Enjoyable And Cheap Ways To Get Your Exercise

This is a guest post from Money Beagle, who writes about personal finance with a focus on the personal side of things. Please check out his blog for thoughts on saving money, reducing debt, shopping, and more. If you like what you see, go ahead and subscribe to his RSS feed and spread the word!

Staying fit is important. After all, we only get one body, so it’s important to keep it in tune.

There are many ways to have a healthy body. Today I’m going to focus on the exercise portion of it.

I’ll start off by saying that I’m not, by any means, an exercise nut. I enjoy exercise but I’m not disciplined or motivated enough to do things like run or lift weights every day.

Still, I have found that there are enjoyable ways to get exercise that don’t cost a lot, and can even be free. See if you can spot a theme as you read through some of the ways that I get my exercise for cheap!

• Morning walks – I recently discovered that getting out of bed and taking a nice walk through the neighborhood is a great start to the day especially with warm weather. There’s just something about leaving the house when it’s dark and seeing the day light up that is pretty cool. If you do this, try to walk in areas with sidewalks and wear light clothing.
• Walk the dog – We don’t have a dog but I’ve seen so many people walking their dogs through the neighborhood that I thought I’d throw it in there. Give your dog an extra long walk every once in a while. Chances are, they’ll love you even more for it, and it’s great exercise too.
• Walk with the family – Last item about walking, I promise! But, our family often goes out for a short walk after dinner. It’s relaxing. It gives us a little time to talk about our day. It helps Baby Beagle see things (he loves pointing at every tree he sees). And of course, it gets you exercise.
• Bike rides – We love taking our bikes out. In past years, we’d often take our bikes through the neighborhood in place of walks. We still need to get our bikes ready for the season, as well as add something that Baby Beagle can sit in to tag along, but we’re looking forward to our bike rides. On weekends, we plan on taking our bikes to nearby parks for some extra long rides.
• Call a friend – Some time getting some exercise is as simple as calling a friend and trying to get together. Instead of meeting for a drink or dinner, try meeting somewhere for a walk, a bike ride, a round of golf (no fair using golf carts), or some other activity that you both enjoy.

There you have it. These are some great ways that you can get in some exercise all while spending little or no money. None of these involve anything too strenuous, but hey, if it gets you moving anymore than you are today, every little bit helps, right?

Oh, and I mentioned that there was a theme. Did you spot it? Every one of the items involves doing something else besides exercising that brings enjoyment. In the items I listed above, you’re watching a sunrise, walking the dog, talking with your family, seeing nature in a park, or spending time with a friend, and exercise just happens to be a side benefit. That’s the key: If exercise alone isn’t doing it for you, find something that does interest you and figure out a way to sneak in some exercise.

Your body (the only one you have) will thank you for it!

Image from danagraves