Article by Christian Nanz

Everyone’s worried about saving money these days, but is exercise really something you want to give up?  You can build a better body on a budget.  From simple workouts with no equipment to getting some of the benefits of a trainer for free with the click of a mouse, there are lots of ways to stay (or get) in shape and still save money.

Partner or Group Training

Personal training is a great choice when you need guidance and motivation.  Sharing your session with a friend or family member can save you money and give you extra motivation for your workouts.

Dust Off Old Fitness Equipment

If you haven’t ventured into your basement or garage lately, now might be a good time to see what you have been storing there.  Most of us have old fitness equipment lying around, things we bought and never used.  A few things you might find lying around include mini-steppers, tennis rackets or a bicycle.  One idea is to take what you find and set up a few stations for a circuit workout.  Step a minute on your mini-stepper, a minute swinging the tennis racket, five minutes riding the bike around the block, etc.

Buy Used Equipment

Some sporting goods stores specialize in used equipment, or check out listings for exercise equipment in the newspaper or your local CraigsList.com classified listings.

Consider Modest Investments

Inexpensive exercise products such as dumbbells, resistance tubing or a jump rope are all great choices.  You can use dumbbells to strengthen your upper body.  Risistance tubing offers weight-like resistance when you pull on them.  Use tubes to build strength in your arms and other muscles.  And skipping rope can be a great cardiovascular workout.

Take a TV Exercise Break

Here is a no-excuse, no-nonsense workout: Instead of going to the kitchen for a snack during TV commercials, exercise instead.  Pick a different activity for each commercial.  During one commercial do crunches; during another, do squats.  The longer you watch TV, the more exercise you’ll get in, and before the night is over you’ve got at least 15 to 20 minutes of workout time.

Use Your Computer for Motivation and Help

You can find free exercise-tracking tools and spreadsheets on a number of web sites.  Use them to create and maintain a training regimen, keep track of your progress, and even to share online with friends, family members and fellow exercisers.

“Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels, throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions, without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness.”

-Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719), “The Spectator,” July 12, 1711

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