One Snarky Chica with Issues

Did you know that some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions that people make involve getting fit? While there is some variety, they all mean pretty much the same thing.

Some people say that they want to lose weight, some say that they want to get in shape or be healthy and some may say that they want to start eating healthy.

Regardless of how you phrase it, getting fit does not have to be a costly endeavor. Gyms do the most business in January because of people’s New Year’s resolution to exercise more. And February is when they have the most people asking for refunds

Here are some frugal ways to get fit in 2008:

Use your local library. I get yoga and pilates DVDs from my local library all the time. Yoga classes in my area are $40 per class! So, every time I do one of those free yoga DVDs I think of how I am saving $40. The library is also a great place to go to look for cookbooks of healthy recipes.

Stop dining out. Period. It is no secret that you can eat healthier in your own kitchen than at a restaurant. And if you stop buying pre-packaged stuff and start cooking from scratch it is not only healthier (way less sodium for sure) but also less expensive. Use those cookbooks from the library to test out some new recipes.

Use your local park. Sure, it might be cold now, depending on where you live, but going to the park is free! At my local park there are trails for biking as well as a soccer field, basketball courts and a tennis court. Sure, you will need some equipment for some of these things. But do not buy them new! Look for a second-hand store like a Play-It-Again Sports store for super sized savings! You can also try Goodwill or yard sales.

Walk when you can. There is a Barnes and Noble, a movie theater and several shops across the street from my apartment complex. When the weather is nice enough, I will walk instead of drive over to these places. Sure, it invites rednecks to honk and yell stupid things when they drive by which annoys me to no end, but I am getting free exercise and I end up buying less or not all as because I have to carry it back! You can also park farther away when you go places to get more walking in.

Take the stairs. If there are stairs in your office, use them. If you go to the mall, use the stairs. If you live in a townhouse with stairs, there is no one stopping you from going up and down them repeatedly. I like to use the steps at the bottom and step up two and down and back up again, and so on.

Clean your home weekly. Sure, no one likes to clean. And I can’t imagine anyone hating it more than me. But let me tell you, by the time I am finished dusting and vacuuming I have worked up a sweat. My home is clean and I’ve gotten a little bit of a workout. I love to multi-task like that!

Canned goods as weights? Who needs weights when you have canned goods?! Okay, so this might not work for people that have more strength than me, but sometimes I use canned goods as weights. I am talking about the big super size canned goods - like tomato juice cans. Those are pretty big and heavy (at least for me!).