Affordable Sports and Training.Staying healthy with no money is possible. It’s actually what I would recommend you all try. Too often do I see newbies to the fitness community get all caught up with joining a gym and buying all of the fancy tools that go along with working out. You know what I mean? I see newbies buying the most expensive Nike running shoes, a slick track suit, an over-priced gym membership, and ridiculous amounts of workout supplements. What’s the point of all of this? Whatever happened to keeping it simple and at home exercising?

I wanted to discuss affordable sports and training, and how you can get in shape this Spring on a tight budget:

Performing body weight at home exercises.

There’s nothing like setting a new record for consecutive pushups or squats in your living room. Instead of worrying about the bench press or fancy squat machines, you should start off by performing body weight exercises at home. You’ll be shocked when you see how sore you get after trying to pull off that new pushup record. The best part about all of this is that you can do it while watching tv at home. Next time you find yourself idly sitting on the couch and just watching sports, you should try to perform a few body weight exercises. At first it will be annoying. Once you get into the habit, you’ll really start to enjoy these at home exercises.

Embrace the park for training.

With summer just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to take advantage of the park. I have younger brothers so if I ever want to work out on a warm day, I drag one of them to the park to kick the ball around or to go for a jog. There’s nothing better than going for a nice run on a Spring evening. Give it a try, you might get hooked on it.

Join a community sports team.

If you want to get moving and be held accountable for it, joining a sports team can be the ideal option for you. My dad is in his 50s now and he still plays soccer every Sunday morning with his friends. No matter what your age is or what your favorite sport is, you can always find a team that’s looking for an extra player. Playing on a sports team is beneficial for you in many ways, including:

  • An opportunity to socialize.
  • Meet new friends.
  • Be apart of a team.
  • Practice your leadership skills.

Try one of the many at home exercise programs.

If you’re willing to spend a little bit of money you can purchase one of the at home exercise programs that are out there. These programs usually come in the form of a DVD set and they allow you to train at your own convenience. This means that you can train at 4 in the afternoon or 4 in the morning, as you prefer.

What are some common at home exercise programs? The ones that I have tried include the P90X workout and Crossfit. You can purchase the videos online (I won’t be posting any links) or you can find some sample videos online. I’ve tried both of these workout programs and they’re amazing if you’re dedicated enough to perform them on a consistent basis. Since consistency is key the main challenge is getting into the habit of sticking to the routines. It’s really easy to get lazy and forget about the workouts. You can start off by having a workout partner so that you guys can hold each other accountable for training. You’ll find that training becomes so much more enjoyable when you’re doing it with a good friend. The other bonus once again is that by working out from home you guys can work around each others busy schedules.

Affordable sports and training are very possible. If you start to embrace at home exercising you’ll find yourself getting in shape without worrying about your tight budget. Don’t let money become an excuse for not being in shape. The only thing holding you back is yourself.

What are some other ways you can find affordable training methods to get in shape? What did I miss?

(photo credit: hamedog)

Martin Dasko

Martin Dasko