Free Workouts You Can Do At Home

Want to stay healthy and wealthy?  Getting in shape for free or very little investment is not only possible, it’s easy.  Forget the, the luxury spa, the, even the.  You can get your daily workout, have fun doing it, and save your money for other necessities.  Do at least a couple of hours of moderate aerobic exercise weekly to improve stamina, plus three 30-minute sessions of exercises to build strength and flexibility.  If you use these fitness ideas, the only ongoing health expense you’ll have left is your.

10,000 Steps to Fitness

Your journey to getting fit for less money begins with a single step. Raise your heart rate by incorporating into your daily life.  The only investment that might e required is a pair of comfortable and sturdy shoes, and perhaps a step counter if you’d like to keep track of your progress.  Start by adding walking to your daily activities, such as walking to work, parking further from your destinations, taking your dog out for walks, doing errands on foot and spending your breaks from work or school doing laps around the neighbourhood. As you get more fit, add a 30-minute walk with family or friends.  Gradually extend the walk to one hour and make it more challenging by adding some hill-climbing.  Your ultimate goal is to walk 10,000 steps, or nearly eight kilometres, every day.

Home Exercise

Rather than spend money on classes or memberships, consider adopting a home exercise program.  Start your morning with a series of yoga stretches, including some more challenging positions (such as plank pose and downward-facing dog) if you’re already a yoga fan.  While stretching, inhale deeply, filling your belly and chest, and exhale completely.  The deep breathing delivers oxygen to your bloodstream, improves your concentration and can reduce stress.

For aerobic exercise, put on fast-paced music and clean the house vigorously, incorporating deep squats, bending, climbing stairs, lifting furniture, sweeping briskly and stretching to reach high places.  Get out to the garden for some intensive weeding, digging and hauling.  Finish your session with some quick fat-burning by bursting into dance, doing some jumping jacks, hitting the floor for or skipping rope.  Cool down by marching in place and doing some overhead stretches.

Outdoor Exercise

When the weather is pleasant (or even when it isn’t!), take advantage of your surroundings and get a free workout.  Do laps around a neighbourhood park, or check out an urban district by breezing by the boutiques, cafes and galleries.  For an intense boot camp-style workout, run the stairs at a stadium or amphitheater; or, improve your dexterity and burn fat by setting up an obstacle course that involves climbing, jumping, running and crawling through the equipment at the neighbourhood playground.  You could also join a social group centred around hiking, or pick-up games of basketball, softball or football.

The only challenge with do-it-yourself exercise programs is making sure you stick with them.  Build in motivation to keep exercising by setting short-term goals.  Measure your steps on a pedometer and record the total number in a journal or date book, then try to gradually increase this number.  Aim to add more minutes or more intensity to your workout every week.  Invite friends and family to join you on your quest to get in shape for free, too – an exercise buddy is one of the greatest motivators.

Author Bio:

This article is by Serena, a frugal health and fitness blogger who knows all about how to make great healthy food, and get fit on the cheap.