Physical activity is a very important part of people’s day-to-day lives. Through it, risks of acquiring certain diseases are eliminated, and life is made much better in general. One of the keys to properly achieving it is by exercising regularly. 

It is a matter you have heard a thousand times: Regular exercise is needed to keep the body fit, strong and healthy. Moreover, it greatly contributes to mental wellness and emotional well-being. When you give regular exercise a space in your lifestyle, it’s definitely life-changing. The fruits of committing to regular exercise are rewarding!

Although its value has never been a secret, some people think that they cannot enter a serious fitness journey because they don’t have money for it. If you don’t belong to these people, you would find that perspective weird, but really, these people exist. They believe that they must be quite deep-pocketed to afford working out. Many think that hitting the gym and signing up to a gym subscription are strict requirements, yet they are totally not!  

When your wallet is not ready for expensive gym costs, you can still work out! You don’t have to set aside the significance of exercising just because you’re still saving for other necessities or just because you’re still looking for a job. Here are 8 budget-friendly tips to exercise and be fit without needing a gym membership!

1 – SET UP A SIMPLE HOME GYM.

Why are DIYs often cheaper? Because you yourself exert effort to gather the materials needed and to put them together to attain a specific product. Setting up your own home gym may be a whole lot better for your pockets than registering to a known public workout gym. 

Home gyms don’t need to be complex and excessive. Everything is up to you! You can make yours as simple as possible without sacrificing its quality and functionality. What’s more, it doesn’t have to be very spacious. You can maximize the fairly ample areas you have in the house. Remove unnecessary items, and rearrange the furniture. Use every stretch wisely to make way for a personal workout room. 

2 – BUY INEXPENSIVE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT. 

Exclusive of shipping fees when bought online, the prices of exercise equipment depend on their sizes, material and brand. 

If you’re still in the beginning of your fitness journey, don’t immediately order exercise equipment only because it seems interesting. Know first what you mainly need; consulting your physician can help you decide. What are the workout routines for beginners like you? If you impulsively buy just any big and costly exercise equipment you see or suggested by ads online, you might end up not efficiently using it. Oftentimes, you must start with inexpensive exercise equipment.

When it comes to sizes, some exercise equipment are small but superb. Take jump ropes, dumbbells and push-ups assistant devices as examples. As long as you use them correctly and determinedly, they will perform their purposes at their best! 

While purchasing from popular brands is among the top options to ascertain top-notch quality and authenticity, it’s also an intelligent shopping technique to consider the less famous brands with more low-cost rates.  

3 – LOOK FOR PRELOVED FITNESS EQUIPMENT.

Another common way to save money while committing to your fitness journey is by looking for preloved exercise equipment. This is highly recommended if you’re a beginner. Don’t shop for brand new fitness machines if you’re still testing the waters. It would be a waste if you realize that you need something else later on.

Check out social media pages and groups where people are buying and selling fitness apparatuses and everything about exercising! Inquire meticulously, and make sure you don’t get fooled by scammers or those who exaggerate the quality of their items. Even when the prices are budget-friendly, it would be better to actually see, touch and/or try the exercise equipment first before sending payments, so you can avoid wasting your precious money.

Second-hand is always more economical than brand new. Of course, there’s a big difference. Preloved items were already used by someone else; there could be little issues. Meanwhile, brand new items are fresh and newborn. 

Nevertheless, it’s fine to buy second-hand exercise equipment given that you fully know that it’s still in good-working condition. Some people sell theirs because they are moving abroad or are buying a new piece for an upgrade. It would be best to purchase from them than from the ones whose reason for selling their exercise equipment is broken or damaged parts. 

4 – PURCHASE MULTIPURPOSE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT.

Only the clever ones will realize that it’s very financially practical to purchase multipurpose fitness equipment. Yes, there are some exercise tools that can serve more than one function. You can achieve various fitness aims in one object, and that’s just amazing! Knowing this brings you one step ahead of people who aren’t aware.

To name some versatile exercise equipment, stability balls, resistance bands and kettlebells are there. Stability balls are well-known for ab workouts; you can use them for balanced push-ups, for wall squats, for chest presses and for a full body workout. Lying over the stability ball is the beginning of many possible exercise routines! 

Each multifunctional exercise equipment offers loads of alternative workout methods. This is absolutely a smart shopping strategy, so you can happily exercise while your wallet is happy too!  

5 – WATCH AND FOLLOW FREE FITNESS VIDEOS ONLINE. 

The power of the Internet and technology have always been astounding. Almost everything can be done online. Almost everything can be done easier because of them, including working out!

When you cannot afford to hire a gym trainer or when you think that it’s not practical for yourself, an ideal way to secure your own fitness guide is to watch and follow free fitness videos posted online. Countless are fitness vloggers and gym coaches that have brought their passion to the digital sphere (YouTube to be specific) by recording and uploading fitness routines to help other people.  

From warm-ups to cool downs, from low-intensity to high-impact workouts, from fitness suggestions to health solutions, you can find videos of them online. Type the keywords, and you will see them. Remember, don’t simply watch and observe; follow their fitness lessons. 

It would be best to make it a habit to use the same videos for a long time before jumping to other tutorials, so that your body will get used to the movements. In that way, you won’t find it hard to follow the steps, and your workout will be more efficient.

Additionally, read the disclaimer notices to know if the fitness video tutorials will be safe for you, especially if you have a specific health condition to pay attention to.

6 – INSTALL AND USE FREE WORKOUT APPS. 

Still taking advantage of technology, you can install and use workout applications downloadable through your phone’s app store. There are so many excellent picks that are free of cost! These apps will assist you in setting your fitness goals and tracking your progress. Fitness tips are all over them too. They can serve as your virtual workout buddies that motivate you to get up and sweat off!

7 – PLAY ACTIVE SPORTS.

Who says exercising is only possible inside the gym or with a huge amount of exercise equipment? They’re wrong! Active sports are also great exercises, plus they are super fun! And you don’t have to be an athlete to do and enjoy sports.

For basketball, you just need a ball, a ring and a court that doesn’t need to be designed for pros. Badminton merely requires you a shuttlecock and badminton rackets; a net is optional. Tennis is almost the same, too; It just has a different ball type and racket type, and the net is a necessity. Soccer uses a soccer ball, and a goalposts which can be made shift. Cycling is there too! The list goes on.

You can play alone, but gathering your family or friends would be best! Bond together while thinking about your health! Isn’t that lovely? It is. And it’s affordable as well.

8 – WALK. JOG. RUN.

If it happens that you don’t have any exercise equipment and any sport apparatus, at the same time you don’t plan to buy them, no worries! Walking, jogging and running are fundamental exercises! They are basic and terrific. Sometimes, you can even do them in place. Just wow! You can certainly work out wherever you are with your feet as long as you’re willing to do so.   

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NO GYM MEMBERSHIP? NO PROBLEM. 

Indeed, there are big benefits when you exercise in the gym. Complete exercise equipment can be used. Fitness coaches can directly guide you. Group fitness classes are available too. The convenience cannot be denied, especially if it’s a good-quality gym. 

Nonetheless, the gym is not the only place where you can take care of your physical health. Working out in the gym is not the only way to reach your fitness goals. Being resourceful and practical will take you a long way!

Tons of opportunities to secure fitness options that won’t break the bank can be found. A little more patience and persistence than what you already have will help. If there’s a will, there’s a way, right? So if you really want to commit to exercising regularly and to see its gladdening boons, you will work hard for it, and you can, even with a budget that is not so grand!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She also writes for Fitbiz Exercise Equipment, an excellent source of the ultimate fitness equipment collections in Australia. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.