It’s a new year. If you’re anything like me, you have a pack of new year’s resolutions that you’ve made and at this point in time still have every intention of keeping. (Cut sugar from diet? Check. Wake up to go to gym at 4:45 a.m.? Check.) Weight loss and general goals of getting into shape are always big on resolution lists, so I thought I’d take a look at a couple of ways to do this without breaking the bank.
1. “Trial Memberships” at your local gym
I am lucky enough that I now live in a building that has a *free* gym. Before moving into this place, however, I really worked the system. Since I live in Chicago there are an over-abundance of gyms to choose from. Instead of choosing one and paying an astronomical amount of money to become a member of any one gym, I made good use of trial memberships at a few different gyms.
Most gyms (and certainly the good ones), will allow you to try out their facility for a period of time before forcing you to commit to a membership. Some gyms only give you a week, though some are generous and give two weeks.
Right now Bally’s is offering a Free 7 Day Pass to try out any of their facilities, plus they’ve waived the enrollment fee.
The economy is still hurting and I’ve read that when that’s the case, gym memberships are the first thing to get canceled. This means that with a little bit of hunting (and making use of those free memberships), you should be able to score a good deal.
I am not a fan of paying for services such as Weight Watchers, so you might be surprised to see this on the list. However, Jenn from Jeans Friday sent me an email letting me know that for a limited time WeightWatchers.com is waiving the sign-up fee when you purchase a three-month plan. Waiving the sign-up fee will save you $29.95, so if you were already going to join, this might be the time to jump on-board.
In my humble opinion SparkPeople is a better alternative to Weight Watchers, especially if all you’re going to do is sign up for the Weight Watchers online plan. Why do I think it’s better? It’s FREE.
I’ve been a member of SparkPeople for years and they are constantly updating and upgrading what they offer. You can keep track of everything you eat all day, and they’ll let you know how many calories you’ve consumed, as well as vitamins and nutrients. You can also enter your exercise information, as well as keep track of all of your fitness and weight loss goals.
At SparkPeople you can start a fitness blog, set up an online calendar, and even create things like strength training programs based on your needs.
Please share – what techniques or programs do you utilize to keep in shape at an inexpensive price? I’ll do a follow-up post in the near future with some of your suggestions.
Oh, also just found this! Free yoga online? Yes, please! http://savingmoneylivinglife.blogspot.com/2010/01/free-yoga-classes-on-line.html
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