In the US and the UK right now, most people are starting to feel the pinch, as fuel prices soar and the food budget in your household just doesn’t seem to stretch as far as it used to.
Rising costs means less money in our pockets, more stress and less time to relax and unwind. In my experience, the first thing to go from the monthly budget is the cost of exercising.
More and more people rely on the gym as their sole solution for fat loss, exercise and improved health. When times are tight, the gym membership, seen by many as an unneeded expense, is one of the first things to be struck off the list!
Just because we’re all being cautious about our budgets doesn’t mean we should neglect our health! After all, stress can lead to poor health, and without a vent for those worries, in the form of regular exercise, you could end up run down, tired and depressed.
NO! Forget the gym if money is tight. Instead branch out and use the great outdoors as your gym. See the local park, track or even the back garden as your new place of exercise, where you can grab some fresh air, a bit of sun and restore your energy on a daily basis.
Simply spend 10-15 minutes a day expelling some energy. Don’t have any right now? Well, truth is you need to invest to progress, so a little energy which may be hard to find right now will pay off no end, when you start to feel more alive and happy in yourself.
Think of 4 exercises you’ve done at the gym recently. How about a squat, a push up, a crunch and a lunge? All exercises that require no equipment, little space and no expense.
Do 10-15 reps of each exercise and then switch back and forth, with minimal rest between each one.
Repeat those 4 exercises twice and you’ve given yourself a full body workout in less time than it would take you to lace up your sneakers and drive to the gym. PLUS you’ve haven’t spent a penny… or a ‘dime’ for that matter!
There are a whole variety of exercises you could choose to do. For more ideas, check out my Boot Camp website at
http://www.fitstreet.co.uk/bootcamp/blog.htm, where you’ll find a short video that gives you some new ideas. Don’t worry! It’s free!
By doing a group of exercises back to back you’ll get your heart rate up and keep it raised, negating the need to keep that gym membership for the exclusive use of the treadmill or the X-Trainer. Who wants to be strapped to a gym machine when you could be enjoying the great outdoors?
Give it a go and see what you could be saving, both in stress and money!
