Are you still making excuses that you can’t go to the gym because it’s too expensive? Or can’t afford a new bike to exercise?
Be afraid, be very afraid, because you’re about to encounter some simple, cost-effective, ideas for you to work out on your own at home or somewhere outside. So no more excuses for not getting into shape!
- Do some running in the park. Before we had nice gyms and indoor tracks, we ran outside — everywhere. In fact, a book called Born to Run talks about how humans were designed to run long distances, and run barefoot. So no more excuses that you can only run on a treadmill. Besides, the impact of running on grass is less than on a treadmill or an indoor track. A hard outdoor surface like asphalt is a no-no for your joints.
- Get a pull-up bar. For roughly $30 you can get the Iron Gym (affiliate link) — an all-in-one pull-up, chin-up, and dip bar with multiple grip positions. It fits into place above any solid door frame in your house, and it’s removable. It’s quite an amazing device. You can even use it as a push-up bar.
- Try body-weight exercises. Remember gym class? Yes that’s right; push-ups, sit-ups, dips on outdoor railings, squats, lunges and more. There are so many body weight exercises and variations to combine for a great workout.
- Borrow a yoga or workout DVD set. Ever since Tae Bo, fitness gurus have been releasing DVD sets for you to work out at home and get in killer shape. Try DVD sets like PX-90 and Insanity to get your body into excellent shape. If you want to try yoga DVDs, all you’ll need is a yoga mat or carpeted area, and some blankets for propping up.
- Buy a used bike. We’re not talking about a high-class road bike or mountain bike here, just something inexpensive to get your heart pumping while riding on the streets of your town. You may even be able to find a bike at The Salvation Army or Goodwill.
- Buy used weights from Craigslist. People are always moving or need extra cash and Craigslist is the place to go for low-cost used workout equipment. A set of dumbbells, a small barbell set, and a cheap exercise bike for indoors is all you need for a good all-around regimen.
- Take advantage of YouTube exercises and workouts. There are tons of free videos on YouTube giving away basic exercise tips to complete workouts for free, and many of them can be done right in your own home, or even outside in a park. One of the best I found was a 10-minute high intensity cardio workout by Yuri Elkaim (Canada) that could be done in less than 10 square feet of real estate. I thought my lungs were going to jump out of my throat when I was done. Click here for the link.
- Use resistance bands. I didn’t know about these until I found a great circuit workout using resistance bands on YouTube by another Canadian workout instructor, Mike Roulston, from Mode Athletics. You can buy a set of basic resistance bands at one weight for less than $20. However if you are serious about working out with them, it’s better to invest in a full set with multiple weights and tensions. You can easily workout your entire body with a set of resistance bands and get a fantastic workout! You can checkout Mike’s resistance bands workout here.
- Make your own weights. If you’re really strapped for cash, take some spare plastic bottles and fill them with dirt or sand to make your own weights.
- Barter. If you’ve got a friend who’s a yoga instructor or personal trainer, then you can barter something you’re skilled at to learn those hidden secrets from a master of the art of fitness.
A recap and some final tips
- As always, you can negotiate some great deals if you buy used equipment; this more than makes up for what you paid in gym fees.
- No matter how little or how much you spend on your equipment, if you don’t use it, you’ll never see the results.
- The key to getting fit in the shortest amount of time is consistency and intensity.
- Make a budget that fits into your personal financial planning routine.
- Let’s not forget how much you can save on doctor bills and medications by simply getting in shape and staying healthy and fit over the long-term.
Now go forth with your new money saving knowledge and get fit on the cheap.
About the Author
David Hamilton (aka FPT Guy) is owner and author of Financial Planning Tips, where you can find sensible information on personal finance for the average guy or gal.
Photo Credit: Amy Selleck
Great tips. I’ve used spare plastic bottles as weights for years.
To go along with your YouTube suggestion, iTunes has a lot of great work out ideas you can download podcasts for free, from yoga to running to weight training.
