The worst part of New Years and it’s many resolutions is that in coincides with winter. While we all swear to get fit and go out on a daily jog come January, the frosty chill does zero for motivation. To combat this, the gym may seem like the best method to get fit and simultaneously stay warm. However, it doesn’t do your bank account any favours. To help you reach your goals without the risk of frostbite or hefty prices, we look into other low cost fitness tips.
Related: Four Cheap Ways to Get Fit
1. Exercise DVDs
Don’t feel like leaving the house? No need. There are tons of exercise DVDs that have been proven to tone your body. Davina or Joe Wicks have made popular and effective DVDs. Prefer digital to hard copies? You can pick them up on iTunes and Google Play as well.
2. YouTube
Would you rather try a workout before you buy the DVD or download? There are many workouts that are accessible for free through YouTube. FitnessBlender and Popsugar Fitness are good channels to look at.
3. At-Home Yoga
Fancy free at-home yoga? Head to doyogawithme.com to stream easy-to-follow guides. Or just read this guide of poses.
4. Aerobics
Aerobics, also known as cardiovascular exercise, is guaranteed to help you improve your fitness. You can do this at home by running up the stairs or skipping. See example exercises here.
5. Fitness Apps
There are so many apps to help you exercise at home and many are free. Good examples include Seven, which is an app that sets you a seven-minute workout each day. Techradar has a list of their favourite fitness apps here.
6. Stand and Work
This is one to try at the office or when you’re working at home. Standing desk sales have soared in recent years. Some people prefer them to standard desks because they help you burn calories and protect your posture – something sitting at a desk all day is notoriously bad for.
7. Take the stairs
At work or in shopping centres, opt for the stairs instead of lifts or escalators. Every little helps.
8. Spring Clean
According to Shape, rearranging your wardrobe can burn roughly 85 calories and redecorating for just 30 minutes can burn around 167 calories. Chances are your attic or garage need cleaning out; now’s the time.
9. Family Games
A scavenger hunt or a game of hide and seek will keep you and your family active and walking around the house. It also provides some bonding time.
Related: 12 Free Father-Daughter Activities to Keep You Fit
10. Tech Friendly Games
If you want to enhance your games with technology, you could try a dance mat or some of the games on a Wii fit or Xbox Kinect, like tennis or aerobics.
11. Dancing
You don’t need a dance mat to dance. Get some tunes going and throw some shapes in your kitchen while preparing dinner or doing the pots.
12. Attend the Gym on A Pay as You Go Basis
Paying as you go could be a low cost fitness solution to heavy membership fees. Paying around £5-15 per class lets you go to the gym on a more realistic and cost-friendly basis. Plus, in January, many gyms are running free trials before you join, so it’s a good opportunity to see if it’s something you think you’ll stick to.
13. Corporate Gyms
Don’t want to pay for the gym? Find out if your employer has its own gym, or will pay for your membership! No? The New Year is a good time to switch up your career. Find companies that offer free gyms here.
14. Running
Despite it being the time you’ll want to run the least, according to Shape, cold weather actually makes it easier to run, which is why many marathons are held in October and November.
15. Football
You can create your own makeshift football pitch on a field for free, just grab a few friends and something to mark the goal posts.
16. Ice Skating
According to Best Health Mag, the average woman burns 387 calories per hour of ice skating. If you’re into ice skating, it’s around £10 on average for a skating session with hired skates.
17. Cricket
Similarly to football, you can play cricket on any field, even in your back garden. Granted, you have to have the right equipment, though.
18. Community Projects
Not the sporty type? Get involved with the community and meet new people. Do-it.org has lots of volunteering opportunities that are active, such as handy jobs, walking assistance or building opportunities.
19. Skipping
A skipping rope is possibly the most low cost fitness investment you can make. You can do this outside or at home. Just pick an uncluttered place with high ceilings.
20. Stretches
The easiest low cost fitness tip is stretches. Simply do a few stretches on your carpet to help you improve flexibility and avoid injuries when you exercise. See example stretches here.
21. Swimming
According to Active, ‘a 130-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour will burn 590 calories swimming fast and 413 calories swimming slower.’ You could try swimming in your nearest high school’s pool, as some let the general public in at certain times for less than gym prices.
Good luck getting fit!
