Let’s face it, the gym is expensive and once you sign up, you rarely go as many times you say you will at the time! The downside of the gym is also that once you sign on the dotted line for that year’s membership, you’re stuck paying the monthly fee until the year is up. There is no getting out of it!
The next time you decide you need to get fit, weigh your options (no pun intended). There are many positive things happening in the world of bodybuilding steroids, nutritional supplements, and gym-less workouts. So if you’re thinking about whether you should head down to that air conditioned sweat box they call a gym, be a little clever and think about the exercises you can do much cheaper, and sometimes even free
Walking
This sounds ridiculously easy, and it is, so much so that people often forget it’s an option! Simply leave the car at home and walk to work. This will get your heart rate up, your blood pumping, and you’ll be fitter before you know it.
Swimming
Head down to the swimming baths on a Sunday morning, or before work, and splash around to your heart’s content. This isn’t going to cost the earth and swimming is one of the best overall body exercises you can do.
Jogging
Grab a friend, grab a bottle of water, and head to the local park. If you don’t have a willing friend then turn the iPod up to maximum and head out yourself. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel after a lungful of fresh air before work or at the weekend.
Exercise DVD
You’ll no doubt find countless New Year workout DVDs featuring your favourite Z list celebrity in the bargain bin, so take advantage of it. Close the curtains if you don’t want the neighbours watching you do your squats and lunges!
Head out with the kids
If you have kids make a Sunday afternoon a bit of time where you head out and play a game together, such as rounders or cricket. This has the benefits of keeping you fit, being totally fun, and it is also a great bonding exercise to do with your children, and the neighbours too if you can get them involved!
These are just five suggestions, but it goes to show that you don’t have to pay a huge amount of money every month to head down to the gym and run on the treadmills or the cross trainer. The same kind of exercises can be done extremely cheaply, and a lot of the time you’re going to get out into the fresh air, which has to be better for you than air con!
