Frugal Sunday - 40 Frugal Ways To Get Fit!

This week's frugal article is about getting fit. Enjoy learning how to get fit and save some dough!

40 Frugal Ways To Get Fit!

Written by Ashlynn Donaldson

Friday, 07 April 2006

"I can't get fit because I can't afford [pick one] the equipment, a trainer, a gym membership." "Can't afford to get fit" is one of the top excuses people give when asked why they don't exercise. That's about as logical as saying, "I can't drive because I can't afford a Mercedes." Here are 40 penny-wise ways to get fit: Walk. The benefits of walking are underrated. Almost everybody can do it. Most people walk 4,000 to 5,000 steps per day anyway. Aim to add more steps in your daily activities. Make sure to walk briskly to raise your heart rate to get the most benefit. But even a stroll through a shopping mall is better than shopping online. Buy a pedometer to help keep track of your steps. You can get one for about $10, but they come free in some breakfast cereal boxes. Take the stairs every chance you get, even if it's only one flight. Park farther away from work or from the front door wherever you go. Jog or run. Don't use your children as an excuse not to exercise. Take them along for a walk or run in a stroller, wagon, or on a bike. Buy a dog from the pound or borrow the neighbor's pooch. People who walk with dogs walk longer and more often than those who don't. Turn on your radio, CD player or MP3 and dance up a storm for 20 to 30 minutes in the privacy of your own home. Use your library card to check out all sorts of exercise videos or DVDs. Use the lowest stair or stairs in your home or outside and create your own step workout. A foot stool works too. Turn your canned goods into weights. A 5-pound bag of sugar weighs as much as a 5-pound weight. For a more challenging strength workout, pour sand or water into empty milk or bleach bottles to create weights. Grab a chair or the kitchen counter and do some push-ups, squats and leg lifts. Pair a favorite TV show with some sit-ups. Just hook your toes under the sofa. Take the treadmill/rowing machine/exercise bike hidden away in the basement or under a pile of laundry and move it in front of the TV. Thinking of buying a piece of equipment to work out on at home? Check the want ads and garage sales for a good deal. Pick up a ball or play tag with your kids. Clean your own house. Do your own yardwork. Wash the car. Call some friends for a pickup game of basketball. Throw a Frisbee. Pick up cheap, used sports equipment at second-hand sports and discount stores. Check with your community league or local rec center for any exercise classes, walking clubs or team sports you can join. Got rope? Jump it for a total body workout. Exercise with a friend. It will increase the chances you'll stick with your new activity. Dust off the bicycle. Swim. Laugh. Great big belly laughs. Every day. It's good for the soul as well as your abs. Carry around a computer bag or backpack weighted with 5 or 10 pounds of stuff for exercises like one-armed rows or squats you can do throughout the day. Buy a stability ball. They can cost as little as $10. Use it as an office chair at work. Balancing on a ball works your core muscles. Go for a walk or just stand by your workstation and stretch for 5 to 10 minutes every hour. Check out the company gym if you have one. There's a treadmill just waiting for you. Ask your employer for some free space. Send out an email to see if others are interested and bring in someone to teach a yoga or Pilates class on site once or twice a week. Split the cost. Organize a hockey, basketball or baseball game with the people you work with. Check with your boss or HR department to see if there's a program that will help pay for all or part of a gym membership. Find out if your local gym offers discounts. Go to open houses. That way you can try out classes at various fitness places before you join or sign up for a class. Sign up for a gym during peak sale periods, which usually occur after the holidays or just before summer. Paying $40 or $50 for a monthly gym membership may seem like a lot. But if you thrive in such a high-energy setting and actually do work out regularly, it "works out" to about $2 to $4 a visit if you go 3 to 6 days a week. Check if your health insurance company offers lower premiums to people who work out regularly or have a club membership. Call a trainer, tell him or her you're on a budget. See what they can provide for what you have to spend. Call a trainer and arrange a session for you and a couple of friends to split the cost. There are lots of sport drinks on the market. Water is still cheaper and will quench your thirst better. Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com

About The Author:
DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc. is a service company that provides health administrative services, access to prescription pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter (OTC) products predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase pharmaceuticals on-line. The company also sells pet medications to pet owners.