When you’re like me and you live in a small town, you can’t just drop everything and go to the gym… The closest gym to me is at least 45 minutes away, and gyms are expensive. When I began to realize that a gym wasn’t going to be my solution, I began to turn to exercise videos. They work for some people, but I honestly cannot bring myself to put a dvd in the Playstation every morning. Also, I realized that I got bored with the same routine, and was spending hundreds of dollars on dvds and random pieces of equipment that I was buying online or in a department store. And I wasn’t really using any of it. So, I decided that from now on if I wanted to get fit, I was going to get fit for free.
My birthday this year was a sort of turnaround for me. I realized that some major changes needed to happen, so that’s when I decided to start walking. Yes, walking. While you need good shoes, walking doesn’t require the most expensive shoes, and you probably, most likely, already have a good pair of shoes in your wardrobe anyhow, so it is definitely a way to get fit for free. Now, there are MILLIONS of articles out about how walking is good for you, but there is one in particular that I LOVE that will tell you how to get the most effective calorie burn while walking… Find it here.
If you’ve been around for a while, you already know that I love 30 day fitness challenges… The key to it though is to pick one or two and to really stick with them. I always start mine on the first of the month, that way I never get confused about what day I am on. I love the website that I linked because:
- You can get fit for free
- They have handy printouts
- They’ve already done the homework for you
- They include rest days
- Other people have reviewed these challenges, so you know if they’re worth your time.
There are literally hundreds of ways to get fit for free, and I promise you, we’re going to start discussing them here. My favorite is running, as you can imagine, but I am also looking now at some upper body exercises as well, so stay tuned as I start going over those with you.
Also, I cannot stress enough, document your fitness. I have started keeping a fat loss journal, that I write down what I eat daily, as well as how I’ve exercised, and twice a month I measure so that I can SEE the difference in my body instead of getting frustrated with a number on a scale.
The greatest thing to do when you’re trying to get fit for free is to find a workout buddy or an accountability partner that will help keep you on track. I have a friend that I walk with in the mornings, and if it weren’t for her, sometimes I’d be lazy and stay in bed. I also have a friend, my marathon buddy, who messages me several times a day to check in and see how many steps I’ve taken, how many miles I’ve ran, and sometimes what I’m eating… We keep each other on track, which is really important.
Talk to you all soon… And I hope you will all join me on a journey to get fit for free!
