Getting in Shape on the Cheap
Gym membership, work out do-dads...let's admit it: getting in shape can be expensive. Here are a few ways I've come up with to stay in shape on the cheap. Please add to the collection!
Every morning at 6:00 a.m. there is Inhale yoga on the Oxygen network. I record it on my DVR so that I don't have to work out so darned early and can fast foward through commercials. I like it because he has a sense of humor and it feels like a real yoga studio workout. Beats the price of yoga membership, which can really add up.
My neighborhood has a bicycle co-op where we all meet to put together bikes with spare parts or repair an existing bike. We also build bikes for neighborhood kids. Biking around the neighborhood is eco friendly and a great workout!
running, hiking
thanks for the tip of yoga on tv! i should see if i have oxygen network (i just moved to a place that has tv and i haven't even touched it yet.. lol).
Haha. I don't think that having cable tv and a dvr is cheap, but I guess if you already have them then it's not an added cost. I've been starting to run outside, jumping rope, and doing push-ups and sit-ups. No costs involved, apart from the 6 euro jump rope.
Running! There's nothing that will whip you into shape faster or cheaper.
Online yoga and other workout videos. Some are better than others obviously. I like yogayak and sparkpeople. I also borrow workout dvd's from my sister and grab any good one's I see at garage sales. I'd like to check out that yoga on Oxygen, but we don't have cable.
I also like walking, hiking, and riding my bike (both to do errands around town and for fun on trails). I was able to get my bike for $20 last summer. I wish we had a bike coop!
sometimes you can find cheap gym memberships depending on where you are & if you do some research. i just joined one and because i paid for 2 years up front it worked out to be around $11 a month. it's totally worth it & includes alot of free classes.
Online yoga and other workout videos. Some are better than others obviously. I like yogayak and sparkpeople.
Thanks! I've never tapped into online yoga before.
running, hiking
thanks for the tip of yoga on tv! i should see if i have oxygen network (i just moved to a place that has tv and i haven't even touched it yet.. lol).
As I understand it, the Oxygen network is on standard cable, as it's not hyper popular. It's kind of like Lifetime.
Running! There's nothing that will whip you into shape faster or cheaper.
I agree! Running is a great cheap workout. Doctor forbade me from running about two years ago, but I can still bike, which unfortunately is more expensive. I also have to wear a heart monitor, and those things are darned expensive too! :'(
Walking at a good clip. For city folks, it's easier than running. Oh, some people run here, just not many because depending on where you live, the pavements are too crowded with people shuffling along in no hurry. And usually mined with dog feces.
Walking is free, it gets me out of the house, and I see stuff. Cars, trees, shopwindows, people.
I tried the gym thing and was bored out of my skull in 3 months. Gyms here aren't very good anyway. Often the machines aren't actually plugged in, or they are in poor condition. The owner usually blasts top 40 music way too loud (and our top 40 stations are more commercials than music anyway).
If you can't run for medical reasons, you can walk. That's why I do.
Yoga is good.
i've lost almost 50 pounds in the last couple years, and only started going to the gym last spring. i'm a huge workout tape junkie and credit mari windsors pilates with the resistance band, denise austins shrink your female fat zones, AND her yoga body burn as key at home workouts. i also cut out soda, only have a few drinks during the workweek, and RARELY get takeout or convenience foods. i lost the last 15 pounds over the last year by joining snap fitness. the membership is 25 a month after my health insurance discount. my goal is 30-50 minutes of cardio 3 days a week, and using tapes 2-3 days a week i only work 4 days a week so i do tapes on my days off, and either double up and add the cardio with the tapes, or do it in the a.m. before work. my lower half has gone from a size 17 (target jeans) to a size 8. its f*cking awesome. .building the extra muscle really shrunk me in fast! i'm still a little pear shaped and squishy, but i have nice shoulder/arm definition. all the more i want to do is continue to tighten my butt/thighs. but, now my new gripe is when people ask how i lost the weight, and then i tell them how, and they get pissed and scoff "well, thats not easy or quick"
also: go to the library, rent workout dvd's, have a friend rip them to their computer, and then burn you a copy. >:D
i've lost almost 50 pounds in the last couple years, and only started going to the gym last spring. i'm a huge workout tape junkie and credit mari windsors pilates with the resistance band, denise austins shrink your female fat zones, AND her yoga body burn as key at home workouts. i also cut out soda, only have a few drinks during the workweek, and RARELY get takeout or convenience foods. i lost the last 15 pounds over the last year by joining snap fitness. the membership is 25 a month after my health insurance discount. my goal is 30-50 minutes of cardio 3 days a week, and using tapes 2-3 days a week i only work 4 days a week so i do tapes on my days off, and either double up and add the cardio with the tapes, or do it in the a.m. before work. my lower half has gone from a size 17 (target jeans) to a size 8. its f*cking awesome. .building the extra muscle really shrunk me in fast! i'm still a little pear shaped and squishy, but i have nice shoulder/arm definition. all the more i want to do is continue to tighten my butt/thighs. but, now my new gripe is when people ask how i lost the weight, and then i tell them how, and they get pissed and scoff "well, thats not easy or quick"
Congrats to you, that is amazing! That's for the workout DVD recommendations.
Walk. And then walk a little more. And while you're at it, take another walk!
We live in a small town, so walking is pleasant, quiet, and a good de-stressor for me (much like anyone else's workouts, I suppose). We're also fortunate enough to have a few forest preserves nearby with rolling terrain, so walking there can be a little more exciting than walking on the (mostly) even sidewalks in town. My tax dollars are going toward these places, so may as well take advantage of these little pockets of beauty!
I don't "work out", I just stay away from the TV as much as possible. Between that and a healthier diet I easily shed my unwanted 15 pounds.
And veggiewedgie... congrats on the weight loss! I know a few people who have approached weight loss with your method, and they are so much healthier--and happier--for having done so.
My favorite online yoga is actually on youtube...search "Sadie Nardini" and there are a few different 45-minute-or-so routines, for multiple levels. Free and definitely my favorite online/dvd yoga instructor.
Cycling, walking, running, jogging, hiking, swimming, join the YMCA for super-cheap, play with kids, play with your dogs, do house work, run through a sprinkler, play soccer, play frisbee, beach volleyball, horseback riding, rearrange the furniture, take the stairs, hoola-hoop, skipping, skate-boarding, roller derby, go bowling, yoga in the park, pilates...