Trimming the Fat -
Ditching the Gym Membership and Getting Fit at Home
By Laura Backes
In today’s economy, many of us have had to streamline costs and cut back on spending. One of the first things to go? The gym membership. But just because you’re not paying for the gym doesn’t mean you can’t still stay in shape! There are several easy ways to keep up your fitness levels up without paying that monthly fee.
Trimming The Fat & Ditching The Gym Has Never Been Easier!
1. Take your cardio outdoors
You don’t have to give up cardio just because you can’t hit the treadmills or the group cycling classes at the gym. Lace up your shoes and hit the pavement! Whether you’re running, biking, or power-walking, getting your heart pumping is as easy as opening the front door and putting one foot in front of the other. Try doing sprints from light post to light post, tacking on mileage, taking the dog with you, or biking places instead of driving – the possibilities are endless for creative cardio without the gym.
2. Utilize the Playground
It’s not just for your kids! The playground has a wealth of fitness tools just waiting to be uncovered. Park benches can easily be used for tricep dips, park bench push-ups, and step ups. Monkey bars can be turned into pull up bars. Swings are a great way to get in some leg and core work. And running sprints with your kids (Frisbee, anyone?) is a fun way for everyone to get involved.
3. Invest in hand weights and workout DVDs
You can pick up free weights for pretty cheap at just about any store that sells sporting goods, and workout DVDs generally fall into the $10 range, making working out at home a snap. It’s an easy way to recreate the group exercise feel without paying a hefty fee, plus a lot of workout DVDs offer more than one workout so you can change up the routine regularly. Get your friends involved too and you can swap DVDs when you start to get bored.
4. Jump rope
Remember when you were a kid and jumping rope was easy? I’d be willing to bet that if you tried now it wouldn’t come so effortlessly. A jump rope is an ideal way to get in some cardio and torch calories. This kid-friendly activity allows you to get your heart rate up and work your whole body – plus it is undeniably portable – you can take a jump rope with you just about anywhere!
5. Go back to the basics
Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, planks, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, lunges – there’s a reason everyone does them… they work! And because you can do all of these exercises with no equipment, it is an ideal way to get in total body strength training at home by using your own body weight as resistance.
Just because you’ve ditched the gym doesn’t mean you have to ditch exercise. Following tricks like these allow you to save a little money and still stay lean and sculpted. Sometimes you just have to get a little creative… and be willing to get a few weird glances at the park as you count out reps on the park bench.
Author Bio:
This is a guest post from Laura Backes, she enjoys writing about all kinds of subjects and also topics related to internet service in my area. You can reach her at: laurabackes8 @ gmail.com.
