Why don’t you exercise or eat well? It probably has something to do with a lack of money, time or motivation.
“I can’t afford a gym.”
“I’m a full-time student and I have a night job.”
“During my free time I just want to nap.”
I won’t lie, those are pretty good excuses…they’re just not good enough. When you don’t feel like taking a run or doing some yoga, remember this: somebody busier than you is exercising.
Below are a few great ways to stay healthy when your funds are dwindling, your schedule is full, and your energy level is low.
1. Get Motivation
Personally, the first thing that keeps me from working up a sweat is a lack of motivation. I’ll sit there and know I should be exercising, but won’t do it. In recent months, I’ve found a great way to stay motivated: tumblr.
Instead of following all sorts of high-fashion blogs, I now follow fitness-related ones. My dashboard is currently filled with running sneakers, smoothies, 6-pack abs and inspiring before and after photos. Below are a few fitblrs that help me get moving when I’d rather be napping:
Sharee Hanseen is the voice behind this masterpiece. This girl has lost over 100 pounds the healthy way — through diet and exercise. She’s beautiful inside and out, and her blog won’t just inspire you to get moving — it’ll show you how to achieve results.
This tumblr is filled with motivational photos and quotes!
This healthy fit teen turned into an unhealthy and slightly overweight adult. She no longer liked what she saw in the mirror and decided to change that.
Anna is now healthy, fit and lean. She’ll teach you how she maintains her new and improved lifestyle one recipe and grocery list at a time!
Honorable mentions: Kendra Keeps Klean, and Organically Gorgeous.
2. Exercise in your living room
Who says you need a gym? There are a ton of free fitness videos online that will help get your heart pumping sans fancy facility. My favorite series: Blogilates by Cassey Ho.
Her short and efficient videos vary in intensity — from Pilates all the way to kickboxing and Zumba. They’re free too! She also has a great food plan that will get you eating clean in no time.
* Worried about working out at home because you live in an apartment and have neighbors below you? Consider working out in jazz sneakers instead. They’re far quieter than a running sneaker. We really like these from Dancemania. You can also work out on top of a yoga mat — it’ll help muffle the sound.
3. Sign-up for a newsletter
A lot of fitness guru’s have free advice and 30 minute fitness videos if you sign-up for their newsletters. If you’re into yoga but can’t afford $30 every time you want to go (we hear ya) then follow Sadie Nardini through both email and Youtube — she gives free yoga videos to those that subscribe to her newsletter.
4. Find your exercise of choice
Find a form of exercise you actually enjoy. If you enjoy the activity, you’ll be more inclined to do it when the time comes. If you hate running, don’t do it. If you hate spin class, don’t do it. It’s that simple. There isn’t one way to get fit; there are thousands.
Experiment a bit. You’ll eventually find the one. For me it’s Zumba and yoga.
5. Download an App
Below are a few of our faves:
This newly launched app isn’t necessarily about exercise; it’s about moving in general. The company wants to make sure you’re moving at least 30 minutes or more a day.
Human is perfect for the person who spends most of their day sitting at the computer or is new to exercise. Read more about it here.
This program will get you from lazy couch potato to a 5k runner in only nine weeks. If you follow the program to a tee, it works. My boyfriend started it in the middle of the summer and recently ran his first 5k a few weeks ago. He’s now training for a 10k this December…impressive.
RunKeeper makes tracking your workouts fun, social, and easy to understand, helping you improve the quality of your fitness.
This app helps you keep track of your calorie intake. It’s the perfect food diary for the modern world. It even helps you figure out how many calories you’ve burned based on different workouts you’ve done.
Give this app a try if you want to take control of what you’re eating. Exercising is great for your body, but you can get healthy entirely with food.
6. Just do it!
Seriously, find the time. 10 minutes is better than none. Don’t feel every workout has to be an hour.
Remember: Laziness fuels more laziness. Activity fuels more activity. Once you get through the first week or two of exercising and eating healthy, you’ll crave it.
How do you stay fit? Let us know in the comments below!
