DVDs, exercise equipment, gym memberships, workout clothes, personal trainers and fad diets are among the first things that come to mind when you say the words exercise or get in shape. The idea is to get physical and exercise, not get fiscal and flex your wallet. Yes, the fitness industry is a billion dollar one and there are new gurus throwing their hats in every day.
You can get a tight body and maintain a tight wallet at the same time. There’s nothing wrong with that in a rising costs of our economy. So the following are some ways to work on getting physical without getting fiscal.
Do you like workout videos? There are a lot of options out there. You don’t need to buy a video though to get a video workout. If you have TIVO or a VCR – you can record your workouts off the television. Denise Austin has a show on LIFETIME and it airs twice a day, five days a week. Why buy a workout when you can get one on television – check out your TV or Cable guide for the fitness listings.
If you don’t like exercise shows, just flip it over to one of the video music channels and dance to the music. 15 to 20 minutes of dancing a day can get your heart rate up; it’s a fast, cheap and fully viable fitness option.
Check with your Cable or Satellite listings. Exercise TVis a new flavor for the On Demand channels. You can get yoga, Pilates, cardiovascular workoutsor Tai Chi. It doesn’t add any money to your bill and you get all the benefits of a flexible workout. You can use the kids XBox or Playstation and get groovy with the Dance Dance Revolution.
Around Christmas and my birthday, friends and family always ask me what I’d like to have. I’ve asked for a yoga mat, I’ve asked for the Yourself!Fitness, I’ve asked for weights and I’ve asked for a cardio monitor watch. I’ve gotten a few of those as gifts and I’ve made use of them. My daughter recently saw the Barbie Fitness Yoga kit and asked if I’d get her one for her birthday so she could do her exercises with her mommy.
Let’s not forget the easiest and cheapest of all the workouts – get out of the house and go for a walk. You can get physical without getting fiscal – tighten your body and your wallet — you benefit all the way around.