Often times when people think about obtaining a certain level of physical fitness they think they need the latest sports equipment and gadgets, or at the very least, an expensive gym membership. The following tips show how you can exercise financial fitness without compromising your physical fitness:

• Utilize the space you have and transform your garage or spare room into a small workout area
• Buy multi-use equipment if your budget allows:
  • Resistance Bands
  • Dumbbells
  • Jump Rope
  • Step
  • Exercise Ball
• Shop second-hand stores or local online postings to find lightly used fitness equipment at a fraction of the cost
• Incorporate body weight exercises that do not require special equipment to perform such as squats, lunges, pushups, and planks
• Find workout videos that can be done at home and don’t require any special equipment or large amounts of space
• Search for social media posts containing inspirational at-home workouts
• Go outside! The outdoors are an incredible resource due to the unlimited possibilities for aerobic activity and bodyweight strength exercises
• Get creative! Grab household items such as milk jugs, soup cans, or even your children to use as weights
• Sign up for a fun sports league with some friends in your area (ie volleyball, kickball, ultimate Frisbee, basketball, etc)
• Find some stairs outdoors and do laps up and down
• Bike for transportation to save money on gas and get some exercise in!

Exercising on a Budget

Gym Memberships

• Be picky! Don’t settle for the gyms that charge hundreds of dollars a month for memberships that include amenities you don’t need or use
• Find a gym that has all of the basic equipment that you need while maintaining a low cost per month (ie some gyms offer $10/month memberships)
• Price compare a local community fitness center with local gyms (community centers tend to be cheaper and family oriented)
• Check to see if your employer has a fitness center onsite that can be utilized for free before, during, or after work
• If you are active military, a teacher, or a healthcare worker, check to see if any gyms in your area offer discounted memberships

Family Activities for FREE!

• Engaging your family in physical activity is a great benefit to your health journey
• Go on bike rides in your neighborhood or local trails
• Walk to your local park (maybe perform a few pull ups on the monkey bars)
• Play tag in the backyard (whoever loses has to do 10 situps)
• If you live near a public beach, spend a day swimming and jumping over waves
• Go on walks around block to get some steps in (if poor weather head to a local supermarket or mall to do some laps)