Staying in shape can get very expensive very quickly. There are high-tech sneakers and workout clothes, gym memberships, fitness magazines, and overpriced diet foods and meal delivery programs—not to mention the myriad incentives many of us use to get in a workout before or after work (post-jog Starbucks and monthly massages, we’re looking at you).
Cut the noise. The diet industry is just that: an industry designed to turn a profit, especially in light of America’s obesity epidemic. As such, there are ways to buck the system, plus means of working the same system to your advantage. Keep a clearly defined goal and motivation in mind along with these tips from singers and professionals alike, and you’ll have a fitness plan without the pork.
Follow Your Gut
Any personal trainer will tell you that when it comes to cheap exercise, running is free. However, as tenor Joseph Calleja mentions in this month’s cover story, going for a run in city streets may be wallet friendly, but it’s not so kind to your vocal cords. Take your town’s air quality into consideration before you go for a zip around the block, especially in the winter when the air gets nippier.
If jogging is your jam, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to do so without sacrificing your throat. New Yorkers can find a small respite in Central Park’s plethora of jogging paths (so long as you avoid the occasional horse droppings); Santa Monica’s beaches are a breath of fresh air to Angelenos; Boston-adjacent Cambridge, Massachusetts, boasts a well trod loop around the Charles River; and a morning jog along the C&O Canal Towpath in Washington, D.C., makes you forget you’re in a metro area. (Note: You can carve out your own path anywhere in the world at walkjogrun.net.)
As important as location is timing: you can monitor your local air quality in the States at AIRNow.gov to determine the best time to step out (though it’s been proven that there is more oxygen in the air in the morning). But even if you’re pulling yourself out of bed at 5 a.m., stay in tune with your body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t force it—it’s better to take the subway or a cab home than push yourself into a bigger problem.
Home Gym Home School
“To build a home gym, you could get away with having as little as a set of resistance bands or a few free weights,” says registered dietician and personal trainer Alysa Bajenaru, who adds, “If you choose free weights, you would probably be spending more because you would want to have a set of light weights, a set of medium weights, and a set of heavy weights. With resistance bands, you can get that in having only two or three bands.” Resistance bands are particularly versatile as you can adjust the resistance by how you hold them, though Bajenaru cautions that the elastic nature of the band means you should always buy new to avoid injuries from nicked and cracked bands. Otherwise, however, weights can be had for a song online at PerformBetter.com or at stores like Play It Again Sports and Target.
From there, you can build on a workout space in your home with as few or as many pieces of equipment as you please. Bajenaru suggests a yoga mat if you have hardwood floors, though on carpets you can get by with a towel. While a stability ball is also a nice addition, she adds, “You can get a great stability workout by doing exercises on one leg or a rolled-up towel.”
A Netflix membership or library card can bring the group class into your home with excellent series by the likes of Crunch and the New York City Ballet. And some of the best workouts—like squats, push-ups, lunges and planks—require nothing but your own body. Without a subscription, you can also access new workouts featured in magazines like Shape, Self, and both Men’s and Women’s Health on their respective websites.
Free Pass (for a Price)
There is nothing wrong with relying on an elliptical machine to reach your health and fitness goals (in fact, your knees suffer less for it than when you simply pound the pavement). There is also nothing wrong with joining a bare-bones gym such as Bally’s or Planet Fitness, which offer monthly memberships well under $50 for all of the essentials, including a free session with a personal trainer and, in many cases, a pool and sauna. Moreover, many gyms now offer month-to-month memberships at no extra cost, which means if you land a summer program overseas, you have an easy out.
Health club nomads can also coast by—for a period of time, at least—on various gym trial memberships. It’s by no means condoned, but increasingly common. Indianapolis Star staffer Konrad Marshall “shamelessly” took advantage of his local fitness center offers for a solid month, and in his resulting article (on IndyStar.com) found three months’ worth of free trials for the Circle City. Stalking websites for chains such as Crunch, Gold’s Gym, and 24 Hour Fitness is one way, but you can see an aggregated tally of passes at GymTicket.com. Caveat emptor, however: be prepared for the hard-sell from every gym and trainer you try out.
Whole-Food Quality at Fast-Food Prices
Between $0.99 boxes of off-brand pasta and dollar-value meals, eating cheap can seem synonymous with eating unhealthfully. But if you’re smart about your shopping list, you can actually do more with less and maintain a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains. “The best way to get fruits and veggies on the cheap is to buy in season,” explains Bajenaru, who uses SustainableTable.org to find what’s fresh and frugal. “I also suggest shopping around,” she adds. “Get to know the stores in your area. Many health food stores are expensive, but some are surprisingly cheap. Find out which stores have good deals on lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. You may be surprised at what you find.”
Extra planning can also trim some fat from your budget. Spend your Saturday morning planning out your weekly meals, scan your cupboards for what you already have, and then make a grocery list based off what you need. Sticking to the list will help save you from impulse purchases. If you live in the New York metro area, ordering from FreshDirect.com can also come in handy. You’re less likely to make impulse buys when you have an exact total with each item added to your cart (and they also rate their produce by freshness on the website itself).
“Learn how to cook a few healthy meals. Experiment in the kitchen. Visit healthy food blogs for inspiration,” says Bajenaru. Just because you can’t afford a nutritionist doesn’t mean you can’t use their recipes—the Nutrition Blog Network has over 87 websites with meals planned by registered dieticians. And the website Cheap Healthy Good (cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com) breaks down each of their recipes by cost per serving and nutritional information.
Real-Life Recipes
National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer Jake Louro, who has learned to live on a budget from firsthand experience, swears by soup. “To this day, I still keep my ritual of making a big pot of soup on Sunday and having it throughout the week,” he says of his All That’s Left Soup. “For protein, you just throw in spinach, some beans, and brown whole-grain rice. The rest of the soup consists of whatever you want. I use just about every vegetable I can get my hands on.” Louro scouts out his local farmers’ markets on Saturday for the best deals and saves whatever is left over for veggie stir fries during the week, usually spending no more than $10. Louro shares the wealth with a recipe on his website, LouroFitness.com.
Eggs are also one of the cheapest ways to get lean protein. For the cholesterol-conscious, mix one whole egg with two egg whites and scramble with any variety of chopped vegetables. Like soup, the variations on these dishes are endless, which means if your finances are lean, you can still keep things from getting too bland.
