Keep Fit and Save Money

Everyone in the world wants to be healthy, fit and stay in shape. However, our hectic lifestyles leave us with little time to spend on our body. Finally, one fine morning, we realize we have outgrown most of our clothes and we decide to spend a good portion of our hard earned money on some lavish fitness centres guaranteeing fast and easy weight loss. But do we really get results?

Do we have other alternatives to stay fit without losing so much of money? Yes, we do have. It just needs a little of planning and determination. The following tips would give you some really good idea to keep fit and save money.

I usually pay for my monthly gym membership by selling old stuff on ebay like clothes or household things we don’t use anymore. Some months I have a good clear out of the cupboards and sell my cds, DVDs etc. to get a bit of extra cash and free up space. If you’re looking to get fit on the cheap, follow some of these steps:

1. Stay in shape outdoors for free:- If you have interest in some kind of sport like tennis, volleyball, etc., find yourself a free court. Most courts charge around £10 on an average, but if you get a free court to play, you would save around £520 in one year’s time, if you stick to playing once a week. So instead of spending money on chargeable courts, find yourself a free one and save some bucks fast.

2. Stay local:- Many people opt for chain gym memberships but end up paying more than what you use. There are a number of people who do not get time to hit the gym regularly, so a monthly membership is a loss to them. Its better for these people to opt for local gym facilities, where one gets the advantage of paying per visit instead of paying a huge monthly charge. Chain gyms might cost you something near to £550 a year but the yearly expense of a local gym would surely be much less.

3. Use discount codes/coupons:- Nowadays, you get discounts and offers, not only on restaurant bills but on almost everything. If you plan to buy a sports equipment for yourself, use such codes while you purchase. You can get a variety of such offers and discounts if you look online also. You might get hefty discounts on some sporting gear or fitness machine. So keep searching for your offer and stay fit.

4. Cut down the cost of your gym membership:- If you are determined to become a regular member of a gym, then you need to focus on the aspects from where you can save the extra pounds, before you join a health club. Look for gyms that give you discounts, some employers offer their staff discounts on membership at certain gyms and clubs. There are also companies who give discounts for people above 55 and many gyms give you offer prices if you agree to go at certain times of the day. These offers and discounts would help you save much.

5. Go for free trials:- For customer attraction and satisfaction, most fitness clubs and gyms offer a one-day trial period. Opt for such sessions which will give you the first-hand experience of working out and you also get the time to decide if it is the right place for you. After spending a whole day/session at the gym, one also gets motivated to adopt a healthy lifestyle which one was not interested in until then.

6. Go swimming:- Swimming is a very good exercise that involves the whole body. It is extremely beneficial for both muscular and cardiovascular fitness. Swimming is free in most areas for mos people, especially, people who are above the age of sixty. You need to find out the nearest free pool you have in the neighborhood. The local authorities would give you the cost of swimming as well as the location of the nearest free pool.

7. Exercise at home:- If you are looking for a full body workout without going to a gym, you can buy yourself proper exercise equipments. An exercise bike or a cross trainer would be a great purchase. Go through fitness equipments’ websites and other fitness stores and find out where you can get the best price. Ensure that the product you buy is of good quality that would last you a lifetime.

8. Go cycling:- Like swimming, cycling is also a very good exercise involving your whole body. Cycling to and fro from office would save you transport as well as fuel costs and you stay in shape. If you opt for the salary-sacrifice scheme, you would also save money if you plan to buy a new bike.

Thus adopting these few simple yet effective tips would help you stay in shape without burning a hole in your pocket. So keep fit and save money!