Fitness Friday: Free and Cheap Exercise
Today I took my handsome boy to get a haircut before school starts next week. Can I just say again that I’m in complete and utter shock that school starts next week? I know I said that in my last post. But I feel the urge to say it again. It seems like only a few weeks ago I was telling you how this was going to be “the best summer ever.”
Anyhoo, the hairstylist made some sort of comment about a pinched nerve in her arm and not being able to exercise because of it.
Pardon me, hair girl…did you just say “exercise?”
That’s all ammo Fitness Friday girl needed to start talking all things fitness. She shared with me her experience of meeting with a personal trainer at the gym. A personal trainer whose main agenda was to sell her supplements and protein shake mix to the tune of $45 per month. A personal trainer who was oblivious to the fact that this single mom works two jobs to support her son and doesn’t have $45 in the monthly budget to spend on supplements. A personal trainer who pretty much convinced this woman that unless she took the supplements, her weight loss efforts were worthless.
Worthless? Are you kidding me? Even if the personal trainer didn’t actually say “worthless,” this poor lady walked away feeling that way. That simply isn’t true.
Bad information and personal agendas make Fitness Friday Girl angry. GRRRRRR….No person should walk away from a personal trainer appointment and feel hopeless or worthless. So I am here to speak to all people on a really tight budget who want to be healthy:
Hear Ye, Hear Ye! You do NOT need to spend a fortune on supplements , expensive equipment or gym memberships to be fit.
I do not work out at a gym. Over the last 20 years, I’ve accumulated some exercise equipment I use at home. We have some nice stuff now, but a lot of those years I used inexpensive or free ways to work out.
Here are a few things you can do to work your body from head to toe with no exercise equipment:
Free Exercise Moves:
1. Walking. It is completely free and it is one of the best cardio workouts you can do. It’s easy on your joints, it’s easily adaptable to any fitness level, and it can be done year round (if you can stand the changing weather). If your neighborhood isn’t safe, find a nice park. For me, walking in a park is almost a religious experience. The smells, the sounds…awesome.
2.Riding your bike. Assuming you have a bike. If you don’t, then never mind. Because buying a bike would negate the “free” part of exercise.
3.Every day opportunities to move: Gardening, heavy housework, dancing in the kitchen with your kids. Some of those are more enjoyable than others, but all are absolutely free.
4.Jumping jacks and running in place. Just like walking, but you don’t have to go outside.
5.Push-ups. Great for upper body strength, working biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders. These also can easily be modified for different fitness levels. Beginners can do them against a wall. Then on the knees. And finally a full push up. All you need is a wall. And some knees.
6.Tricep dips. All you need for these is a chair. Hopefully, you have one of these somewhere in your house. If not, just do a push up. And before you spend a cent on excercise equipment, please go buy some chairs.
7.Crunches and sit-ups. My son heard on an infomercial that “crunches are obsolete.” He likes to tell me that when I’m working out, which really blesses me. Apparently he’s been duped into believing I need the Ab Roller Plus or something. Not true. The basic crunch and the full sit up are excellent ways to achieve ab strength.
8.Squats and lunges. These are great for legs, hips and glutes. Or as my kids like to say, “your buttom” (because I forbid them to use the word “butt” and “bottom” sounds too baby-ish)
Speaking of “buttoms,” I fell down the steps last week when we were looking at new houses! Turns out that hard wood steps and my silver flip flop are NOT a good mix. Our realtor actually had to catch me as I came tumbling down, screaming. Yes, screaming. Did I mention I was also wearing a skirt? I wasn’t at all embarrassed. (lying). Anyway, I have a bruise on my “buttom” like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s so huge (the bruise…I meant the BRUISE) you can see it through certain clothes. How’s THAT for a little infomercial!!
If you have a little room in your budget, I would suggest you start with some hand weights and a good exercise DVD. If you do a little digging, you can find these things cheap! Check this out!
Basic Exercise Equipment for under $20:
At Walmart you can buy this set of weights ranging from $2.77 to $12.77.
At Target, for $8.99, you can buy this set of 5 lb weights. For 10.99, you can buy a set of 8 lb weights or $14.99 for 10 lb weights.
Also at Walmart, you can buy a good jump rope for $13.77. Have you tried to jump rope lately? Like, any time since you were ten-years-old? Talk about a good cardio work out!
At Amazon.com, you can buy the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred DVD for as low as $5.79(Dude, this DVD will kick your “buttom.”) Or The Biggest Loser Cardio Max for as low as $7.20. Or the Cindy Crawford Next Challenge Work Out DVD for as low as $8.10.
(FYI, I bought the Cindy Crawford video back in 1993 and still use it! It is an hour long, works every area of your body and is very challenging. However, it is perfect for beginners because it demonstrates the correct form for all the exercises. All you need is a small set of hand weights, or if you are a beginner, you can perform the entire routine with no weights.)
At Walmart you can buy The Firm Yoga DVD with a yoga mat for $16.77
It’s wise to invest in a good pair of exercise shoes—and that will cost at least $40 in a store. I did find a website called Deal Time that had shoes as low as $6. I don’t know if they are made from cardboard or what, but if you are on a budget, it’s worth a shot. Alternatively, if you are just starting out and you are on a tight budget, just wear comfortable shoes with a flexible sole. You don’t need any shoes to do yoga.
