Let’s get down to it: we all want to be fit, right? But when you’re on a budget, finding the money to buy a gym membership is tough!
Not to mention how crushing it can be knowing that you didn’t get your money’s worth for the month at the gym. It’s like flushing money down the toilet!
Trust me: I’ve been there! But the good news is that you can do both: get fit AND do it without spending money.
Here you can find the tops ways to stop paying your gym and get fit for free!
So you’ve decided to do it. Today is the day that you start getting into shape.
Congratulations! It’s definitely important to maintain our physical health, not only our financial health.
However, it’s no secret that gyms are expensive. In fact, did you know that gyms set the price of their memberships based on people not even going? This study concluded that, based on how frequently people go to the gym compared to how much they spend on their membership, they could be saving 70% of their fees!
This also means that the argument that “If I don’t pay for the gym, I won’t exercise” isn’t true. After all, most people are paying way too much compared to how often they go!
So if most of us are overpaying for the gym and the fact that we’re paying doesn’t translate into actually exercising, perhaps we need to find a better way to get ourselves moving.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to get fit that are completely free! I don’t know about you, but if I can save money while saving my health, then this is definitely something that I can get behind.
Stop Paying Your Gym and Get Fit for Free
1. Start running
I recently achieved a personal goal of running a half-marathon. I absolutely did not break any speed records but hey, I did it! (Sorry about the not-so-humble brag.)
And who would have known that a bit over a year earlier, I couldn’t even run around the block! Seriously, I started wondering if there was something wrong with me. It turns out that when you spend an entire winter on the sofa, you become horrendously unfit. Who knew!
But I can attribute my newly found athletic prowess to one program.
Thousands of people online have had success by using this to learn how to run. And the best part is that it’s free!
It’s called Couch to 5K (or C25K) and consists of a very manageable run-walk plan. You start by running for 60 seconds then walking for 90 seconds. Each week has you running progressively more until, after nine weeks, you’re running for thirty minutes straight. It’s seriously amazing and I couldn’t recommend it more.
The full program can be seen here and a free app that provides you with voice prompts to “coach” you through each session can be found here (Android; iOS).
Starting to run can be difficult at first, but trust me when I say that this is the best program out there for making you run further and further at a level that you can certainly sustain.
2. Start getting strong
Plenty of people believe that you have to do weights to achieve muscle definition, but this is absolutely not the case.
In fact, building strength comes down to resistance training – and this resistance doesn’t have to come from dumbbells. Instead, your body can provide this for you completely free!
Unfortunately, body weight fitness exercises like yoga and pilates can be extremely expensive when done in a class. Before I gave myself a stern talking to, I used to pay $24 per one hour pilates class. Considering that we should all be doing strength exercises at least two days a week, that was about $200 per month if I did the absolute minimum.
Um, no.
Fortunately, there are a range of online options that are totally free and that you can do whenever you want – not only at the less-than-convenient times set by the gym.
For pilates, I highly recommend the videos on Blogilates. This website has hundreds of pilates routines targeting different body areas that can be as long as one hour or as quick as a five-minute session before work.
And considering she has almost four million YouTube subscribers, you’ll be joining a fitness revolution!
If, however, you prefer yoga, why not check out the most searched workout on Google for 2015.
Yoga with Adriene has all of the yoga routines that you could possibly want. Are you a total beginner or more advanced? Do you only have a few minutes free or want to take an hour or more to really get into the zone? Wherever you are on your yoga journey, the videos on this website will have you bending, stretching and balancing in no time – and no money!
3. Start a bit of everything
So you’ve really committed to getting fit, but want to work on your strength and endurance.
Or maybe you’re more advanced but are sick of giving money to your gym (ME TOO).
You may only have a 15-minute segment in which to exercise – or perhaps you have time for a 30 or 45-minute workout.
If you tick any of those boxes, then you really need to check out the Nike Training Club app (Android ; iOS).
It’s seriously amazing that this is free, with over 160 exercises at all levels. The workouts are well explained, can be personalized to your needs and are way less annoying (and FAR less expensive) than being stuck at the back of an aerobics class.
While the exercises can be hard work – as they’re meant to be! – this app is one of the few methods of exercise where I don’t find myself watching the clock. Trust me when I say that this is an achievement in itself.
So while working on your wealth, try to work on your health as well. And if you can do both at the same time, then why not give it a go!
Here are more ways to help you save money:
- How to Live on One Low Income
- The 3 Rules to Paying Off Debt Fast
- How To Save Money When You Can’t Afford It
- 10 Habits of Highly Frugal People
- 7 Ways to Still Date Your Spouse When Money is Tight
- How to Make Saving Money Easy
- 4 Tips for Getting Out of Debt on a Limited Budget
- How I Afford to be a Stay at Home Mom
- The Best Life Changing Books for Women
- Money Saving Hacks from an Extreme Cheapskate
- How to Save Money When You Live Paycheck-to-Paycheck
About the Author
As a teenager, Queen Money Bee asked for personal finance books for Christmas. While misguided haircuts came and went, she never managed to shake off her obsession with saving money. Now in her early 30s, her interests have broadened to include traveling, pretending that she doesn’t have a caffeine addiction, and retiring well before her 40th birthday.
Through her website, The Land of Milk and Money, she’s committed to showing you just how she’s accumulated a mid-six-figure investment portfolio by the age of 31 by helping you to save money, earn money, and make your money work for you.
Leave a Reply