Gym Free Fitness
For many people these days, exercise is synonymous with the gym; you simply can’t do it without one! However, this is of course simply not true. There are many people out there that manage to exercise who don’t have access to a gym for whatever reason, or quite simply can’t justify the cost of membership, which is a fair point. Membership fees tend to cover usage of the saunas and jacuzzis that most all singing all dancing gyms tend to feature these days; but these features offer nothing in terms of direct exercise. As a result, they are simply taking money from your bank account that could be put to better use elsewhere.
So, what’s the alternative?
Workout at Home
Many people in the world today are so busy with work and family life, that after walking through their front door every night after travelling home in stop and start rush hour traffic, the last thing they want to be doing is going straight back out of it again to the gym for a good portion of the night. Working out at home can be both time and cost effective. Also, let’s remind ourselves of just a few of the home workout advantages:
- No driving time
- No crowds
- No queues
Also, time spent exercising seems to go so much quicker when you can do it in front of the television, or whilst listening to your favourite music.
Just because you don’t have an abundance of machines at your disposal, it doesn’t mean you can’t exercise; you just have to stop thinking along traditional lines and adapt your workout. You’ll find yourself doing things you won’t have previously considered.
One of the simplist exercises you can do in your home, or at least close to it, is to go walking or running. You don’t need a fancy gym membership for that; just a good pair of shoes. It has been shown by research that doing either of the above for at least 20 minutes, three times a week, is a good foundation to build on.
Is the weather particularly dire in your area? Don’t let it stop you; adapt! You could do…
- Stair climbing
- Skipping
- Mini-trampoline
Or with the money you’ve not burnt on a gym membership, consider purchasing a piece of home cardio equipment, such as an exercise bike or treadmill. Remember, the phrase ‘you get what you pay for’ is very true, so make sure you purchase a piece of quality equipment; something that you enjoy using, and most importantly will use. In too many cases, home fitness equipment retires to become a glorified clothing rail.
You could even try dancing to your favourite music, or purchase a keep fit DVD or video.
Resistance Training
Resistance training should go hand in hand with cardio workouts, and just like cardio, it’s easy to do at home. A little bit of money and space could equip you with a few dumbbells which can be used for a number of exercises for the whole body. Likewise, resistance bands are also a good purchase, and if you have a DVD or video that shows you how to use them, they can be surprisingly effective.
Exercise balls can be adapted in an infinate number of ways that will make for a good substitute for a bench with many exercises.
If you haven’t got that spare money lying around to buy either of the above, don’t worry; simply adapt again.
Your body weight can provide you with a good resistance workout. Take the following exercises for example:
- Squats
- Lunges
- Calf-raises
- Push-ups (or modified push ups)
- Wall push-ups/Counter height push-ups
- Chair triceps dip
- Curls (holding anything!)
- Abs bridge (two legs/one leg)
- Crunches
If you don’t know how to do these exercises, just Google them. There are plenty of sites out there with good illustrations and descriptions. Or, why not register an account here at Massage Forum, and create a page yourself?
So, there you have it. Being unable to subscribe to a gym membership might not be so bad after all. Why not try out some of the exercises in this article for yourself, and see how you can benefit from a workout in the comfort of your own home.
