Design for Exercise – how to make the most out of your exercise

‘Tis the time for exercise.  Nothing inspires a person to spring into action, body management-wise, faster than the prospect of leaving the house in a summer ensemble that’s snugger, in a debilitating sort of way, than it was last year.

There are all sorts of ways that an environment can support physical action by humans and continued activity over time—there’s a reason why the floors in the spaces where ballet companies practice and perform are so carefully designed, for example.  In this article we focus on the neuroscience of exercise and design and not those linked to physical health or injuries.

Colours

Looking at colours that are saturated and not too bright/light, such as a rich Kelly green will give a person exercising an energy lift.  Using several energizing colours together amplifies their effects.  Looking at something red gives us an instantaneous burst of strength, a quick energy boost, so seeing a red wall can be great while weight-lifting.  For a continuous, sustained activity, such as riding an exercise bike, looking at a red wall can lead to a sort of physical burnout with degraded performance.

While some of us relish our time to work out, others loathe it—interestingly, time seems to pass more slowly in warmer-coloured spaces than cooler-coloured ones, which may be a good reason for spaces for exercise to feature cool colours.

Red does have a place in workout spaces.  The colour communicates “danger” to us so it can be a good shade to use to make warnings particularly noteworthy—and in many workout zones there are lots of things to warn about, related to apparatus, for example.

It turns out that warm and cool colours got their names for a reason, and that reason can influence their use in exercise zones.  Seeing cooler colours makes us feel significantly cooler and warmer colours makes us feel significantly warmer, the effect can be 5 degrees Fahrenheit, in fact.  Depending on the heating and air conditioning systems in place, the colours in a space where people plan to exercise can have a very important effect on comfort.

Patterns

When patterns are being selected for walls, floors, upholstery, and whatever else in areas for exercising, the best options feature squares, triangles, and other shapes made up of straight line segments.  These are the sorts of visuals we link to energy and action in our minds.

Light

Being in cooler light is more energizing than being in warmer light, so cooler lights are better options in areas for exercise than warmer ones.

Scents

Want to work out more than you think you have? Use Peppermint!

If you decide to scent where you work out with anything besides the smell of your own sweat, peppermint can be a good choice.  Raudenbush and colleagues have determined that people smelling peppermint feel they’ve put less effort into working out than they have and they also feel less tired than people who smelled something else while they worked out.

Want to really feel energised?

Studies have also shown that we are energized by smelling grapefruit, tangerine, eucalyptus, and peppermint.

Sounds

Sound systems in places where people will work out are indeed a good idea as music can help us work just a little bit harder.  Our hearts start to beat in turn to the sounds we hear around us and when that sound is fast-paced music and we’re trying to work out, that music can be a plus.  Also, people who listen to music while exercising enjoy the experience of exercising more than the people who did not.

Exercise your ability to apply neuroscience research in workout spaces and your mind is likely to feel as good when you finish a session as your body.