimming against an adjustable current in a pool that may only be 14 feet long.

More commonly, people are making a habit of attending group workouts by streaming video.

While in-person group studio classes are on hold, find inspiration from the ways new-home buyers incorporate gyms into their homes and yards. From builders and their buyers, we can learn how to adapt our existing living spaces or think ahead to what our next home needs to include for today’s lifestyles.

What’s your passion?

Do you prefer the meditative, physical and mental balance of yoga? The drills of basketball? The core strengthening of Pilates or the full-body toning of barre? Maybe it’s walking long distances, running, hiking, swimming or the occasional boot-camp-style workout?

Buyers are converting spare bedrooms into workout spaces by adding racks for weights;

TRX hooks; benches for supported exercises; and storage containers for mats and other equipment.

With a flat screen and webcam installation, a single room can serve as a live streaming workout room, a remote classroom, and an office at different hours of the same day.

All the while, builders over the past several months have been working on designs to increase options for home flexibility in upcoming home designs.

Pro tip for indoor gyms: During the design process for your new home, choose mirrored closet doors in the designated room where you maysetupyourgym.

Outdoor fitness

To get your cardio on without having to pull your face mask up within 10 yards of other people, consider how to create a personal outdoor (or indoor-outdoor) gym. Look to the garage, the backyard or the side yard for much-needed variety and fresh air.

One timeless structure that adds aesthetic, functional and fitness value is the built-in solid-wood pergola or arbor.

Ask your builder to refer you to companies they work with for landscape design at model homes. These companies can build the perfect shaded environment on your back or side yard by building structures on which you can install a weatherproof cloth for additional shade.

Several builders include finished patios and decks in their designs; some even have rooftop decks. Also consider arranging a group of adjustable umbrellas or attaching hooks to fencing and walls; between these stretch shade cloths for protection from the elements.

Many builders offer three-car garages at their homesites. With some, the buyer can convert one bay of the garage into an interior room. But even if the third bay remains a garage, a fireproof side door or window will bring in breezes without having to open the overhead door.

Garages are ideal for table tennis, punching bags, treadmills, highintensity interval training equipment and, if ceiling height allows, a portable basketball hoop.

Wherever the home gym resides, remember that carpeted floors, cushioned mats or thick yoga mats make good padding.

Isn’t it time to break the habit of placing a sweaty foot on the kitchen table for that perfect hamstring stretch or waking up your spouse by taking a streaming aerobic workout in the bedroom?

See how new-home communities provide spare rooms and flexible outdoor spaces in neighborhoods that also feature meandering trails and, in some places, refreshing waterways.

A new housing trend — emphasis on new — is solidifying in 2020.

“In 2018, the 30-year mortgage was near 5 percent, and that worsened an affordability problem, especially in larger metro areas and their inner suburbs,” says Robert Dietz of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Since then, buyers have been moving out to farther-flung suburbs and smaller cities, where land and home prices are lower.

Now, the COVID-19 crisis is intensifying both a desire for newly constructed homes and less-populated locations.

“The ability of many to work from home instead of an office is a success in many cases, so workers will feel more comfortable living where they want to,” reports Lesley Deutch of John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

Taylor Morrison, the fifth-largest U.S. homebuilder, surveyed buyers and uncovered interesting data: The top motivators are a safer place, a larger home with room to work remotely and the ability to have better technology. Newly constructed single-family homes often incorporate these amenities.

The uncertain economic conditions from COVID19 are not a big impediment for these buyers, with a June report from the National Association of Home Builders finding the strongest growth in exurbs and smaller cities.

Some buyers fleeing cities are DICE buyers — dual-income, college-educated couples — who have secure jobs, Deutch says. “We are seeing demand for homes in the $400,000 range in Charlotte, Nashville, and Texas.

Also, new construction is typically more expensive than a comparable existing home.

But Taylor Morrison finds sentiment is trending toward less expensive, larger homes.

Financing a new home typically requires an initial deposit, so the builder begins. When the home is complete, buyers make a down payment and secure a mortgage.

New construction does provide savings over an existing home, where replacement costs on appliances, paint, flooring and roofing are often incurred, adds Sheryl Palmer, CEO of Taylor Morrison.