Exercising on a Budget

If you can purchase healthy food on a budget using math and food smarts, then it stands to reason that you can also exercise on a budget if you exercise that big muscle of grey matter in between your ears.

It can be a challenge, but if you love a good puzzle then put your brains to work and you can find lots of frugal ways to exercise.

#1. Walk

Easiest and simplest way to exercise. Don't even need shoes, although if walking in the winter you should probably wear boots.

An one hour walk every day, walking 5 km, for a person weighing 200 lbs burns 371 calories. Do that every day for 100 days and you will burn approx. 10.6 lbs of fat. Over the course of a year that is 38.6 lbs.

And the more weight you lose the faster you will go. By the end of the year you will be walking closer to 6 or 7 km in an hour.

#2. Special Offers

Many personal trainers, gyms, yoga studios and bootcamps offer free trials or low cost trial options, anywhere from a free session, to one week or a free month at the gym. Local deal finders such as Toronto Groupon, Meetup Groups for Toronto, Living Social and Daily Deal Finder regularly offer fitness related savings.

#3. Hire a Personal Trainer who fits your Budget

If you can afford $35 per month for a personal trainer, then you can afford a private personal trainer. Its that easy. (Me for example, if you live in Toronto.)

If you try to hire a personal trainer in a gym it will be $80 to $90 per hour, but you can get one session per month with a private trainer for a lot less. (Gyms charge a lot of money for people to hire their personal trainers, and the trainer themselves often are only paid $20 per hour or less.)

You don't have to be a celebrity these days to hire a personal trainer. Anyone can afford them.

And when you consider a gym membership is $70 to $100 per month, plus parking and equipment, having a trainer and then training in your home or condo or beach or park is way cheaper. And the trainer provides all the equipment during sessions.

#4. Body Weight Exercises

If you explore my Frugal Exercises posts you will find no shortage of cheap and easy exercises you can do that use your body weight instead.

Thus even without a gym it is still possible to get into great shape by using your own body resistance. Exercises like push ups, squats and running up and down your stairs will get you fit really quickly.

#5. Outdoor Activities

Walking isn't the only activity you can do outside. Running, cycling, rollerblading, swimming, ice skating and even tennis will get you great results. Toronto has plenty of free tennis courts and ice rinks you can take advantage of. Tennis racquets can get expensive, but you can buy a new barely used one on Craigslist if you shop smart. I got my tennis racquet when someone in my building left it behind when they moved. Cost? Nothing!

#6. Abandoned Exercise Equipment

Honestly some people just throw this stuff out. You can also find stuff on Craigslist (and barter to get a better price sometimes by offering $5 less than what they are asking). You can ask around amongst friends or family if they have any equipment they aren't using. Easy.

#7. A Home Gym

Getting your own home gym doesn't have to cost a lot. A couple dumbbells, free weights, a mat and stability ball will do the job nicely. A skipping rope or football can be used for a variety of frugal exercises. If the equipment is always there, just put on some music and get to work!

#8. Make your Own Equipment!

Honestly, you can make your own dumbbells. It just requires you to be ingenious about your building methods.