It’s a new month in a new year and if you’re like most of America, you’re feeling a little undone. Maybe you napped more than you exercised during the holiday season. Or perhaps you overindulged in your favorite sweet treats and savory snacks. No matter the reason, you may find yourself in the same boat as me: with a desire to eat with more intention and to take better care of my physical health.
Oftentimes, we feel like exercise and fitness come hand in hand with a hefty price tag. Sure, we’d like to be in better shape, but don’t you need a fancy exercise bike connected to an iPad to make that happen? Or we want to make better choices when it comes to food, but that requires tossing out all of the food in our fridge, pantry, and freezer and replacing it with high-end alternatives, doesn’t it?
While both a Peloton and a clean sweep-styled adventure at a high end grocery store sound like a dream come true to me, I don’t see either happening anytime in the near future. It’s just not feasible for our budget. Instead, I’m focusing on low-cost, high-result substitutions to achieve goals this year. In fact, some of the best fitness choices you can make won’t cost a dime in 2020.
Find a friend
Your success largely hinges on your own personal choices. But research shows that who you hang out with can have a greater bearing on which life decisions you make. Find a friend who is on a similar fitness journey or even a few steps ahead of you on the path. Set up times to work out together or text one another each time after you hit the gym. Set a common goal to run a 5k or spend a day hiking on a specific date. Try out that class you’ve always wanted to take together. There’s nothing better than cheering someone else along, too. Best of all, friendship is free.
Write it down
Goals on paper happen at a greater rate than those merely in your head. So if you have physical fitness goals for the new year, be sure to actually write them down. Go a step further by plotting out dates on your calendar to make time to take care of your health. Post positive reinforcement in places you’ll see them often. Set reminders on your phone to ping so you won’t forget to work out. Record your data in a journal or with a fitness app to track your progress. In as many ways as possible, log your information to stay on track.
Hit the library
Think you need to subscribe to a health magazine this year? If you have a library card, there’s no need. You have the ability to both read print and digital magazines at your local library. You can also check out a wide variety of books on exercise and nutrition. And thanks to both a physical DVD collection as well as online digital lending, you can stream or check out almost every type of fitness DVD imaginable. From training schedules to cookbooks, there’s not much you can’t find at the library.
Find free apps
Building a workout from scratch is much easier in the era of apps. What was once only the expertise of a personal trainer can be right in your own hand.
Choosing an app can feel overwhelming and confusing though. After all, your goals might be different than others and it’s tricky to know which direction to go. One of the highest rated free apps available is C25K which helps you move from the couch to running a 5k utilizing interval training.
Nike Training Club is also free and allows you to access a wide variety of pre-recorded and live workouts focusing on strength, endurance, and flexibility. While no longer available on an app, FitnessBlender.com is my favorite online workout go-to. The website can be viewed from your mobile device browser, smart TV or tablet and includes an easy to use interface.
With all apps, it’s important to pay attention to add-on expenses. Don’t get bogged down in subscriptions or purchases unless you love the service and are already using it on a consistent basis.
Even if money is tight, your health and fitness aims for the new year are possible. In the end, it’s probably best for all of us to eat less and move more. Neither have to cost a lot and in the long term do more to save you money, too. So lace up those shoes, phone a friend, and be about the very affordable business of getting fit this year.
