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Lets face it, gym memberships are pricey. There is no wonder many people think you can't get into shape with out dishing out big bucks. Truth is, you don't have to spend anything if you really can't afford it. I have never had a gym membership before, but since I grew up as a gymnast I've had fitness carved into my brain at a very young age. I have found countless ways to stay in shape with out a fancy gym membership or equipment.

If your budget is so tight you can't breath, but you want to shed pounds and shape up, you can! Some of my "ideas" might sound strange or stupid, but they work!
Take advantage of what you have.

A list of things you can use that are found in most homes:
* Canned vegetables, or other foods (use these as weights)
* Rope (tie a can to the bottom and a stick to the top and you have a generic MrWrister, you can also use it by itself as a jump rope)
* Tennis shoes (walk, run, jump... It's endless)
* Comfortable clothing (obvious)
* A chair (sit sideways, lean back, then back to sitting position and you've done a Romanian crunch! These are more effective than regular crunches, too! Place hands on seat while in a plank position to do inverted push ups)
* A carpeted room (no need for fancy gym mats for stretching and floor exercises, carpet will work fine!)
* A bed (if you don't have carpet in your house, use the bed!)
* Pets (take fluffy for a walk or jog. Play in the yard. They'll love it!)
* Kids (No doubt they have endless energy, so take advantage of it and run around with them!)
* The neighbors (walk to your friends' homes to say "hi!", offer to help with some yard work for them or help watch the kids, plan a day at the park)
* The street outside your house (go for a run, walk, jog or bike ride)

Other things you can do:
* Clean (cleaning burns a lot more calories than you would think!
* Yard work (raking is a great upper body work out)
* Play (you won't know how hard you're working when you're having fun!)

Learn more about this author, Melinda Ralph.
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