How to get fit on a budget

Do you have any tips on how to get fit for free? Or do you think splurging on a fancy gym membership is worth the investment? :running_woman:

Use a bike rather than a car

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Download Zombies Run and go for an evening jog through the parkā€¦Zombie sounds will soon make you start picking up your pace!!

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Use car less. Walk to places, use public transport (which also involves walking).

Think about whether you are able to commit to doing something at home. Resistance bands are amazing pieces of equipment you can work out your whole body. No need for a gym membership

Spend half the money youā€™d spend on a gym membership improving your diet.

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Thatā€™s a disappointingly London-centric blog post!

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Fitness costs nothing. Use natural transport methods, run/cycle regularly and play sports. If you want to build strength, do kalisthenics instead of signing up to a gym.

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Cant believe that parkrun hasnā€™t been mentioned.

ā€œparkrun organise free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.ā€

Here are the events available every Saturday at 9AM

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Again, like @thomastte surprised Parkrun isnā€™t mentioned, they are fantastic (disclosure, I helped put their National Lottery funding in place in a previous job) itā€™s free, amazing community feel, and the opportunity to volunteer.

Other good ways, try some of the free fitness apps. Nike Training Club is great, no fee to use the app or any of the training plans on there.

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I think thereā€™s a lot you can do at home without equipment and without a gym membership.
Basic callisthenics and walking/jogging are pretty much all you need. Get off the tube a stop or 2 early and walk the rest, do push-ups, crunches, lunges, etc at home in the evening. Download a free app like Nike Training Club and follow some of the equipment-free routines.

  1. Change your eating habits (diet = instant fail for most people). There are loads of methods.
  2. Buy protein powder in bulk from reputable discount online suppliers - it may cost you Ā£100 up front but over a month will actually be cheaper than buying food, also helps control portions.
  3. Stop eating after 19:00. Many poor eating habits happen in the evening. All you are allowed is water after 19:00.
  4. Exercise 4-5 times a week for no more than 45 minutes. One of the biggest failures comes from setting foolish objectives, donā€™t promise to hit the gym for 3 hours every other night - you will fail (for most people)
  5. Buy gym equipment for the home if you can afford it (and have room at home) for the most part gyms are total waste of time unless getting access to home equipment proves difficult or you enjoy classes etc. And the cost of the equipment will be recovered after a few months.
  6. Concentrate on building muscle over cardio if you want to stay trim. Cardio is great (and should be part of your workout a bit) but I think it is the workout equivalent of fast food, doesnā€™t really benefit you in the long run.
  7. No pain no gain is stupid - if you feel pain stop, if you feel muscle tired thatā€™s good. Also remember as you get stronger you get heavier, start packing on the muscle and that extra wait will hit your joints (e.g when running, so be careful).
  8. Forgive yourself, some days you will fail, some days you will skip, accept it and move on.
  9. DONā€™T GIVE UP. You will stumble, you will falter, but you will only fail if you give up.
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Can I have you as a Personal Trainer? :grinning:

Are you willing to commute to Preston? :stuck_out_tongue:

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Haha - years of trial and error, and injuries, and frustration and eventually building my knowledge and learning what works.

parkrun !!!

Itā€™s too cold there.

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Thatā€™s the least of worries :wink:

It really depends on your definition of ā€œfitā€, for some people itā€™s being thinner, for others itā€™s being strongerā€¦

And itā€™s relative to your current position. If youā€™re obese, you may consider doing the 7 minute workout challenge once a day every day, and youā€™ll get fit over time.

For others with better baseline fitness, this isnā€™t likely to make much difference, and indeed diet will make a greater overall impact on your health.

Generally speaking, you can get fit with very little equipment at all, you can build your strength with weights (cheap on amazon), or with a pull up bar. Go for runs when you can to build cardio and improve your vascular health.

I think thereā€™s a lot of dogma attached to spending upwards of Ā£100 a month on gym memberships, when all you need is motivation and willingness to get outside more.

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Agreed. But for me, it was learning what motivates me.

I will admit, Iā€™m a gym snob. I tried to cheaper gyms, but the lack ofā€¦ aesthetics, of towels, of a feeling somewhat of luxury meant I just didnā€™t go.

Outdoors and at home workouts donā€™t suit me because Iā€™m social - I like to do it with others around me (such as in a class).

So I do pay nearly Ā£100 a month for me gym but I go 4/5 times a week now. Because it makes me feel good, and I know I can relax in the sauna or spa afterwards, and I love the products they provide. Itā€™s all about knowing what you need to motivate yourself.

Plus, they iron my shirt in a morning while I workout and I hate ironing. Thatā€™s probably a bigger reason that I thought haha.

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What gym is this???

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Virgin Active.

They have a Collections Club in central London which is expensive but was the closest one to my work. I was previously paying Ā£129 a month for it.

Iā€™m moving jobs and the closest Virgin Active is a regular one, at Ā£96 a month, but it was one that they were going to make a Collection gym and fitted it all out, but then didnā€™t. It keeps the services on offer (like ironing of shirts in a morning) so itā€™s great.

https://www.virginactive.co.uk/clubs/strand

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