10 Tips to Get Fit for Less

With the new year upon us, many resolve to lose weight but perhaps can’t afford the costly gym memberships that average around $400 a year. Or, you may have found that your local gyms continue to go out of business and you don’t want to risk losing money.

Here are some inexpensive living frugal tips to help you get moving, lose weight, get fit for less, and of course save you money.We also hope that you have a little fun too!

1. Get out and play – Play basketball or hopscotch with the kids, fetch with the dog, tennis at the local community park, or take a bike ride. For those living in cold weather climates you can go ice skating, or snow shoeing. The point is to get out and get moving in a fun way that doesn’t really feel like exercise. By doing so you enjoy your day and burn extra calories.
2. Walk – Walking is one of the best forms of exercise. Walk the dog, walk with a friend or neighbor, park the car away from your destination point and get in a few extra steps. Start slow and build up your pace and distance daily.
3. Jump rope – Remember the hours of fun you had jumping rope as a kid. Jump ropes are very inexpensive and are a great cardiovascular workout. It was so easy as a kid, but will prove quite a bit more difficult as you age.
4. Platform step-ups – Find a park bench or low retaining wall that is the height of your knee and step up with your right leg, the pull your left leg up and then place your right leg down and then your left leg down. Repeat 10 – 15 times on the right leg and then repeat with the left leg.
5. Play on a swing set – You can use your kids swing set or swing set at the park to do pull ups from the top bar, sit on the swing and pull your legs in to your chest and do crunches, or swing across the monkey bars.
6. Buy or borrow an exercise DVD – There are great fitness DVD’s that you can buy for cheap or rent from your local library that will allow you to work out at home doing yoga, pilates, stretching and more.
7. Do yard work – Shoveling snow, raking leaves mowing the grass with a push mower, and trimming bushes is a great workout for your arms and back. Pulling weeds is a great leg workout if done right — remember to squat not bend — your quads will burn with all the up and down squats.
8. Make weights out of old milk jugs – Fill two empty 1/2 gallon or gallon milk jugs with sand or water and they make great weights. You can raise them to work your biceps or hold them by your side while doing walking lunges.
9. Play with your kids Wii – Don’t run out and buy one, but if you’ve already invested in the purchase of one, go ahead and play games with your kids. Wii is quickly realizing that adults are a fast growing Wii segment and have partnered with EA Sports for a line of active fitness video games.
10. Create a mini boot camp workout – The old standbys of sit ups, push ups, jumping jacks and running in place can’t be beat with regard to muscle toning and a cardiovascular workout. Create a 20 – 30 minute cycled routine that you do 3 times a week and you will quickly begin to see results.

We hope that these living frugal tips help you lose wieght, get fit for less and save you money. Please share any other inexpensive exercise and get fit tips that you may have.