We all know them -- folks who spend a chunk of cash to join a health club and slowly stop using it but keep on paying membership fees. Or ther are folks who buy the exercise equipment du jour (rowing machines, elliptical trainers), use it for a few months and then turn it into an impromptu drying rack. Here's a penny-pinching news flash: You don't need to spend a lot of money to get fit. The important thing is to find some kind of exercise that you like to do and then do it regularly.
Exercise Exchange
If you love working out at a gym, using the equipment or the pool, and enjoy the opportunity it gives you to meet people but are alarmed by the cost (even the YMCAs and YWCAs are getting pricier these days), think about a work exchange. Can you teach an aerobics dance class? A stretching for seniors group? Beginning swimming for tadpoles? People who work at these places, even part time, get a significant discount on membership or can use the facilities free of charge! And if you expand your horizons to the parks and recreation departments of most cities, the classes you could teach are practically limitless (art, crafts, languages, mechanics and so forth). Check it out!
Walk the Walk
If an exercise exchange doesn't appeal to you, there's great news, penny pinchers! One of the best aerobic exercises is free and easy to do at any age: walking. Although higher-impact aerobics may burn more calories per hour, such exercises are often harder on the joints. Lots of people quit because of injuries incurred while running or doing step aerobics. Walking, on the other hand, can help keep you fit painlessly, if you follow some tips:
- Start at an easy pace, and set goals that are specific and attainable. For example, start with a 15- to 20-minute walk three days a week. Then add five minutes to your walk every week and eventually add another day. Or try a hill slowly, then increase your pace.
- Motivate yourself with an incentive. Plan walk dates with a good friend, and catch up on each other's news while you get fit. Or listen to exciting books on tape while you walk so that you look forward to the next chapter. (The library is a fabulous free resource for books on tape.)
Ride a Bike
Riding a bicycle is great for your body and great for the environment. It saves you money on gasoline and wear and tear on your car. If you don't own a bike, investing in one will be money well-spent -- and there are some bargains out there!
- Call your local police department information number and ask when confiscated bikes are auctioned off. This can be an outstanding way to pick up a pretty good or excellent bicycle for very little money. If the bike is a bit on the battered side, just pick up a can of bright spray paint for metal and make it look like new.
Caution: Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle, regardless of your age or experience.
Put the "I" in Isometrics
This type of exercise requires no cash at all! Isometric exercises are those in which opposing muscles are contracted in such a way that there is little shortening but a great increase in tone of the muscle fibers involved, such as when you press your hands together for a few seconds and then relax them. You can do simple isometric workouts just about anywhere -- during a train ride, at the office, in front of the TV. Ask your librarian to help you find some good books with isometric exercises to get you started.
Caution: Avoid isometric exercises if you have hypertension, heart disease or other medical problems.
Down by the River, Down by the Sea ...
As many girls and boys can attest, jumping rope is not only hard work, it is fun. With its rhythmic motion, it is an ideal exercise, easily building leg and arm muscles and functioning as a terrific aerobic workout. (Ten minutes of jumping can equal 30 minutes of jogging.) All you need is a rope and good athletic shoes, both of which are highly portable for workouts when you're traveling, too.
- Make your own jump rope. Start with about 10 feet of clothesline: Measure by stepping on the middle of the rope; the ends should come to about the middle of your chest. Tie a knot at each end of the rope, then wrap plastic electrical tape around four to five inches of the rope in front of each knot.
Run for Your Life!
Running is a fantastic aerobic exercise -- if you don't have joint or back problems. You'll need to invest in good running shoes, but that should be the only major cash investment. You can run at home or on vacation, alone or with a partner. The roads and sidewalks are free.
Excerpted from Penny Pinchers Almanac: 1,743 Surprising Ideas for Getting the Most Value Out of Your Money, Home and Possessions (Reader's Digest, 2003).
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