We’re all trying to be a little more fit, and that journey can be hard when you feel like you don’t have the tools or resources you need. Oftentimes, fitness can be overly expensive. For people who can afford the extra expense of customized personal attention, it’s worth it. For people on a budget, there are still plenty of free or cheap resources that can help them do the work and see the results.
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Recipe Blogs
The internet loves food, and so many people have taken their love of cooking and eating to the next level. There are plenty of blogs filled with healthy recipes that suit all dietary preferences and needs. Some of those recipe blogs will also feature video tutorials for people who like to watch as they learn.
Recipe blogs come with another huge benefit – they’ll inspire you to cook. When takeout seems tempting, you’ll have a whole list of saved recipes you’re anxious to try. Cooking might actually become more fun than ordering a pizza.
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YouTube Videos
YouTube is full of free fitness videos. It’s easy to go on and learn proper yoga poses and Pilates techniques. It’s not the same as having a personal trainer, but it’s as close as you can get for free. Make sure you’re starting with the beginner level exercises, because the expert stuff may look easy, but you’re liable to hurt yourself until you’ve developed your skills.
You can make a playlist of your favorite stretches and workouts to incorporate into your daily life. If you want to make them portable and save data, you can use a YouTube downloader extension to download the videos. Just make sure you’re using a VPN before you do all that downloading on a public or unsecured WiFi connection.
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Activity Tracker Apps
If you prefer the idea of wearable tech, you can always buy a tracking bracelet or watch. If you’d rather keep things simple, you can use an activity tracking app. These apps follow your distances and calculate your speed when you walk, run, jog, hike, or bicycle. This can be used to track your progress, helping you set and meet your goals by slowly increasing that distance and speed.
Many of them will also calculate the calories you’ve burned doing physical activity. If you’ve burned more than you thought you did, you wouldn’t be ruining your progress with a small scoop of reduced sugar ice cream or a small order of fries. It’s good to know when you can afford to cheat a little.
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Your Local Parks and Nature Reserves
There are a few downsides to a gym membership. It’s great to have access to all of that equipment, but it’s expensive. If you’re self-conscious, you might not feel relaxed enough to loosen up and work out at the gym. That’s where local parks and nature reserves come in.
When you’re out and moving around, you’re burning calories and potentially building muscle. A great hike in a nature reserve is a lot more entertaining than stationary running on a treadmill in a gym or a workout room. You’ll get some fresh air and see some plants and animals on your voyage.
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Food Logging Apps
Looking at the labels on everything you eat to determine and measure an appropriate serving size and write down the calories, fat, and protein in everything can be absolutely maddening. It’s even more maddening when you’re cooking something that involves a lot of ingredients. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and attempting to guess, just use a food logging app.
The food logging app already has all of the information, and it’s easy to get accurate information even when you’re operating outside of a serving size. If you made something with ¾ cup of mayonnaise and only ate one of four servings, you can easily calculate that with a logging app. It saves a lot of hassle.
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Water
Water is one of the most invaluable resources for people trying to get fit. The importance of proper hydration cannot be emphasized enough. Water helps you feel full when you drink a full glass after a meal. It replenishes everything you sweat away when you’re working out. It keeps your metabolism working properly and helps your body repair and build muscle. Drop the soda and other sugary drinks – sub in water, and watch your fitness quest get easier.
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Your Community
Libraries and community centers often offer free or reduced classes on health, fitness, and cooking. If your community doesn’t offer those, there’s always the option of health and fitness based social media groups. Participating won’t hurt your wallet, and you’ll be able to make some new friends who share the same goals that you do. It’s always nice to know you have people you spend time with that won’t lure you into a night of junk food and sedentary activities when you’re trying hard to make healthier choices.
You have a lot of hard work to do, but using your resources appropriately will take the edge off. Empower yourself with the tools you need and watch yourself succeed.