How to Get Fit on a Budget. Are You Paying for Motivation?

What’s the most expensive part of any fitness regimen? It’s not the equipment, the gym, nor the trainer, although these can be expensive. What you are really buying when you purchase these things is the “motivation” to get up and exercise. For many people, the outlay of money for these things becomes their motivation to “get what they pay for.” How many people do you know who have a piece of exercise equipment collecting dust in their garage?

The best motivation for maintaining a regular fitness routine is the buddy system. When we involve our friends in our fitness goals, there is a natural competitive spirit that keeps us going to achieve our goals, and good friends are not afraid to hold each other accountable. Also, friends feel a sense of obligation when they get together to help each other. Ideally, you can involve a group of people as that can provide a motivational multiplier.

For some people, creating a system of goal setting and accountability is all that is needed. There are fitness apps that enable you to set goals, create personalized workout regimens, and track daily activities and results. They even have cyber coaches that are available to provide more motivation, advice, and support.

Stretching Your Exercise Equipment Dollars

Many people can achieve their fitness goals by simply using their feet and their body weight. Runners and bikers enjoy the outdoors and can get their cardio, and endurance needs met several times a week. For people who want to build strength and muscle mass, bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups or pull-ups, can provide a complete workout from head to toe. Exercise guides are available that demonstrate hundreds of variations of bodyweight exercises so that your routine doesn’t become, well, routine.

Sometimes we all need some more variation in our regimens to stay motivated and energized. So, it helps to add some small pieces of equipment that will also enable you to challenge your body differently. Again, there is no reason to break the bank. With a few key pieces of equipment, you can create dozens of workout routines.

Exercise balls: For $10 to $20, an exercise ball can help you target your core muscle group involving your ab and back muscles. Additional exercises can target the muscles of your arms and legs. Most exercise balls are sold with a complete exercise guide.

Jump rope: Perhaps the most effective piece of cardio equipment, a jump rope will only set you back $10 to $15. Some ropes come with the ability to add weights to the handles so that you can continue to challenge your body. A great alternative or companion to the jump rope is a weighted hula-hoop.

Exercise or resistance bands: Elastic bands can replicate the resistance of free weights simply by adjusting the length of the band or adding bands to your exercise. Any workout routine you can do with free weights, you can do with resistance bands. A set of bands can be purchased for less than $30, and some manufactures allow you to buy additional bands as your strength increases.

You can find any of these pieces of equipment on resale sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Money or lack of access to a gym can no longer be an excuse for not having an effective fitness regimen. Optimal fitness is vital to your fiscal wellness as it will ultimately help you reduce your medical costs down the road.