Whether you’re caught in a fitness rut, bored with your current workout routine or have simply been out of the loop for a while, gathering fresh exercise tips is a great way to motivate yourself for success. Here are a handful of frugal ways to sweat it out, minus the financial stress.

Biking

One way to combine exercise with cost saving measures is to bike to work. The money you save on fuel will provide an ROI for your purchased cycle relatively quickly. You can also purchase a hitch for your vehicle and transport your bike to free public trails in order to grab some great scenery during your workout and possibly the opportunity to connect with other cyclists.

Stairs

I’m not just talking about the ones in your home, hotel fire exits and workplace. There are challenging staircases built into the steps of publicly accessible monuments throughout the world, making for a great free travel workout that doesn’t require you to be stuck in your hotel room. The Spanish Steps in Rome are one classic example, but there are others as well. One simply has to watch a variety of movies and television to see this workout technique implemented.

Inclines

If your idea of exercise tips include those you can implement anywhere from your gym to a public walking trail, consider the concept of inclines. I learned this simple tip years ago from one of the trainers at the gym I used to belong to on Guam. By anyone’s definition, this guy was in phenomenal physical condition. My assumption was that he must run the equivalent of a marathon every day. I was wrong. He told me that with some knee injuries he’d had, running was out for him. So he put the treadmill at the highest incline possible and did a slow walk for whatever time he had available each day. I always remembered that lesson that you don’t have to embrace an extreme sport to stay in shape. If you don’t want to dish out for a gym membership, try walking up the biggest hill in your neighborhood to build up your leg muscles.

Activities

It’s tempting to think that every exercise session you attempt while on vacation has to involve walking, hiking, jogging, or the hotel gym. The fact is, you can embrace other activities that provide just as intense a workout with a similarly-affordable price. One example is snorkeling. You get a great leg workout along with some good cardio, and pay a fraction of what it would cost to go on a scuba diving adventure. That makes snorkel gear something you can add to your list of cheap fitness gear solutions.

Videos

If you already have a Netflix account, chances are you’re familiar with the streaming fitness options available to you there. However, for those who are still debating the necessity of signing up for such a service, free options are available. Two basic ones are Hulu and YouTube, with exercise tips and instructional videos available for everything from Yoga to power band workouts.

Municipal Tracks

While I haven’t had access to them every place I’ve lived, I’ve always found municipal tracks to be a great community perk. Sometimes accessible at city parks, and other times via publicly-accessible school grounds, tracks let you (literally) track your mileage in quarter-mile increments. They are also typically located in a central place that’s readily available to most of the town, making them a great place to meet up and exercise with friends who have the same fitness goals.

They are also great for couples who are at different points on the fitness continuum. For example, my husband is Mr. Mac Daddy runner and I am absolutely not. A quarter-mile track with multiple lanes let him do his thing while I do mine, yet still be in the same general place with the opportunity to chat for a minute or two whenever our paths sync up. What’s more, we’re both in the same departure spot when we’re ready to go, making it a convenient and fuel-efficient option for us.

These are some of my favorite simple exercise tips for singles, couples and families alike. They provide fun alternatives while not boxing anyone into constrictive parameters that don’t suit their personal fitness style.

What are some of your motivational exercise tips?

Myscha Theriault

Myscha Theriault

A lifelong money cruncher who can squeeze a nickel ‘til it cries, Myscha is a syndicated columnist, best-selling author, and founder of Trek Hound and We Be Sharin’.