No matter what your fitness goals are, cutting costs does not have to mean limiting your success. To lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficit with diet, exercise or both. A 3,500-calorie deficit equals a one pound loss. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend you lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week for a safe, healthy weight loss. While gym memberships and personal training can cost hundreds of dollars a month, other weight-loss options are inexpensive or free.
Walk or Run
Walking is an inexpensive way to lose weight because you don't need any special equipment. Walking burns about 280 calories an hour. In winter, purchase clothes for the cold so you can exercise outdoors or take your walk to a local mall. Visit parks, local neighborhoods and wooded trails to keep your interest. Take safety precautions including walking in well-lit areas, staying alert to traffic and avoiding unknown areas. As you gain endurance, increase your distance, the amount of time walking and your speed to get a better workout. Use a pedometer to track your distance and time. As you progress, try to work up to running, which burns about 590 calories an hour.
Body Weight Exercises
Performing strength training exercises builds muscles and burns calories, about 440 an hour. The extra muscle you build will increase your metabolism which will help you burn more calories when you are not working out. This is because the more muscle mass on your body, the more effective your metabolism works, adding to your weight loss. You can perform muscle building exercises without any equipment, using gravity as your main form of resistance.Bodyweight exercises include push-ups, squats, lunges, dips and sit-ups. Use an exercise library such as the one on the American Council on Exercise's website (see Resources) to find the many exercises you can do without equipment. For as little as $5 to $50, do resistance exercises with resistance bands and dumbbells to expand on the exercises you can perform at home.
Free Weight Loss Programs
There are several free weight loss programs. They vary in what they offer, but you can lose weight if you follow them. Some take into consideration whether you have a gym membership or fitness equipment. The Body-for-Life program is free. The exercises call for dumbbells or other weighted equipment for optimal success. You can sign up on the website (see Resources) to win $25,000 or follow the program on your own. The challenge recommends that you read its book, but does not require it, as the website has diet and workout information. Another option is the Discovery Health National Body Challenge which launches annually in time for the New Year. It offers customized diet and fitness plans, online support, videos and tracking tools (see Resources).
Workout DVDs
Fitness DVDs offer an exercise instructor and routine for the one-time cost of the DVD. Buy fitness DVDs at department stores, sports stores or online. They cost as little as $10 for a basic workout DVD or up to $100 or more for a progressive program with added features, such as P90X. Most require little to no equipment. Choose the DVD based on your skill, preference in workout style, added features and equipment needed. All you need is a DVD player and enough space to perform the workout. With basic aerobic exercise featured in many DVD workouts you can burn 480 calories an hour or more.
Inexpensive Dietary Changes
Choose healthy foods, lose weight and stay within your budget, without the need for supplements or high-cost foods. By buying healthier foods, you can avoid spending extra money. For example switching 1 cup of whole milk in your cereal for 1 cup of fat-free milk will save you 63 calories a day, which adds up to 443 calories a week. Remove unnecessary calories or eat fewer high-calorie foods. If you switch from drinking soda or juices to drinking water, you save money and reduce your calorie intake. Water has zero calories while a regular cola has about 227, which equals 1,135 calories in one work week. Switch snack foods, toppings, dressings and side items to lose weight and keep costs low.
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