Doctors recommend you get 150 minutes of moderate activity, or 75 minutes of intense activity per week, which can be any sort of exercise that gets your blood pumping. If you’re on a budget, you probably won’t want to fork out for an expensive gym membership or buy a lot of equipment just to work out, so here are some tips to get your daily exercise without spending a fortune:
Find Courses at an Aquatic Centre
An aquatic centre can be an excellent place to work out, with specialist equipment that helps you enjoy low impact yet effective exercise. Best of all, it’s not usually expensive to take a course, and this gives you excellent value for money as you get guidance and training.
Find an aquatics center in New Jersey and see what’s on offer for you. There are often beginner and expert level courses available.
Walk the Pounds Away
What could be an easier exercise than walking? You simply need comfortable shoes and away you go. Doctors often recommend 10k steps as a goal, although if you can’t do that at first, don’t worry. Work your way up to it slowly.
If walking is getting a bit dull and you want to get your heart rate going a bit faster, try going into a jog, and seeing if you can jog further and further. Jogging lets you enjoy all the benefits of exercise, without having to spend a lot or learn new skills. However, you should make sure that once you get into things seriously, you buy yourself a good quality pair of trainers that will protect your feet from injury.
Bring the Gym into Your Home
It’s possible to create your own mini gym at home for the price of a few months of membership at a posh gym.
Look out for second-hand equipment sales nearby. Lots of people buy exercise equipment, then get rid of it in almost mint condition, so you can save a lot. Some equipment that’s suitable for home use includes:
- Small treadmills and exercise bikes
- Weights
- Resistance bands
- Steps
- Vibration plates
If you don’t have a dedicated gym space, find equipment that’s small enough to fold away under a chair or your bed. You can buy things like folding treadmills and armwrestling attachments designed for small spaces which are inexpensive yet save you money on gym membership overall.
See What Free Stuff is Available Locally
A lot of local governments are trying to get people moving by offering free exercise classes and more. You should look out for local activities for adults run by your local council, as there will often be plenty of free or very cheap things you can do to keep yourself fit.
Getting fit doesn’t mean your wallet has to feel lighter. You can still enjoy a huge range of activities for next to nothing, or even set up your own gym so that you can save on membership. Avoid the gimmicks and latest trends and stick to simple, effective exercise you enjoy.
*Photos by Tim Samuel
