Super Cheap Ways To Keep Fit

When you hear of fitness, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Gym membership? Expensive gear?

Today more than ever, it’s important to be proactive about fitness, whether you appear to need it or not. Research has shown that our jobs are killing us slowly. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found adults who sat for more than 11 hours a day had a 40 per cent increased risk of dying within three years, compared with those who sat for fewer than four hours a day. We need to get up and about, and since this blog is about frugality, today we look at cheap ways to stay fit.

While gym and expensive wear is one thing to do it, there are frugal ways to keep fit, today we look at a few:

1. Jogging: This is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to keep fit. You basically only need to invest in a good pair of running shoes, a track suit, then get running. People usually assume that for a jog to be effective, it has to be at a high speed. That is not the case. Run as slowly as you are comfortable to. Try to run at least 25 minutes thrice a week, and you are good to go.

I find that it helps to set goals that keep you motivated. I am for example training for the 10km Standard Chartered Marathon to raise funds for Vision Africa, and my goal is to actually run all the way whatever it takes. This means that every week for the next one month, I have to run at least 10km, and in September and October, I must run all the way at least once a week.  Working on a goal that isn’t weight loss or a waist size distracts you and keeps you motivated to keep going. In no time, you meet your weight or waist size goals.

2. Exercise videos: This is the most convenient way to keep fit. Exercise videos are readily ava

ilable on Nairobi streets, and the best thing about this is you can work out in the comfort of your house. No need to brave the cold and the terrain jogging. Home videos will not give you a 6-pack, but they keep you active, and are cheap!

3. Body weight workouts: The advantage of body weight workouts is that your body is all the equipment you need to have an effective work out, and you can actually get a 6 pack right in your sitting room, if you push yourself hard enough. The only cost here is time! There’s a lot of material about this on the internet. For example, About.Com has great exercises you can use. You can combine body weight exercises with cardio. My instructor combines these with intervals of 1 minute of very fast sprints on the spot. In 20 minutes, you should be able to work up a sweat.

4. Skipping rope: This has been touted as the most effective cardio you can do, if you do it right. According to this article, you can burn as much as 135 calories skipping rope. Skipping rope is once more cheap, the best skipping rope in the world won’t set you back Kshs 5,000, and really, you don’t need the best skipping rope in the world.

So there you go. Stop making excuses. Pick one of those and get moving!