To join a health club these days costs a lot of money. Of course if you go 4 times a week then the cost of each session is actually quite cheap but how many of the members does this apply too? In fact I know of a number of people who have a gym membership of this type and only go to the club once per year. That makes for one hell of an expensive workout.
In a previous posting we talked about What Grandma Knew and also going Back to Basics. If you read those then you’ll find lots of ideas for staying fit for very little if any expenditure. if you didn’t then here are my 5 top tips for staying in shape for FREE.
1. Walk more - any journey of less than 1/2 mile should be walked. You wont lose much time and you’ll reduce your carbon footprint, save fuel, burn calories, get a short burst of fresh air and take 1 car off the road. Imagine if everyone did that every day! Even if you do take the car, have you ever worked out how much of your life you are wasting by driving around looking for a parking space near the door. Park further away and use your legs; that’s what they were designed for. And then leave the closer parking bays for those drivers who really need them!
2. Get an allotment - This is a double whammy. Manual labour is probably more beneficial for your fitness as working out in the gym, except that you don’t usually quit after an hour. You work until the job is done. And the other benefit is that you can grow your own vegetables, saving more money. In fact if you eat your own veg then an added bonus is that you can eat healthily as well.
3. Ditch the remote control - and all other labour saving devices. Every time you get off your a**e to change channel or to answer the phone you are burning calories. OK it may only be 1 or 2 but it is the cumulative effect of that which is making you fat. You have to reverse the process somewhere, so start with the simple things.
4. Workout with the family - Its not just the adults who are getting fatter. If you are a parent then you have a responsibility to teach your children good habits. These include eating healthy food and taking regular exercise. don’t take the easy option and send them to the local football club on their own. Take the initiative and start a bit of parental bonding by; playing football with them in the park, walking together in the country or bike riding. There are lost of things that don’t cost a penny. You just have to use a little imagination.
5. Get a dog - Now before you say "yes but you have to buy one of those" there are many dog refuge’s and kennels where you can drop in and take a dog for a walk. Dogs need to walk and they love to play. Taking a dog for a walk twice a day will make a massive difference to your fitness as well as someone who will provide you with hours of fun. Lots of my running mates have dogs as their training partners, because they never moan about the weather or getting up early to exercise
As I said before, staying in shape doesn’t have to be difficult. Just start with the easy activities on a regular basis and be consistent. Simple!
Please let me know how you get on!
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