A new year can bring with it a lot of changes and opportunities, for most people this usually includes a few new goals. One of the most common is to get in shape and feel good! Does this mean that we need to rush out and spend a fortune on every book there is about dieting and crazy tips on how to lose a stone in just a week? Or is the only more conventional option joining the gym?
January is one of the busiest months for fitness centres, as hoards of people who have vowed to hit the gym and get fit pile through the doors. There are plenty of reasons why gyms attract so many people:
- They have all the equipment that you need to tone up and burn those calories.
- They have qualified staff ready to help and advise you.
- The atmosphere is perfect for gearing you up for a good work out.
Even though there are some great reasons to join the gym, personally I have never seemed to be able to justify being charged £30 a month to exercise. I must sound a bit crazy but I just can’t shake away the feeling that exercising should be free. Don’t get me wrong, I have been tempted just recently to join my local gym, the idea of being able to use all of the expensive equipment is a big attraction, and also going to a specific place purely to get fit would stop me from being distracted with my day to day chores. But then that nagging feeling creeps up again and I remember how I used to work out all the time in the comfort of my own bedroom when I was a teenager. I didn’t need to be a gym member to tone up and feel great then, so why do I need to now?
Exercising Doesn’t Need to Cost a Fortune
So I dug out my box of old DVDs and found my good old workout chum ‘ Ministry of Sounds Pump It Up: The Ultimate Dance Workout*’. I used to know the workout off-by-heart but I think there has been enough years gone by since I last used it for it to feel new to me once again. 🙂
You probably have a pile of workout DVDs stashed away in your cupboard that you could revive, or, if you fancy trying a different one like my favourite, then it will only set you back around £5 (this is because it was released in 2004, urgh! That makes me feel old). I really enjoy the ministry of sound workouts because, like in the gym the music and atmosphere is really upbeat and it’s not just the standard aerobics routine which makes it really fun and enjoyable to do.
Even though you might not fancy treating yourself to a new workout DVD*, it is a small one off payment. Plus you can use the DVD over and over again to really get your money’s worth. Perfect!
Getting Motivated
Choosing to exercise from home does have one downside though, motivation. If you’re like me then you will understand how difficult it is to try and ignore the housework that is sat there looking at you and actually give yourself a good 30 – 60 minute workout. If your day has gone totally to plan then you could fit in your daily routine before-hand, this however is not always the case. So there comes a point when you need to get motivated to put yourself before the house, surely we deserve to do that a couple of times a week!
Plus, I have always found that the hardest part is getting started, but once you have that feeling of satisfaction that you’re looking after yourself – especially when you start to see a difference in your body – then finding the motivation and discipline will be easy.
As you can tell, I enjoy keeping fit by using my exercise DVD, but there are so many different options to choose from. If you’re a great outdoors lover then going for a run, walking the dog or cycling might suit you better. Or even if you like to exercise indoors but you don’t want to copy somebody else’s workout, you can create your own, using things like the stairs to run up and down or even for press ups and household items for weights. These are just a few suggestions, but we can see that there are plenty of ways to feel good about you and still feel good about your bank balance. 🙂
So how about you, how do you like to keep fit?
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