It’s just over six months since 2014 started and less than six months before we hit 2015. A shockingly low 8% successfully fulfil their New Year’s resolution. According to Scranton University, losing weight and staying fit and healthy feature in the top 10 New Year’s resolutions of 2014.
Like these people, I am keen to maintain my fitness and push my body physically by exercising four or five times a week. The problem is, getting fit can often mean a costly gym membership, investing in equipment such as gym clothing that allows you to sweat comfortably and the temptation to spend lots of money on the latest superfoods. Keeping this goal whilst still achieving my financial goals has proved challenging, but two years on I’d like to share my tips for working out cost-effectively:
Don’t invest in gym clothing immediately – It’s tempting to want to get kitted out in Nike sports wear. Start a habit of regular exercise to get a feel for how often you will realistically work out. If your aim is to work out five times a week, you could gradually build up to this and treat yourself to one new piece of gym clothing after you’ve worked out regularly for a month.
Don’t go to a gym – If you’re just starting on your journey to better fitness, you really don’t need the fancy equipment in gyms. That’s not to say they won’t be handy at some point in the future, but for now there are plenty of exercise you can do that just use your body weight.
Workout at home with YouTube – You will need a certain amount of space to do this successfully. If you don’t have this space, then an alternative may be to go for a run locally or work out in the local park (provided you know how to exercise). Working out at home has great benefits in that you’re close to a water supply, toilets and you can hop straight in the shower afterwards. You’re also able to control what food you will eat post workout. There are many free workouts available on YouTube that have been created by personal trainers. Two of my favourites are BeFit and FitnessBlender.
When you’re creating a physical challenge it can be really hard to resist ‘treating’ yourself. I’m not suggesting that you don’t treat yourself, but make sure treats don’t end up compromising your financial goals.