Two months ago I canceled my gym membership. As important as physical activity is to me, I couldn’t justify the $73 monthly fee on top of the $39 they wanted to charge me to change gyms when I moved. At the time, I was going to the gym 4-6 days a week and walking to and from work every day.
I wasn’t quite sure what the outcome would be when I stopped going altogether and moved a mile closer to work. I challenged myself to come up with new and innovative ways to stay in shape, without having to be a gym member.
Not everyone can afford a gym membership. I have discovered that there are several ways to stay in shape without spending money to join a gym. I can tell you firsthand that you don’t need to belong to a gym if you want to stay in shape.
walk when you can. I find it easy to walk to most places because I live in a big city and don’t have a car. If this is not your case, you can still find at least a few places you can walk to. Walk Source is a great website to use that will tell you how walkable your house is. Simply enter your address and you’ll get a score, along with a list of area businesses you can walk to. If your search doesn’t present many options, try parking further away when running errands. Every little bit counts.
Use exercise videos. One of my favorite new discoveries is On Demand through Comcast. They have several exercise videos created by Exercise TV and they are all free! This is a great way to add exercise in bad weather or if you have kids at home and can’t leave them alone. Through On Demand videos I was able to start doing Yoga, something I recently learned that I love. I would never have tried a yoga class at the gym. If you don’t have On Demand, just go to Exercise TV online and try out some of the videos there. If you have Netflix or Blockbuster subscriptions, try some of their videos. You can even rent videos from the library.
Pay Per Use Classes. If you want to attend group classes but don’t want a gym commitment, look for classes you can afford to attend. Many yoga studios offer packages that you can purchase that allow you to attend classes whenever your schedule allows. I’ve even seen gyms that let you buy weekly passes to try them out. By doing this, you don’t have to commit to a long contract.
I’ve learned that I enjoy exercise so much more when I’m not forced to go to the gym five days a week. It’s fun to be creative, enjoy the outdoors and mix things up. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