Look for second-hand equipment. People are always getting rid of their work out stuff. Check garage sales, Craig’s List, and EBay.
Absolutely no effort to get healthy or fit is worthless. One of my favorite fitness mantras is “something is better than nothing.” A little exercise is better than no exercise. A little healthy food is better than no healthy food. So next time on Fitness Friday, we’re going to talk about eating healthy food on the cheap.
Do you have any good tips on free or cheap exercise? Have you gotten a really good deal on second-hand equipment? Tell me about it!
To leave a comment, click on the word “comment” below. If you don’t have a Google account, you can click “Anonymous” and follow the prompts. Just remember to leave your name in the post so I know who you are. Unless you want to tell me about some illegal way you got some exercise equipment. Then you better stay anonymous. Because the Blog Police always read my blog looking for Tread Mill thieves.
Thanks for such great ideas sweetie.
You are so funny….
If you like jump rope workouts, skipping techniques and of course jump ropes we have them at duvide Jumpropes
Great post, Sandy!
Sparkpeople.com has a channel on youtube with free fitness workouts. You can find the 30-day Shred on youtube too.
For those of us who have very limited space, resistance bands are an inexpensive tool!
YAY!
Fitness Friday is awesome 😉
I don't work out at a gym either – and honestly, I think I do better working out at home or outside or something rather than a fitness club. Also, I get the Cooking Light magazine and it always has a series of at-home workouts in it – targeting specific areas – and I add that to my daily workouts to change things up a bit 🙂
You inspire me 🙂
Have a lovely weekend!
-Kate
Anther reason to love you; you are a flip-flop girl like me and I have been known to fall down the stairs. As a kid, that's why my mom sent me to dance classes. She thought I'd be a klutz my whole life. The dance helped but occasionally I still trip too.
I linked to you today. I was late in getting my fitness Friday post up though. I never sleep late but… and I forgot to schedule my post to publish. Go figure.
Anyhoo, I posted the best gazpacho recipe on this earth. So, you MUST check it out. Love you and still praying about your manuscript.
Amen sister!!! I do have a membership at the Y from my husband's work, but I mainly do it all from home! I haven't been to the gym in over 3 weeks, but I have worked out Monday-Friday of every week from home. You gave so much good info!
I went garage saleing with my mom a few weeks ago and have a great cheap exercise equipment story…
Last stop of the hot morning, babies fussy and hungry, but crazy ladies must stop. 2 pieces of equipment for sale, recumbent bike and stair master, $40 a piece. Mom looks around a bit (shopping for a recumbent because of recent knee surgery). I'm nursing a baby. 2 year old watching a DVD… we know how to roll! Anyway, she comes back and says they'll take $40 for both, they're too hot to run the sale anymore and just want to get rid of the stuff. My PT personality kicks in gear and goes and checks it out. Definitely a must have on the recumbent, she doesn't need a stair master, though. With husbands climbing a mountain that weekend and 2 little ones with us we had no way to get in home. Seeing how serious we were about buying the equipment the lady says I'll sell you the bike for $20 and if you take the stair master off our hands, too, my husband will deliver it them to your house for only a $10 delivery fee. SOLD!!! Less than a week later my mom sold the stair master on Craigslist for $40… she has her recumbent bike for physical therapy, plus $10 in her pocket for next weeks garage sales!!!
I use the Shred level 3 and alternate with Cardio Max level 1 six days a week. I feel like I am no longer seeing results – just maintaining. I wonder if I would benefit from the Yoga DVD you mention. I have "issues" and shouldn't do high impact stuff.
What would the yoga do for me?
Melanie@Bella~Mella
Great post! How great that you were able to share free ways to workout. There's always pressure to buy that certain something on TV to help you get fit.
Sorry to hear you fell down the stairs. I did that a few years back, but the ones I fell down were cement and I broke my elbow into 4 pieces.
Melanie:
It’s amazing you do level 3 of the Shred and can’t do high impact.
Do you modify?
It’s definitely time to change it up, if you aren’t seeing results any longer. I personally don’t do that yoga DVD, but I do know the Firm puts out a good product and threw it in my recommendations for variety. As far as how it will benefit you…yoga is low impact and will increase flexibility and strength and is fantastic for stress release. There is very little (probably no) cardio benefit, so if you add yoga, be sure to still do something that works your cardio vascular system.
Sandy
Just wanted to share a fitness tip with you. It's called fit deck and there web site is http://www.fitdeck.com
Basically for 14.99 you can buy a set of fifty cards in a plastic box. Each card has an exercise on it.
There are many different set's of cards. There is one for the playground, one for mom's with strollers, body weight exercises,cards all about stretching, etc…
The two I use the most are the stretch and the body weight.
I keep them in my purse and when I have a few extra mintues I can pull them out, choose a card or two and do the exercises on them.
Great way to sneak in a workout.
Micha
How freaking awesome! I’m a little jealous now