I know that using canned foods was a common replacement for making your own weights. They are easy to hold on to, pretty small and work just fine. I second the YouTube idea as well. You can learn so much on YouTube, it’s not just for entertainment.
Thanks for the inspiration and the advice. Need it. Want to get on the $30 elliptical bought at a garage sale this summer. Saw a guy selling a whole home gym. Also thought of the yoga and stretching shows on public television that I have been meaning to try. Cheers
If you already have Netflix (money already spent) you can also access lots of workout videos there as well.
Pick-up basketball is my favorite low cost option. Although, my joints are getting pretty old and creaky and figure I got about 2 years left in me (at best) before I fall apart completely.
I play twice a week and hobble around the rest of the week trying to recover.
Don’t forget that those bartering transactions are taxable.
~ Your Friendly IRS Agent
11. Walk as often and as much as you can. I have found that walking a lot keeps me in shape even when I am not doing much formal exercising.
I do need to work out more and walking in the park when it’s no longer 100 degrees outside sounds like a good idea.
Good list, preached fitness for years, (and practiced it).
The key is consistency, just like with saving money!
Walking is free too! My Dad started walking 6 miles per day when he was 50. He’s 82 now and we have no idea where he is.
Yeah, that would definitely do it!
Ha ha Len – nice. Maybe if you start walking you’ll run into him? Getting fit and finding your father – that’s two in one!
The best advice I ever got about keeping fit was to “move more and eat less”. It has always worked for me when I did just that.
Also, you can sign up for PE classes at the local community college. $20 for 16 weeks, not bad compared to a gym.
If you have stairs in your house, you can use that too. Climbing stairs is a good way to tone down the thighs.
Aside from running in the park, I guess walking a dog or just merely walking with someone else is a good thing also while doing some little talk. We are in a time where we cannot almost do anything without money but it doesn’t mean that because we don’t have money, we cannot get fit and be healthy. There are still many things we could do, we just need discover and find what alternative is best for us.
Great list! I’ve tried many of these. A few more things I’ve done are working out at the community center, donation yoga classes, take public transportation, the 7 minute workout app, etc.
These are great tips – there really is no reason to pay a high-priced gym membership when you can get fit yourself for next to nothing.
Thanks for sharing – I’ve found free yoga videos online too, they can be found easily on Google. There are plenty of ways to exercise for free or little cost. Jogging is probably one of the best for fitness and cheapness too!
Just yesterday I jogged to a local trail and did a full bodyweight workout on the exercise stations they have along the trail – pushups, pullups, chinups, dips, sprints. I’m feeling it today. Besides the great workout what’s nice is I don’t have to pay any money for it (and I bring my son along too).
Thanks for such an informative post. As I’m not a gym guy, found this that more interesting and important. I always prefer brisk walking. I also skip 5 rounds a day, each round having 100 skips. It takes me one hour a day but it’s a good time spent as that gives me energy for the entire day. Along with it I also take lemon juice mixed with raw honey in the morning and that helps me a lot too.
There is nothing like body weight exercises. I like to think I am in good shape, but even 15 minutes of jumping rope and burpees does the trick.
Great detailed article!
You can get a working bike for next to nothing at the end of a yard sale. Sometimes they will charge as little as five dollars rather than put it back in the garage. You can pick up a decent used bike on trash day in nice neighborhoods. The tires may be flat or there might be a little wear, but perfectly serviceable used bikes are put out for the trash every week in middle and upper middle class towns. I pick up at least one usable bike and one or more bikes needing work on the curb every week. The bikes are given to a friend whose work place is in the ghetto. The men in his shop work on them during their lunch hours to get the bicycles needing help on the road. They give the repaired bikes to children who have sperm donors instead of fathers to provide for them. There’s always more children in need than bikes (They’re in one of America’s ten worst cities.), but the working men at that shop supply a steady stream of usable bicycles to children who would not have a bike without them.