** This thread discusses the content article: 10 Ways to Get in Shape on a Budget **

Steve Rhodes


 


 


Today, you woke up a different man or woman. You were no longer going to sit idly by and let things passively happen to you, but you were going to be proactive. You were going to take responsibility for life, and be the man or woman you always wanted to be. That meant that today, you were going to start getting into shape.


There was only one problem. You had some idea about what it took to get in shape, but couldn't afford to pay for an expensive gym and pool membership as well as a personal trainer. So how could you possibly be able to get in shape?


Look no further for the answer to your question. Here are 10 ways to get in shape on a budget:


1. The playground is your gym. There's only one piece of equipment that you really need to workout, and that's the pull up bar. Luckily, if you have a park or playground nearby, then you also have access to a pull up bar. If you're really lucky, you'll also have rings and monkey bars nearby too. Between push ups, planks, pull ups, and even muscle ups, you have all of the exercises you need to get into great shape.


2. Water is weight. When I was training for the army, I used to load a pack with 20 kilo water carriers and go for a hike. Water is great to use as weight, because its' very simple to estimate how much your loading. One liter of water is equal to one kilo of weight, or 2.2 pounds. For a great workout, try walking to the playground with your pack and then doing pull ups.


3. Cut out the junk food. It might seem like a hard thing to give up cheap fast food when you're trying to get in peak shape, but you can actually come out on top money wise. By cutting out your junk food intake like chips and candy bars, you'll end up saving a lot of money on empty calories. At the end of the month, you might be surprised that you're left with a couple hundred more dollars than usual.


4. The road is your treadmill. Not only is running outside cheaper than using the treadmill, but it also gets better results because you have to navigate real world obstacles. For optimum results. try running on grass, dirt, or even better, sand.


5. Become a farmer. Becoming a farmer might not be practical, but it's by far the best way to get into amazing shape. There is no substitute to farming for real world physical and mental training, not to mention learning about hard work, and never thinking that anything else you ever do is hard. If you're a young guy, try working on a farm during your free time. For the rest of you, you can make a note to yourselves not to ever mess with farmers.


SparkCBC


[This is an example of a guy you don't want to mess with.]


6. The stairs are your stairmaster. Aside from the obvious running up and down the stairs, you can do a multitude of different exercises on them. For instance, you can do calf raises, one legged squats, as well as a tricep exercises where you face forward, keep your legs straight and with your arms behind you and bent you push yourself up and down against the stair.


7. Dig. Digging is a great way to really strengthen your legs and lower back. Try starting a project like making a barbeque pit to have an excuse to really start digging. Not only will you get strong, but your friends will thank you for the meat. Note: Digging can hurt the lower back, so make sure to use proper technique (squatting) and if you feel pain, stop.


8. Your garage is your fitness store. You probably have a ton of stuff laying around in your garage that you can use for working out that you don't even know about. Look for things that are easy for grip and have some weight to them to use as barbells and dumbells, and even be creative with making contraptions. Just make sure to use common sense and be careful with what you use. Protip: Anything with nails does NOT make good workout equipment.


9. Look for bargain sales. Garage sales and online sites like ebay are great places to look for bargain sales on workout equipment. There are many old school barbells and dumbbells that were built to last for decades, so if you're lucky, you might find someone getting rid of old stuff at a low price that is still high quality.


10. Take advantage of free information. Free fitness information that can be found on sites like this is a great way to really learn and understand how to get into great shape as well as find specific workout plans. The internet is full of great information, and it's up to you to take advantage of it. Besides, even if there is something that even the internet doesn't have an answer to, you can always ask on the forums.


Rafi Bar-Lev is a former combat medic and the founder of Passionate Fitness.


Follow him on twitter.


If you liked this article, subscribe for free to the Passionate Fitness RSS Feed.


And join our brand new facebook group!

Wow!!

This will really be useful since just moved to into my new home so budget is a little tight yet.

Awesome for anyone even not on a budget...save that money for better things ...like a nice vacation to show off that new
healthy body!

All the best in health

Glad you found it useful HealthDude!

-Rafi