With warmer weather sneaking in for the odd day and a great summer of sports ahead, many people are getting inspired by their favourite athletes and focusing on their fitness as the summer months approach. But with some gym memberships pricey to say the least, how can you improve your fitness without blowing your budget?
Turn your run into a zombie escape
It takes a lot of dedication to pound the streets day after day to improve your fitness. Spice up your regular routes and give your exercise a new and very important purpose with Zombies, Run!. The app is available for both iPhone and Android smartphones, and turns your runs and walks into a zombie escape mission. If you’re not sold on that alone, its 200+ missions are completely free, too!
Check out other free ways to run
If the threat of a zombie apocalypse isn’t enough to get you into your running gear, then why not try another free running app?
Map My Run have a great website and mobile apps to help you pick out routes (or create your own). You can also track your activity, and share your progress with friends and fellow runners to keep up your motivation.
For total beginners, the Public Health and BBC endorsed Couch to 5k app comes with celebrity “trainers” like Jo Whiley and Sarah Millican to help you off the sofa. The app helps you build up to running for 30 minutes straight over 9 weeks. Go on, pet!
Follow fitness Youtubers for a PT experience without the pricetag
Lots of fitness pros have Youtube channels posting workout tutorial videos and healthy recipe ideas that you can follow and take part in from the comfort of your own living room. You might need to invest in some equipment, like a set of weights, to get the most out of it, but this initial outlay is likely to be more cost effective than a gym membership. And, let’s face it, what beats being able to work out in your PJs?!
Our favourites for action-packed, full body workouts are The Body Coach, The Lean Machines, and BeFit. If power-sets of burpees aren’t your thing, though, Yoga with Adriene and Pop Pilates by Blogilates both offer loads of yoga and pilates based workouts to help your fitness without getting quite so intense.
Get fit for free in the park
Summer weather that is both warm and dry can be a bit scarce in the UK. But if a miracle does happen, or if you’re made of sterner stuff than to let a bit of cold or wet put you off, then why not try out a free fitness class in the park? Our Parks is a London-based group offering yoga, bootcamps, dance fit and many more sessions across the city. There’s something for everyone and at all fitness levels. These type of initiatives take place all over the UK, so check out your local area for something similar if you think this is for you!
Related: Low cost fitness tips to get you through the cold weather
Go for a good, old-fashioned walk
You really don’t need to go to special effort to improve your fitness. If you’ve got decent weather, comfy shoes to hand, and a bit of time, keep it simple and get outside for a walk to stretch your legs! Get a good playlist going and use it as time to unwind and forget the day’s stresses. For a change of scenery, you could head out to a nearby country park to soak up some of wildlife as you stroll. Invite friends along to tie your walk together with an opportunity for a good catch-up.
If you’re lucky enough to live near, or are holidaying to one of the UK’s fantastic national parks, there are plenty of organised and self-guided walks. With a variety of distances and levels of challenge for you to have a go at, you can change it up all the time. Check out the tourist information website for where you’re planning to visit for inspiration!
The real beauty of walking is that you can do it literally anywhere, just head outdoors and off you go. There isn’t a simpler, more cost efficient way to improve your fitness.
Pick up more tips on the ways you can cut everyday costs and enjoy life without it being expensive with Good Vibes Life Hacks.
How will you get fit this summer? Let us know in the comments!
