Fitness on a Budget

You don’t need to have a lot of money to get into shape. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it! Here’s some fun ways you can exercise, without breaking the bank.

No Equipment Required

• Walk or Run – You don’t need any equipment,  just a good pair of running shoes. Want to burn extra calories? Run a marathon, or just train for one. The varied terrain, with hills and wind, allow for extra calorie burn when comparing to the indoor treadmill.

• Go old school. The Plank, Lunges, Jumping Jacks, and Push ups, for example, are equipment-free and effective ways to workout. Just because something is common, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work anymore!

• Take a dip in the Ocean. Swimming is a great way to workout, and swimming in the Ocean is free. Of course, my fear of sharks usually keeps me away from such a fantastic swim. I figure that there are plenty of other ways to workout.

Exercises with Inexpensive Equipment

• Workout Videos – Whether it be Dance, Yoga, or Taekwondo, there are plenty of workout DVDs out there to choose from. Workout DVD’s are great because you can exercise in the comfort of your own home, yet still get the benefit of having an instructor lead you through the exercises. Oh yeah, you can also press “pause” if needed!

• Stability Ball – You can get a full body workout with just a stability ball! You can get one for under $20, and you can get a fantastic body with this one piece of equipment.

• Frisbee – Chasing after a frisbee is a fun way to enjoy your inner child, and still get a great workout. I was able to go to my local grocery store and buy a frisbee for $1.00

• “Play Ball!” -You choose which sport you want to play, whether it’s basketball, baseball, soccer,  or football. With most of these sports, you can get away with just buying a ball. It’s all about getting with friends and having fun.

• Jump Rope – You can get a jump rope for cheap, and get a great cardiovascular work out in a decent amount of time. It’s also fun to challenge yourself with skipping the rope or jumping on one leg at a time.

Exercise for Free, or at a Discount!

•Get bored easily? Rather than buying workout DVD’s, why not borrow them from your local library? Once you are done with a workout DVD, you can move on to the next one.

•Free Trials. Gyms will often give potential clients a free trial to lure you in. If you are interested in getting free gym time, this might be something you should take advantage of. It may be a month or just a week long, but either way, it’s free.

•Bargain. If you decide to move forward with a membership at a gym, be sure to get a deep discount in the price. They may say that they can’t lower the price, but chances are, they can. And trust me, they would rather give you an amazing price at their gym, than lose you as a customer.

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Tags: bargain, basketball, Budget, dance, equipment, exercise, Fitness, football, Free, free trial, frisbee, gym, Jump rope, jumping jacks, low cost, lunges, marathon, plank, push ups, run, soccer, sports, stability ball, swimming, taekwondo, walk, workout DVD, Yoga

Just because it’s “Free”…

When “free” can be a bad thing

Just because something may be given to you for “free”, it doesn’t mean you should have it!

Every week I am offered doughnuts, muffins, pizza, Chinese food – the works! And yes, it is all “free’ to me. At first, I would eat all the “free” food I could get, because it was “free”, and I just couldn’t say “No” to it! Since someone already bought the food, I didnt want it to go to waste, so why not just eat it…it’s a free meal! Save on groceries, perhaps?

Then it all finally hit me.  I was eating unhealthy. Actually, I was eating really unhealthy on a regular basis, and I was gaining unnecessary weight.

The cost of “Free”

I finally realized that the cost of “free” wasn’t always worth it.  Just because it didn’t cost me financially, it was costing me my health! I am starting to realize that it’s OK to say “No” to all the “free” food, and move on.

Be Prepared!

The Holidays are coming up, and we all know what that means, right? People gain an average of 5-10 pounds of fat during the Holiday Season (so I have read and heard). That is overindulgence if you ask me!

So, how does everyone gain all that excess weight in such a short amount of time?

Everyone will give you a reason as to why you should try their special cookies, cakes, pies, etc. Everyone will say how much you “have to try it!”. Guess what? You don’t have to try anything! OK, so don’t be a snob about it, but kindly tell the person “Thank you, but…I can’t have it”. If someone keeps urging you, tell them you can’t have X, Y, or Z. If they continue to insist, tell them that you will get a bad reaction if you eat whatever it is that they are offering you (If it’s unhealthy food, you might gain weight, right?!). If they continue to persist,  they are obviously not respecting your wishes, and you need to move away from the conversation. Move on to other people whose primary focus isn’t on the food.

Again, just because it’s a family recipe, special occasion, or whatever the excuse may be – it doesn’t mean you have to give in to anything.

Think about it…

If you were deathly allergic to peanuts, and someone offered you something that contained peanuts, would you honestly eat it just to makesomeone else not feel bad? No! I take my health seriously, and I am sure you do too. Even thought I am not allergic…someone once offered me soda, and I politely declined their offer. That person insisted that I drink this soda. I told this person again that I don’t drink soda (well, I used to, but I haven’t for years now). I think this person might have been offended, but I am not going to lower my standards and risk my own health to make someone else feel better.

Be strong in your health beliefs, and stick to them – no matter what “free” desserts may come along your way!

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Tags: cakes, chinese food, Cookies, desserts, doughnut, excess food, Free, Healthy, holiday, holiday weight gain, Just Say No, muffin, pies, pizza, Skinny Tips & Quotes, soda, weight gain, Weight Loss

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