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6
Ways To Build a Better Body On a Budget
Lean times don't mean you have to skimp on fitness.
Try these suggestions for workouts and home gym
equipment on the cheap.
By Colette Bouchez
WebMD Feature
Gym
memberships, personal trainers, pricey equipment for
the home gym - all these expenses can make it
tempting to use tough economic times as an excuse
for avoiding exercise. But the truth is that you can
build a better body on a budget.
From
simple workouts with no equipment, to getting some
of the benefits of a trainer for free with the click
of a mouse, there are lots of ways to stay in shape
and still save money.
To
help point you in the right direction, WebMD asked
the experts for advice on how you can get fit for
little or no money.
6 Ways to Build a
Better Body on a Budget
1. Schedule Your Workouts
When
you've got a membership to a high-tech gym or a
standing appointment with a personal trainer, the
expense means you're less likely to skip out on
workout time. Experts say it's essential to approach
your "no frills" workout with the same convictions.
"This means putting it on your schedule, making a
specific time for when you're going to do your
workout, and it means doing all you can to limit
interruptions -- like turning off the phone, making
sure the dog is walked before you start, and, if
necessary, letting family members know that for 30
minutes or so, they are on their own," says Susie
Shina, director of FitnessOneEighty.com and author
of 60-Second Circuits: 1,000 Easy Exercise Combos
You Can Do Anywhere.
You
can also help keep your workout on track by laying
out your exercise clothes the night before, says
Shina. "This acts as a reminder that you don't want
to skip out on your session."
What
can also help: Choose a playlist of your favorite
exercise songs and load them into your mp3 player,
or create a workout CD. Timing the music to fit the
length of your workout will help keep you on track
for the whole routine.
"Motivation and music go hand in hand, so again,
it's another way to ensure you stay motivated," says
Shina.
2. Choose Workouts That Work at Home
When
you're starting a workout program, it can be hard to
figure out what exercises you should be doing --
particularly if you don't have the budget for pricey
equipment or personal training advice.
But
all you really need to do, says Charla McMillian,
JD, CSCS, is follow a few simple guidelines.
"You
have to ensure that all your major muscle groups are
targeted at least once each week -- and no more than
three times a week, and your program has to include
30-60 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic
exercise three to five times a week," says McMillian,
creator of FitBoot.com, a training program for
fitness professionals.
And
don't forget to stretch, which helps with both
strength and flexibility.
"Always begin every workout with a few simple
stretches, and always end with at least two to three
minutes of stretching," suggests Adrian Garce, a
Greenwich, Conn.-based personal trainer.
McMillian and Garce suggest these basic,
no-equipment exercises to get you started:
Squats. Standing upright, feet wider than shoulders
apart, with arms extended forward or hands on hips
for balance, squat down. Push knees outward as you
descend, until thighs are parallel with the floor.
Continue pushing knees outward as you stand.
Partial-body push-ups (with knees on the floor).
Modified jumping jack. Instead of moving your arms
over your head, do these while pressing the palms of
your hands together at chest level, with elbows out
to form a straight line.
Chair crunches. Sit on a chair with hands under your
behind, arms straight, and fingers facing inward
toward one another. Contract your pelvis and lower
abs, and, keeping your knees bent at a 90-degree
angle, lift your feet off the floor and tuck your
knees in toward your chest, bending the upper body
slightly toward your knees. Do as many as you can
until you reach fatigue.
Chair dips. Place your hands on the side of the
chair and wrap your fingers around the edge. Scoot
forward until your bottom is on the edge of the
chair and your arms are fully extended. Keep your
feet about 3 inches apart with legs extended, so
knees are at approximately 150 degrees with your
heels grounded. With elbows pointed back and tucked
in tight alongside the body, do 15-20 dips, 3
seconds down and 1 second up. Keep your chest up and
your shoulders back.
3. Turn Your Housewares Into "Gymware"
Your
home may already be a home gym. Experts say if you
think outside the (treadmill) box, you'd be
surprised at how many household objects can be
substituted for fitness equipment.
