Getting fit on a budget

sillyvixen

skippings good - if you are doing it indoors move any breakables, you can put the stereo on and build up to more and more of your favorite songs too see how you are improving. walking is good now we have the lighter evenings you could go for a walk - i generally walk to and from work unless i am short of time. swimming is also good as you dont have to commit yourself to a course of sessions and you can go when you feel like it and have the spare cash and do other cheaper things when you cant - our local pool is closed at the moment as it flooded!!

i am only walking at the moment as i am awaiting surgery and lifting, bending and stretching are a no no. but will have to get into ways of slowly building up my fitness levels in about 4 or 5 months. good luck in your quest!

lainz

If you still have a video player - have a rummage around charity shops and get some fitness videos, billy blanks tae bo is great - if you don't do the exercises, you'll kill yourself laughing - think Mr Motivator but better!:rotfl:

sillyvixen

just a thought if you have friends who also work out to fitness dvd's you could have a go at swapping around to stave off the bordem and change your routines cheaply.

Bean_Counter

Jellicat wrote: »

Wow Bean Counter I didn't know it would be pricey at all...its always something I've wanted to do but didn't factor in anything other than paying for classes and pads and things...it was partly a self defence thing as well as fitness. Maybe I'll just try self defence until I'm a bit less skint.

Will definitely try dumbbells, and skipping is one I hadnt thought about, ta! Already walk loads, I'm a bit paranoid to run though lol.

To give you an idea of cost, I do Tae Kwon-Do twice a week. Classes cost £30 per month, gradings £25 each (say four a year depending on what level you are at), licence £25 per year, sparring gear £120, decent gumshield £60, suit about £50. Obviously prices can vary up and down the country but it does all add up (I've got two kids going as well!)

What I used to do before I started going to training was to get a some books on different martial arts from the discount book stores and were only a few quid each.

tanith

Buy a cheap even a second hand bike... you can make it as hard or easy as you want, just choose either a flat or hilly route.. start out on the flat and build up to hills.... its fun I am almost a pensioner and love to go cycle with my kids and grands... trouble is the wind... its great if its behind but in your face , not so much fun....:rotfl:

Jellicat

lainz wrote: »

If you still have a video player - have a rummage around charity shops and get some fitness videos, billy blanks tae bo is great - if you don't do the exercises, you'll kill yourself laughing - think Mr Motivator but better!:rotfl:

Yeah I've done one of his before and I must have lost calories just PMSL at him . Bloody hell they are effective though!

Plum_Pie

I second weights (hand weights/dumbells/bar bells). They will train your core muscles better than weight machines in gyms anyway. Don't buy new - get from a charity shop or Freecycle. You can find loads of exercises on the web. Building muscle raises your metabolism as a pound of muscle on your body needs 30 - 50 calories per day to sustains itself, a pound of fat needs about 2! Also 1 pound of fat has the same volume as 3 pounds of muscle so you can reap the benefits without turning into the terminator.

Best of all, it's a very efficient way to exercise. I know for women, the optimum amount is 20 minutes twice a week. (Men are different - testorone, bone structure etc. I'm sure google could enlighten.)

Combine with some cardio and you'll be fit enough to start kung-fu in no time.

www.momentumfs.com/ This site has some free interval workouts - which are useful for variety (and for the time-deficient!)

Fern_Merkin

Those sit-up roll cage type things are good. Many were purchased by folk who're now bored of them and a quick ask around or visit to jumble/charity sale often turns them up for very little dosh. Folk with them sitting unused in their shed are generally glad to have the contraptions guilt inducing smugness removed from the building :rotfl:

i_love_curry

I bought a collection of Billy Blanks dvds cos I'm seriously overweight and I am intimidated by the gym because let's face it, its mostly full of THIN SEXY PEOPLE not fat geeky teenage girls like me! It's so good, there are 4 dvds and there are about 4 half hour work-outs and a few 45 minute ones, and also two 8 minute workouts which are a god-send if you have no time in the morning but wanna get to it. There is also an instructional one that ensures you won't hurt yourself when you do each movement, which makes it easier to get onto the proper workouts. I've been to Rosemary Conley classes and done other "aerobic" dvds, but sometimes they left even ME wondering whether I'd actually done any good, because they go t gently.

I agree Billy Blanks made me crack up laughing but he seems very sweet and motivational too. I am honest to god the laziest person in the world, I'm the person who'll pay for a year's gym membership and induction and then never go again. I never exercise, but when I got this, I loved it, you feel like you're working hard and doing good, and get this - I started getting up early so I could do the 8 minute one before work, and now I get up even earlier to do the half hour one! It makes me feel better about myself which is one of the most important things when you're trying to lose weight; if you feel like you're getting nowhere you're more likely to give up. This boxset is about 6 quid on amazon, which is "amazin'" lol sorry couldn't help it. But its really worth it, I mean my local leisure centre charges 6 quid per time for non-premium members to go the gym - buy this dvd set and you can do it over and over again!

It's low impact and in the videos look out for the old lady, she looks sweet and innocent but I bet she could kick my !!!, she's very fit for her age, so this dvd is suitable for anyone and you can go at your pace, another thing that Mr Blanks encourages. He's also a great all round instructor, explaining why its important to stretch, and tells you what part of your body you're working when you do each exercise. Its jokes when he talks about the music and how he likes the beat, it kind of makes you feel included somehow! But one of the things he says after his 8 minutes workout is this - "most people would give their car more than 8 minutes of attention, but not their body" which is totally true. If you read the comments on amazon from users, some of them complain about "oh blah blah two of the dvds are almost the same" and get technical about exercise-y stuff and complain about how its similar to Billy Blanks' other taebo dvds, but this was my first dvd so I've ignored those reviews, because for someone like me, any cardio exercise is a start, and this is one I'd definitely recommend!!!

Take it from a bonafide fat lazy girl, this is a very motivating workout that somehow makes you want to come back and do more and boosts your self esteem too, it's 100% worth it!

krad

You can get decent vinyl dumbells and barbells from Argos quite cheaply. I think the 50Kg will only go for 15 quid! Apart from that, if your pushups are getting too easy, try attaching a resistance band around your shoulders for extra resistance. Do your weight training more slowly as well(about 2-3 seconds a rep). This will make it harder as you'll be working against gravity for longer. If you want to go the martial arts route, try boxing or muay thai as they are generally cheaper since you don't have to spend on gradings or uniforms.