You can get fit without spending money to do so. people love to spend money on fitness because they think it will help them get into shape. In fact, we spend billions of dollars a year on exercise DVD's, diet books, diet products, and gym memberships. Well, it doesn't need to be this way.

The basic formula for getting fit and losing weight is to burn more calories than you take in. This means that getting fit is little more than moving your body and eating the right foods. Moving your body is the primary way you get fit because the exercises that you do condition you body by increasing stamina and endurance and building muscle. And despite popular thought, you can do the effective workouts you need to reach your goals without spending additional money.

CARDIO FOR FREE

You don't need to spend money to do your cardiovascular training. There are plenty of fun and free workouts that you can do. The main goal is to work hard enough so that you feel the benefits. This means that you'll need to elevate your heart rate to the optimum zone. You can monitor this by taking your pulse throughout your workout or wearing a heart rate monitor.

Here are some free cardio activities you can do:

* Go for a walk or a run. You can do this in your neighborhood, at the local park, at your community track, the beach or anywhere you want! You can also go hiking.

* Dance around the house. This is an excellent cardiovascular workout that also tones the entire body.

* Run up and down flights of stairs. You can do this in your office building, on bleachers, or even in your home.

* Find free workout routines online. Places like shape.com and self.com have free workouts and slide shows.

FREEBIE STRENGTH TRAINING

Just like cardiovascular training, strength training is also essential. But essential doesn't mean expensive. You can also do this for free. You can use your own body weight for resistance and perform exercises such as push ups, squats, and sit ups. You can also use things like heavy rocks and even kitchen items such as soup cans, milk jugs, and filled water bottles to perform strength exercises such as bicep curls and shoulder presses. You can follow any free weight workout you can find and just use these improvised items as the weights.

BUT YOU DO NEED GOOD SNEAKERS

Yes, it is good to do workouts that don't cost any money. However, there is at least one thing that you should spend money on - a pair of fitness sneakers that is appropriate to the type of activity you do. For example, if you decide to take up running, you'll want to be outfitted with a good shoe. Otherwise, you could be setting yourself up for injury and a lot of hassle and pain down the line. There's just no getting around the necessity of a good pair of shoes.

In other words, as long as you have a great pair of sneakers, you can get fit without spending any money.

Learn more about this author, Katherine Huether.
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