Free Fitness Tips with Kathie – Guest Post

Fitness For Free
by Kathie @ Kathie’s Fitness Blog

Between seeing commercials on TV for insane workouts, dance programs, and celebrity fitness videos you may think it takes money to be in shape. You are in control and it doesn’t take five hours of an “Insanity” (it is called insanity for a reason!) workout to feel good and look good.

Here’s the 411: You do not need to spend money on a workout video or even a gym membership to stay fit or lose weight. Here are a few tips:

1.) When was the last time you went to your local library? If your library has a video collection there is a good chance that exercise videos are available. Check out different exercise videos every week and that will eliminate boredom. Guess what? Your local library will rent those videos out for free. Done!

2.) Do you have an option to take an elevator or steps at work or home? You probably have heard about this tip before. Why? Because it works! Instead of taking easy street on the elevator, no pain no gain! Take the steps instead of the elevator and I can 99.9% guarantee you there will be results. Guess what? That is also free. Done!

3.) This tip to staying fit has two benefits; a clean house and a fit you. Did you know that a 150 pound person can burn nearly 216 cal within 30 min. of cleaning? Grab the glass cleaner, paper towels, furniture polish, and vacuum and get fit. Guess what? Yep, you guessed it – free! Done!

4.) Don’t the weather sway you away from taking daily walks. Bundle up with a hat, scarf, and gloves and as long as it is not icy or freezing take advantage of a brisk walk. And if it is hot outside, take your walks early in the morning or late in the evening, no excuse there! If you have a dog (or two like me), this is an extra incentive to get moving. Free! Done!

5.) There are several programs out there that will help you track you food and fitness for FREE. I even wrote a blog post on great food journaling websites. Two of my favorites are: caloriecount.com and choosemyplate.gov . There are also plenty of online support groups that do not cost a dime for people who are trying to get fit and lose weight. Some of the online support groups give you an opportunity to blog about your fitness plan and reach out to others for motivation, encouragement, and tips. Besides the cost of your monthly Internet service, you know what I’m going to say. Free! Bam!

6.) This is another tip that you probably have heard of 1 million times; park your car further away from the entrance to the grocery store or department store. I sometimes catch myself wasting time driving around looking for the closest spot. Ridiculous. I complained that I want to stay in shape but I drive around in circles for 10 min. waiting for a good spot. No! Those little walks count. Free! Ding!

7.) While you are at home grab something from your kitchen that you think weighs 5 pounds. If you already have five or 10 pound weights use those but if not making your own way is just fine. Do some curls but make sure whatever you use is safe and a weight you can handle. Also, dance like nobody is watching. Get your groove on and do some crunches and yes, you will see results.

8.) Work your abdominals all day long. That’s right you can work your abdominals/core at any point in time during the day. Just sit up straight and tall and hold them in and you are working them. Try this while driving, try to hold them in for several minutes or through a stop light that lasts forever. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you forget to hold them in, but train yourself. And yes, that’s free too!!

9.) Wonder why you cannot see all those ab muscles you’ve worked so hard on? Well it is because you are not doing interval training and effectively burning fat off your body. When you walk do not just “go all out” the entire time you walk. No this is all wrong. You need to do intervals. This means you go fast for a little bit and slow it down for a little bit. I usually recommend walking fast for 2 minutes and slow for 2 minutes for starters.

10.) Do you have DVR? Well I recommend recording your favorite fitness shows and do the exercise routines. You change up your fitness routine by picking different shows and add variety to keep your body from stagnating. And if you DVR to watch your favorite shows on your time, this is just an added “free” plus for your fitness.

These are just a few tips to help you stay on track when it comes to fitness and being on a budget. Along with eating healthy these small steps can make a huge difference on the scale. You can come up with other creative ways just by reading these simple tips. Happy Training!! Kathie

“Fitness For Free”: guest posted, one time with permission from Kathie’s Fitness Blog

Visit Kathie’s Fitness Blog for FREE tips and advice on everything about fitness from a mind, body and spirit perspective. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.