As winter fades, many people start thinking about going outside and getting into better shape to wear away some of the extra weight they put on during the winter. Plus, they want look as good as possible for summer events, such as weddings, vacations and trips to the beach.
Although diet is the main part of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, exercise is also vital in making sure that your metabolism stays high, your body is toned and you have plenty of energy to deal with the day’s tasks. Plus, it can feel pretty good.
The only problem is that exercise can often feel like an expensive part of your life. Gym memberships are costly, as are home exercise videos and exercise equipment.
The key thing to remember, however, is that there are many options for getting fit that cost virtually nothing at all. Here are five of the best options out there.
[See: 10 Frugal Activities to Get You Out of the House This Winter.]
1. Body weight fitness progression. This exercise technique is all about finding clever ways to use the weight of your body to build strength over time by doing very simple exercises, such as planking and leg lifts, and gradually making them more intense and challenging by altering the starting position and the motion. These simple exercises go from actions that virtually anyone could do to exercises that strain world-class athletes. And you can do them all at home with no equipment.
You can find some great body weight fitness progression routines from this useful wiki and from NerdFitness.com.
2. Rucking. Do you remember when you were in school and carried a bunch of books in your backpack to your classes or to the library? That simple activity actually did quite a lot to improve your physical fitness. It’s called rucking, and it’s essentially the same activity that the armed forces use in training soldiers in boot camp by making them march with full backpacks in order to improve their cardio and strength.
It’s easy. Just take an old backpack and fill it with an old textbook or some water bottles. Don’t make it too heavy — shoot for 5 or 10 pounds at the start and add more as you get used to it. Then simply go for a brisk walk. The extra weight on your back forces you into a good posture while you’re moving and also drastically ramps up the calorie burn, bringing you from an easy exercise to one that’s moderate to intense, depending on your pace, the incline of your path and the weight in your pack. All you need is a backpack and something heavy to pull it off.
[Read: How Managing Your Finances Is Like Losing Weight.]
3. Playing a sport. This is a great way to get in shape with others — just go play a sport with them. Do something as simple as shooting baskets or playing catch, then gradually move up to more intense sports, such as playing full games of basketball, soccer or Ultimate Frisbee. The goal is to exert yourself regularly but not kill yourself, then gradually build on that exertion to get better at it at the same time as your friends.
All you need for this are a few like-minded friends and perhaps one piece of equipment, like a soccer ball, which you likely have in your garage or can pick up at a yard sale for a dollar or two.
4. Hiking. This is like the idea of rucking above, except that it’s focused on getting into the great outdoors by walking on trails in state and national parks (or going off-trail once you’re more experienced). The simple act of walking along a trail requires more exertion than walking along a sidewalk, and you’re very likely to experience lots of inclines and declines, which will further add to the fitness benefits.
As with rucking, all you need is an old backpack, but in this case it’s just for taking along essentials like a water bottle, GPS device and first-aid kit, so that you can handle whatever comes your way when you’re out on the trails.
[See: 10 Foolproof Ways to Reach Your Money Goals.]
5. Varied daily exercise routines. There are many different cardio and body weight exercises out there, but if you keep doing the same ones over and over, they can begin to feel kind of repetitive. The best way to maximize the value of these exercises is to keep mixing them up to keep them from being boring while also changing up the parts of your body that are receiving attention.
One great way to do this is to dig into a daily varied routine. Many online sources offer these — they’re simply exercise routines you can do at home without any additional equipment, and the sites post a new one each day for you to do. The daily routine from Darebee is particularly good for its variety and varying levels of impact.
Best of luck in whatever you choose to do to get into better shape.
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