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.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Walk

Walking is a lot easier on your body than jogging or running, and if you have been out of the gym for awhile, walking is an excellent place to start. Walking is also a great cardiovascular exercise, and should not be looked at as an inferior workout to either jogging or running. Try to keep a steady brisk walk, and this is a great way for you to burn calories and lose weight.

Focus on walking correctly, get good comfortable shoes, breathe correctly, and work your way up to speed walking. If you have ever had a knee injury, you might want to stick to walking until you have fully recovered from your injury. Never feel like you have to go faster than what your body is ready for, or capable of.

With any other workout that you do, walking is also a great cool down.

Jog

If you like a short and intense workout, jogging might just be for you. Jogging takes less time for the same calorie burn and cardiovascular benefits compared to walking. Be sure that you have great shoes, and that you are jogging correctly. Jogging can be really hard on the knees and shins if you jog “wrong”, jog for a prolonged amount of time, or even if you didn’t properly stretch before or after your workout. Something important to also keep in mind, is to breathe correctly. It is important that you breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. If you need help practicing this, try walking until you can get the hang of things.

Run

Most people who say then went “running” actually went “jogging” instead.  Running is faster than jogging, and if you are on pace to finish a mile in less than 9 minutes, you are “running”. Just like walking and jogging, running is a great cardiovascular exercise, but takes much faster to burn the same amount of calories as it does for walking or jogging. Just know that this is an intense workout, and not for those just trying to get back to the gym. This is something you should work up to, but you don’t have to reach this point.

Which one is for me?

Do what is best for your body. Because I have had a knee injury in the past, I am not pushing myself to run, and I even limit the amount of jogging that I do. Am I depriving myself of anything? No. Whether you walk, jog, or run,  you are having a cardiovascular workout, burning calories, and getting a great exercise in. As long as you are properly warmed up and prepared, whether you walk for an hour, jog for 15 minutes, or run for 3 minutes, your body will thank you.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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