5 ways to be frugal with fitness

Getting healthy on a budget is as simple as following our 5 ways to be frugal with fitness.

If your New Year’s resolutions involve getting fitter (whose doesn’t?), you might be wondering how you’re going to go about it without paying through your teeth. Couple a desire for fitness that with a rising trend of designer activewear, overpriced boutique gyms and expensive nutritional programmes, and you may be fooled into thinking you too need to pay an arm and a leg for your health. But getting healthy needn’t be all expensive gym memberships and pricey classes. There are a number of ways to cut the costs but keep the intensity and get the summer body you’re after. Want to know how? Just keep reading.

Get outside

The great outdoors is free, and should be a playground for any and all fitness fanatics. A bench in a park, a circuit around your block or your local (free, weekly) Park Run all prove that the gym is quite literally anywhere. Requiring no equipment whatsoever, running is one of the quickest tickets to getting fit on a budget, but taking the dog for a walk, going for a jog in your lunch break or rediscovering your bike are all equally effective ways of getting fit for free – and breathing some fresh air while you’re at it.

Surf the web

Think the internet is just for socialising? Think again. There’s a hub of fitness activity and motivation online. With the rise of fitness influencers and bloggers, there’s never been more free content across all platforms. Instagram and YouTube are particularly thriving, meaning a solid home workout is never too far away. From two-person sessions to a 20-minute leg circuit, ab exercises to on-holiday workouts, what you’re looking for is just a Google search away – and it’s mostly all for free.

Budget gyms

While there are a multitude of ways to get fit at home, sometimes you might just really need that leg press or cross trainer. Gym memberships are usually expensive, but hunt around and you’re sure to find a good deal. Fitness First, for example, is currently offering a free three-day pass when you sign up here, while gyms such as Fitness4Less, TheGym and Pure Gym offer memberships options under £20. Don’t fancy being locked into a membership? Register at payasugym.com and save up to 60 per cent off gym costs.

Get appy

Never have there been more apps out there designed to keep track of your fitness. Sure, some charge for a more premium experience, but the majority offer motivation, tracking, exercises and videos for free. Strava, the running and cycling app giant, offers comprehensive tracking with GPS alongside challenges to see how you fare when pitted against others; CustomFit by Fitness First provides a truly impressive arsenal of workouts at the tip of your fingers; and Headspace provides guided meditation and mindfulness for the times you’d rather give your mind a workout.

Switch things up

Sometimes the biggest results come from the smallest of changes. If you’re being frugal with fitness, look at the changes you could make to your daily routine to get that little bit fitter. Could you swap your daily commute with a walk or a bike ride? Could you pop down to the shops instead of ordering it online? What about taking the stairs rather than the lift, or carrying a basket instead of pushing a trolley? Getting fit is all about consistency – and even the changes that seem small to start with are sure to pay off. The best bit? They don’t cost a thing.