There are numerous ways of getting fit without the expense of gym membership or home exercise equipment. In fact some of the most popular activities people engage in do not require any special equipment at all or the expense of a gym membership. I will present various ways to get fit that are practical, cheap and require little equipment in this article.

One of the easiest ways to get fit is to use your activity as a form of transport.

If you are going shopping park the car a few blocks away and walk or run there, then you can carry your shopping back to the car. You can walk or jog to school, work or a friends place and back home.

At home, doing the housework can be good exercise:
- vacuuming
- mowing the lawn
- raking and sweeping
- cleaning the gutters
- weeding and other gardening
- posting the mail (walk/jog to and from the post box)
- hang out and bring in the washing instead of using a tumble dryer
- do the dishes by hand
- walk the family pet
- washing the car
- rearrange the positions of some furniture regularly (heavy lifting)

At work or school:
- walk there or back
- walk/jog in your lunch break
- stretch after you have been sitting down for long periods of time
- play lunchtime sports
- take the stairs instead of the lift/elevator
- instead of calling or emailing someone in the same building (or even street) as you work, walk to their office
- organize a walking meeting
- get involved at a local school working bee

More ideas:
- bodyweight exercises at home such as push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups
- stretching
- using heavy objects that you have at home as weights (be careful)
- while watching television do some exercise in the add-breaks such as yoga, stretching or skipping
- borrow equipment from a friend
- borrow exercise books or DVD's from you library
- family activities play in the backyard or local park
- swimming if you have a local pool or beach

These are just some of the ideas you might like to try, walking and jogging are certainly very practical and effective but you may prefer some of the other exercises shown. If you do want to spend some money on exercise equipment, buying second hand equipment greatly reduces the cost. Cheap items such as a skipping rope, tennis ball, barbells, medicine ball, yoga mat or gym ball are good value for the fitness you can develop by using them. Use what equipment you already have to get fit and enjoy your exercise.

Learn more about this author, Jack Brooks.
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