7 Ways to Get Fit for Free
Hitting the gym requires more cash and commitment than we care for, but treadmills aren’t the only way to stay in shape. Here are our top tips on how to get fit without joining the gym…
If you’re looking to get or keep fit, there are loads of great ways to exercise, live healthily, and get a fit body without going to the gym.
Getting fit for free is easier than you might think, and there are actually plenty of ways to become more active which (dare we say it) can be quite fun – not to mention effective for looking after your mental health.
To help, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite ways to get in shape for free.
How to get fit
Here are our top tips on how to keep fit for free (or for very little):
1. Home workout YouTube tutorials
YouTube tutorials are some of the best ways to get fit at home. There are thousands of free-to-watch fitness routines to choose from on YouTube. So, whatever difficulty and style of home workout you’re looking for, there will be a video tutorial for you.
Most YouTube workouts don’t even require you to have any equipment or let you use household items, like a bottle of water.
2. Join university sports teams
You don’t need to be a pro athlete to get involved with sports clubs at university.
Joining a sports club is a brilliant opportunity to stay active without going to the gym, especially if your timetable is just a little bit too packed.
Every university has an array of sports clubs, from the bog-standard (football) to the weird and wonderful (Quidditch), and the best part is these club sports activities are usually free or cheap to do.
3. Download free fitness apps
There are so many great fitness apps that can help you track your progress and work towards different goals.
Apps like Sworkit and 7 Minute Workout are great for squeezing in a quick session at home, and you’ll only need floor space and a pair of comfy joggers to get fit with their fantastic (and exhausting) workouts.
Strava is a particularly popular fitness app – it’s essentially a social media platform that focuses on exercise, letting you share your runs, cycles, and walks with your friends. You can also see what others have been up to, and give them ‘Kudos’ for their efforts.
4. Use home exercise equipment
Ever dreamed of a home gym? If you take away all of the shiny, expensive bits, you basically can have one (or near enough!).
You can get cheap versions of gym equipment on Amazon, such as a rowing exerciser for around £10, and skipping ropes are cheap as chips (but way less fatty).
If you’re really looking to save some money, keep an eye on Freecycle and swapping sites, where you’ll sometimes find old gym equipment that you can pick up for free.
5. Drink water instead of fizzy drinks
You might be pretty on top of this healthy-eating business, but have you stopped to think about what else you’re chucking down your throat?
Fizzy drinks like Coke, Sprite, or Fanta, along with highly sweetened or flavored fruit juices, are only good for two things: rotting your teeth and piling on the pounds. They were also very expensive.
Switch to plain old water and you’ll find it’s cheaper (even free!), much more refreshing, and will help remove toxins from your body, speed up your metabolism and generally be healthier.
6. Go to the park for exercise
Even taking regular walks outside can be enough to improve your fitness levels. But if you really want to amp up on exercise, grab your running shoes or trainers and go for a jog around your local area – you might also be surprised at what you see.
Parks are brilliant hubs for different ways of keeping fit. Find out whether there’s a local park run going on near you (they usually happen on Saturday mornings and are completely free).
Outdoor gyms that can usually be found next to the playgrounds are also great alternatives to splashing out on an actual (indoor) gym membership. Loads of the same equipment without the sweaty gym air!
7. Do indoor workouts
Despite what we said in the last tip, the great outdoors can be a massive deterrent to a generous bout of healthy exercise, especially when it’s too cold, too hot, too rainy, or too dry (or any other excuse you can possibly think of).
But, don’t let that put you off. As well to the workout videos we suggested earlier, there are lots of things you can do in your house, right now, without buying any gym equipment or having to pay for online fitness coaches.
From running up and down the stairs (yes, that is a legitimate exercise) to squats, press-ups, and star jumps, you won’t have to step a foot out the door to start feeling the benefits of your new health routine.
