What Kind of Lighting for My Home Fitness Room?

Artificial Lighting

• Lighting a home fitness room is different from most any other room in a house because there is no furniture to place lamps. So think wall and ceiling space to outfit a fitness room with artificial lights. Recessed ceiling lights, skylights, track lights and even multiple scones along a wall are all possibilities to light up such a space. Carefully research the wattage for a particular unit, and choose the highest wattage available.

Natural Lighting

• In a home fitness room, or any other room of a house, natural light is always the best and preferred option. It doesn’t cost anything and offers a warm glow that is unmatched by any other lighting source. Depending upon the location of your home fitness room, there are a couple of ways to increase the amount of natural light a room receives: skylights are one way while transfoms -- fixed glass on the top of an exterior wall -- present a second option.

Bulb Types

• Fluorescent light bulbs most naturally imitate sunlight and are ideal to light a home fitness room. Choose bulbs with a color rending of at least 82. The color rendering index ranges from 1, very low, to 100, closest to the brightness of the sun; 85 is considered ideal.

Considerations

• While not a necessity, light dimmers are a nice option to have, particularly when practicing physical activity such as yoga or pilates, which benefit from a more soothing and tranquil environment. Because they create a glare, recessed down-lights are not the best option if your exercise routine calls for you to look up at the ceiling.