With the economy being in such a precarious and delicate state its hardly surprising that the number of people signing up for gym memberships has declined rapidly in the last few years.
There are many reasons for this change. Primarily its because people just don’t have enough money as they used to have, nor the time to actually make the trip to a gym a regular occurrence.
However there’s no reason to quit your quest to stay fit, there are still plenty of ways to work out for free without having to use a treadmill or consult a sweaty instructor for their advice. Simply Sweat has listed ten ways that you can stay fit without having to spend a penny.
1. Take a nice, long walk
Any form of physical activity which increases your heart rate will burn calories. Infact if you walked for 25 minutes and weigh around twelve stones then you will burn off 300 calories. Repeat this process every day of the week and you’ll burn off over 2,000 calories (nearly half a stone!)
Many may perceive this method as ‘too easy’ to be taken seriously, however studies have shown that you can burn off just as many calories per mile by walking as you can by running in a similar time frame.
Anybody can do it; it doesn’t cost you anything, and above all it contributes significantly to overall physical fitness.
2. Running
Certainly one of the more ‘popular’ ways of getting fit, running remains one of the easiest ways of gaining physical exercise, and the only thing you need in order to do it is a comfortable pair of shoes.
The best way to start is by running for five minutes around the block or creating a specific route, and as you become more confident in yourself you can make the route longer. However, try to avoid making this move too early as it can cause injury.
Local clubs often put on ‘fun runs’ or half marathons which you can try to work towards. Its a huge motivational factor and you’ll get a huge sense of satisfaction out of it.
Not only will this increase fitness, but it will also enhance your endurance and allow you to run for longer periods.
3. Swimming
Arguably this is the best way to keep fit as swimming strengthens all the muscles and its virtually impossible to pick up any injuries. Obviously to do it for free you will need a beach within close proximity or know a person who has their own pool.
Likewise to running you need to start slow, pace yourself and build up to bigger distances and time frames progressively. It’s a fantastic fitness booster, you get fresh air,and at the same time relaxes and strengthens all your muscles.
4. Cycling
After purchasing a bike (assuming you don’t have one) this activity is virtually free, the risk of injury is very low provided you wear a safety helmet, and you have the opportunity to visit some beautiful places which you may not have otherwise seen.
You don’t have to be a Lance Armstrong or an Alberto Contador (winners of the Tour de France). If you want to physically challenge yourself, enjoy some of the local scenery and improve your physical endurance and fitness levels then Cycling is certainly a good place to start.
If you did just one of these activities every day for a week then over time your fitness will definitely improve, and if your wanting to lose weight then you will undoubtedly shed some pounds if you stick to a fixed program.
5. Circuit Training
This method sounds daunting and perhaps a little extreme, but doing many activities in the space of just a few minutes will undoubtedly benefit you in terms of fitness.
Circuits consist of ‘stations’ where these various activities are placed and you literally go from one to the other where you spend an allotted amount of time. You could include squat thrusts, star jumps, press ups, sit ups and dumb bell raises for an all round selection of fitness enhancing programs.
Carrying this out twice a day will get your heart racing which will burn off calories quickly and improve overall fitness. Put in place a program that suits you and start off slowly, gradually build up confidence and self esteem which will then enable you to put in place more stations and be able to perform them for longer periods.
6. Walk the dog
This sounds so simple and wouldn’t particularly strike you as something that may improve fitness, but aswell as the dog getting exercise, you are too!
If you don’t have a dog then offer to walk someone else’s. This way you may be able to make money at the same time as staying healthy. Dogs need to be walked on occasions three times a day and therefore you will get a considerable amount of exercise while also doing something the animal enjoys.
You can pick your own route; walk for as long as you like and choose the times to do it. It’s a great way to increase your fitness without really realising it!
7. Aerobics
In this age of accessible technology and convenience, more and more people are increasingly turning to DVD workout sessions in order to lose weight and stay fit. Celebrities on regular occasions promote these discs on Television and on the Internet in the hope of inspiring others to follow their regime.
The Nintendo Wii has quickly become a legitimate way in which to lose weight as some of the games are designed in such a way that the user must stretch their body parts and be physically active in order for the console to react.
The ‘sports’ game, which has become one of the most popular of its kind was the subject of a study by students at Liverpool John Moore’s University some time ago and they concluded that if somebody were to use the console for 12 hours a week then an individual could potentially lose 27lb, equivalent to nearly two stones.
Admittedly a Wii does cost money, but if you already have the console and the disc then don’t ignore it, whip it out and give it a go..the results may surprise you.
8. Not using the easy option!
By this we mean get off the bus a stop earlier, use bags of sugar and pasta as weights and run up the stairs instead of walk. All these things add up and you may lose more weight than you initially thought.
In addition don’t use the remote control to change the TV channel, change it at the screen. Don’t take the car to get a pint of milk and a newspaper, take a walk. When you’re in town don’t use a trolley, use a basket as this will provide a great work out for your arm muscles.
Although these things sound too simple, its often the basic ideas that get the best results. Think before you do something, and ask yourself whether you can change what your doing to burn an extra few calories.
9. Take the kids to the park
If you’re a parent you will know only too well that the little ones have an awful lot of energy and at times need to burn off their enthusiasm. Taking them to the park for a kick around or a push on the swings will not only wear them out, but you will be getting some fresh air and exercise at the same time.
Making this a regular occurrence will help you enormously if you’re trying to get fit and lose some weight, and you’ll be able to spend time with the kids at the same time.
10. Clean the house
I know what the men are thinking. Oh no, manual labour.. and admittedly it doesn’t sound particularly appealing. However don’t write it off just yet!
Cleaning your house vigorously from top to bottom once a week will increase the heart rate, you’ll build up a sweat and burn off calories very quickly. Presuming you do this four times a month it will contribute massively in your quest to stay fit.
So put down the television remote, tell the wife (or girlfriend) to relax, pick up a duster and start cleaning!
These are just ten ways in which you can lose weight for free but obviously there are many more, and all will come in handy if you’re on a quest to lose some weight and get fit.
Good luck!
