Fit and Chic on the Cheap
June 15, 2009 by Jessie Goh
This article is about Live on less
Exercise promotes healthy living. It is not supposed to require a hefty price tag (gym memberships), expensive equipment and high performance apparel! Many people promise themselves to use the gym when they sign their name on the dotted line that binds them to a 12 month contract that slowly seeps the living daylight of the poor bugger when he or she is faced with the monthly fees. This is a vicious cycle – the more you think about your gym membership, the moodier you get as you fail to muster the discipline to visit the gym on a regular basis in order to get your money’s worth. Luckily for you, there are plenty of other ways to get fit without having to visit the gym.
1. Start Walking!
Walking or hiking is free, doesn’t require any special skill and you can do it anywhere. Just set a target and walk to the shops (dangerous territory) or walk to the park and back. If you have a dog, make it an effort to walk your dog everyday and if you can, get the dog to be your running companion. It is a great workout.
2. Play some social sports
We are lucky to be in Sydney where sporting organisations are everywhere and many of them offer lunch time and/or after work sports. These activities are often more fun as you are in a group and there is always the thrill of competition and winning. I started playing volleyball a year ago and now have picked up basketball. It is a great workout that I enjoy and definitely better than going to the gym and letting the machines rule me. Other associations include Oztag, indoor soccer, badminton and tennis.
Alternatively, if you are not a fan of being part of an association, there is no harm rounding up a few friends on a weekly basis to shoot hoops, run laps or throw a ball around.
3. Weights
Weights do not have to be expensive. Have you tried lifting a 10KG sack of rice on a regular basis? This works as well as lifting dumbbells. When I was training as an athlete, I was encouraged to fill plastic bottles with sand and use them as weights. So, before you chuck your bottles, reuse and recycle them.
4. Household Chores
Do not laugh! This is serious multi-tasking. Why not clean your house and burn some calories at the same time? Give your bathrooms and kitchen a good scrub. At the end of the day, you will be beat and hey, that means calories burnt! 
Personally, I have tried gym memberships and they do not work for me. I hate going on the machines. I’ve even tried attending the classes but I just cannot stand having to work out alongside that many people during the busy periods. These ways have really helped me shed some pounds on the cheap. Hopefully, they will inspire you to get off that couch too!
~Jess
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