by Brooke Lorren

Created on: April 03, 2010

We all know that being active and getting enough exercise can help us stay healthy; however, many of us don’t get the amount of exercise that we need.  One excuse that some people use to avoid exercise is that they don’t have enough money to afford a gym membership.  While going to a gym does allow you access to classes and specialized equipment, you don’t have to have a gym membership to get into shape.  There are many ways that you can incorporate exercise into your life, without paying for a gym membership.  Some of them are absolutely free.

Free Fitness

There are many things that you can do to get into shape that don’t cost anything.  One of the easiest ways to exercise is to walk.  Chances are, there is a good place in your neighborhood that you can walk.  You might be able to walk near your home, or you might have to drive to a nearby park.  If you have an mp3 player, you can listen to music, or even books on tape, to ease boredom.  If walking is not enough of a challenge, you can pick up the pace and jog or run.

You can build up your muscles without paying a dime as well.  Sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and lunges can be tough at first, but they build up muscle and burn calories.  If you don’t have enough money to buy dumbbells, you can still lift weights; use cans of soup in place of light weights, and jugs of water in place of heavier weights.

If you have a computer, you even have access to free workout videos.  Sparkpeople on YouTube has several 10 minute exercise videos that you can do, all for free.

Inexpensive Fitness

If you have a little bit of money, you can invest it in a few small pieces of equipment or in a few videos in order to make getting exercise a little more interesting.  While you don’t have to buy these items to exercise, it might be worth it if it keeps you interested in fitness.  You can add to your collection over time as you continue to work out.

You may want to invest in a couple sets of hand weights.  Lightweight dumbbells can be purchased for a few dollars each.  Heavier weights cost more, but you do not need heavy weights to stay fit.  Hand weights can be used for a variety of exercises.

Exercise videos can also be inexpensive.  You don’t need to spend a lot of money buying the latest video.  You might be able to find a good exercise video (or even a set of videos) on eBay for less than you would pay at the store.  Over time, you might want to purchase a few videos, so you can rotate them and make exercising more interesting.

You may want to buy other pieces of exercise equipment as you continue in your quest for fitness.  Yoga mats, stability balls, and steps are all useful, but you can purchase them over time, as your budget allows.

You may want to consider investing in a bicycle for fitness.  You may already have a bike, otherwise, you can purchase an inexpensive bike at Wal-Mart or even from somebody in your neighborhood through Craig’s List.  Cycling is something that you can do alone or with your family members.  If you live close to work, you could even save money (and the environment) by bicycling to work, at least on nice days.

Even if you have no money to spend on exercise, you can still get into shape.  While spending money could result in a more fun or intense workout, it is not necessary to get the amount of exercise that you need to maintain a good level of health.

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