Here
are few suggestions:
Use
soup cans for weights. Janet Lee, deputy fitness
editor of Shape magazine, says that any triceps or
biceps exercise you'd do at the gym with dumbbells,
you can do at home using cans of soup. To properly
gauge the weight, don't go by the ounces listed on
the can -- that's liquid weight. Instead, weigh the
cans on your scale to figure out the poundage that's
best for you.
Use
jugs as weights.Fill a household bucket or jug with
water (or sand, rock salt, or powdered detergent),
secure the top with duct tape. Lift it up and down
in front of you as you do squats.
Substitute paper plates for body sculpting
equipment. The key here, says Lee, is to use the
plates to help your body slide on a carpet. This
allows you do body sculpting moves that would
ordinarily require workout equipment. You can do the
sliding lunge (put the paper plate under one foot
and lunge forward).
Try
stimulating skating to work your butt and thighs:
Just attach the plates to your feet with rubber
bands and slide away. Or, get down on all fours, put
the plates under your hands, and use them to work
your chest by sliding your arms back and forth.
Substitute a countertop for a push-up bench. In most
homes at least one countertop, in the kitchen or
bath, is the right height for a push-up. Put both
hands on the countertop, extend your legs behind you
at an angle, lean down into the counter and then
push back up.
Substitute pantyhose for resistance bands. Almost
any exercise you can do with a resistance band, you
can do with old pantyhose or tights. For example,
sitting on the floor with legs straight, loop a pair
of pantyhose around the balls of your feet and pull
back with both hands as if you were using a rowing
machine.
4. Use Your Computer for Motivation
and Help
Do
you tend to work out better when someone is setting
goals for you? Then don't overlook the power of your
computer - and many free applications that can
provide some of the stimulation you need.
You
can find exercise-tracking tools and spreadsheets on
a number of websites. Use them to create and
maintain a training regimen, keep track of your
progress, and even to share online with friends,
family members, and fellow exercisers.
For
how-to instructions for specific exercises, check
out WebMD's fitness slideshow, including those
illustrating a 30-minute workout and abs exercises.
Further, video sites like YouTube.com are full of
free videos from exercise gurus willing to share
their know-how. Some other sites offer free workouts
to download to your mp3 player. However, the experts
warn, you shouldn't take advice from just anyone.
"Make sure the fitness instructor is qualified.
There is a lot of questionable advice out there,
even on DVDs you purchase, so always make sure the
advice is coming from someone certified by a
reputable fitness organization," says Therese
Pasqualoni, an aerobics instructor and director of
StrikeItHealthy.com.
5. Take a TV Exercise Break
Here's a no-excuses, no-expense workout: Instead of
going to the kitchen for a snack during TV
commercials, exercise instead.
"Pick a different activity for each commercial and
do it till the show comes back on," suggests Shina.
"During one commercial, do crunches; during another,
do squats; during another, march in place. The
longer you watch TV, the more exercise you'll get
in, and before the night is over you've got at least
15 to 20 minutes of workout time."
6. Spend a Little, Get a Lot
If
you do have a few dollars to put toward building a
better body, here is the fitness equipment experts
say can give you the most benefits for the least
amount of money:
-
A dumbbell set that represents a realistic range
of what you need to lift (5-30 pounds for most
women, 10-50 pounds for most men)
-
An adjustable weight bench (one that goes from
flat to incline or decline)
-
A mirror for the wall so you can see your
technique
-
Kettle bells -- hand weights that can be used to
tone your entire body
-
Resistance bands, a type of rubber tubing that
creates resistance for your muscles
-
Instructional DVDs
-
Stability ball
-
Step bench for step aerobics
©
WebMD. All rights reserved.
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When you're starting a workout
program, it can be hard to figure out what
exercises you should be doing -- particularly if
you don't have the budget for pricey equipment
or personal training advice. |
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