by May Monten

Created on: October 24, 2010   Last Updated: October 25, 2010

Exercising at home with work-out videos is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to get a healthy amount of exercise.  You can save even more money by using the tips below.

Many people who use exercise videos tend to get bored, after a while, with the videos that they have, and they'll want to try new ones.  When adding new videos to add to a collection, you can keep your expenses way down by looking for bargains - and bargains, in exercise videos, are plentiful.  Try some of the following:

* Buy exercise videos used

Amazon, eBay and half.com are all good online sources of used exercise videos.  Offline, check out garage sales and thrift stores for great bargains.

* Trade

The videofitness.com forums have an active video exchange program, where members can post videos they don't want any more and trade them for ones that they do.  You need to be registered to participate, but it's free.  While you're there, check out the rest of the forums, which contain a wealth of encouragement and information, and the main area of the site, which has outstanding exercise-video reviews.

* Do you still have a VCR?

If you still have a VCR, you can find incredible bargains in used VHS exercise tapes.  They should be selling for almost nothing at garage sales and thrift stores.

* Check your library

Some library systems have a good selection of exercise videos.  Consider yourself lucky if your local library does, because this is a great way to try out many different videos without having to spend a dime.  This is probably the best way to get exercise videos for free.

See if your library lets you reserve videos from other branches and have them delivered for pick-up to yours.  Some library systems will do this, others won't.  If your library does, then this will open up the exercise collection of your entire library system to you, and that can be substantial.

Many libraries have also recently started online digital media sections, where you can download ebooks, music, and movies at home.  If your library has such a service, check there for exercise videos, which they are likely to have.  You can play them on your computer or on various portable devices.

* Netflix

 If you're a Netflix member, not only can you watch movies, but you can also get exercise videos

*  Online videos

There are online exercise videos available for free on sites such as YouTube, but, in my experience, most are not very good.  Often they are not complete routines, but teasers for longer routines that are for sale.  I've had better luck with demandfitness.com, a for-pay site.  While it's not super-cheap ($15/month or $100/year) the quality of the instructors is outstanding, and if you use it often, you can save money compared to buying an entire library of DVDs.

 * On TV

Exercise programs are broadcast on PBS and on cable.  If you have a DVR, you can tape and save them, in effect creating your own workout videos.

Some cable systems have an entire channel devoted to exercise.  But even if your cable system doesn't carry such a channel, check out the video-on-demand section anyway.  There may be a selection of free "on demand" exercise videos there. You might have to hunt a bit, as they can be buried pretty far down in the menus.

By using the ideas above, you can keep on refreshing your video collection without having to bust your budget.  Cheap or free exercise videos can help you get your body thin - and your wallet fat.

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