How To Get Fit, Lose Weight And Still Have Money In The Bank

So, the holidays and feasting are over; the single most common New Year’s goals — every year — is to lose weight. It’s possible you’ve written goals on how to truly get serious about your health and stay fit this year with the “new year, new me” mantra. All this is good, but after the Christmas spending, you’re worried you may not fully afford the fitfam lifestyle, because of gym memberships that are not always cheap. Don’t fret, we’ll show you how you can get fit, lose weight and still have money in your bank account.

Since fitness, dieting, or simply living a healthy life is usually pinned to the wealthy class who can afford proper gym memberships and special foods that are seemingly high in price, people tend to complain of the heavy “Spend” associated with it, conveniently thinking that there are no practical alternatives to staying healthy without the gym and fancy diet.

However in reality, getting fit without going broke isn’t a myth. Whether you’re a self-confessed couch potato or a certified fitness newbie, you will be able to get in shape with our helpful tips, and as you make these your daily routine, you’ll not only feel and be successful in living a healthy life, but keep your bank account safe. Read on!

1. Set Solid Fitness Goals

Start by setting realistic goals for yourself with a budget that you can afford. Having an attainable fitness goal can be an amazing way to power you towards fitness success, but while it’s great to have an endgame in mind, it’s easy to derail from the plan if the goals aren’t set right. Rather than being ambiguous, your goals should be clearly detailed with specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound steps. Also, keep a journal as a record of everything you’re doing to achieve your goal.
For example, you can start with your diet, with goals of food portion reduction, reduction of carbs, staying away from soda/fizzy drinks and replacing with water or freshly squeezed juices to qualm your thirst for sweet things, taking note of your type of foods and the time you eat them.

2. Have Your Own Kit

If you’re already a fitness enthusiast, chances are you already have a kit of your own. But if you don’t and you have just joined this bandwagon, you’ll need to stock up on the gear. So what you need basically are fitness wear (thick leggings or joggers, sports tank top/t-shirt, sports bra), a water bottle, fitness tracker or an app on your phone, a skipping rope, yoga mat (or locally made mats put together,) etc. And you can get some of them cheaper at your local market instead of sticking to a sports boutique whose prices might be too high for you now. All in all, having your own fitness gear will save you the cost of expensive gym gear; which takes us to the next point

3. Exercise From Home

Exercising from home gives you privacy and you don’t need to pay for expensive sessions with a personal trainer to get a good, professional workout. There are thousands of different options out there in the form of workout dvds and online videos with instructions and illustrations of exercises you can do. If you can, get gym equipment for the house (a treadmill, a stationary bicycle or dumbbells) which you can either buy or get DIY options; for example, the dumbbells can actually be replaced with plastic bottles filled with water, they have the same effect to tone your arms. Even if you cannot afford any, jogging in your area is your most reliable option.

4. Use Your Phone

Thanks to the rise in smartphone development, there’s an app for almost everything, and fitness is no exception. There are hundreds of free exercise apps that can help you design workouts to do at home. Some apps are even designed to fit exercise sessions into your busy schedule, so there’s no excuse to skip your workouts. Most of these apps include diet planners as well, so if you are struggling with your eating plan, you can incorporate it into your new workout routine. You could also look up fitness influencers on social media, they often post free helpful tips, workouts and recipes that you can use yourself.

5. Join a sport

It could be dance classes, a sporting team or just having a workout partner, team sports are a great way of getting some exercise done; with the plus of having other people to exercise with helps with your motivation. There are many sports to choose from as well as plenty of places that you can play sports for free. Although for some, you might have to pay a small sign up fee that will be much cheaper than a gym membership. However, if you don’t want to commit to playing with a team every week then finding free sports facilities might be best for you. That way you can do some casual exercise without being tied to playing every week.

6. Protect yourself

While focusing on physical fitness goals, it’s also important to remember your fiscal fitness as well. Injuries can happen anywhere and at anytime while you exercise, so asides from having a handy first aid kit on standby, it makes sense to have some sort of insurance protection, just in case something happens. The cost of having a Health Insurance cover will always be cheaper than medical bills you would pay if you’re hurt. Be sure to protect yourself as you workout by taking all the necessary precautions and adding insurance coverage to the mix.

By making these simple changes in your lifestyle, you can keep on top of your fitness routine, stay healthy, lose weight without having to break the bank.